UPI Horse Racing Weekend Preview

Shared Belief returns to action Saturday in the $1.5 million Charles Town Classic in West Virginia, highlighting an impressive weekend racing schedule. Hawthorne Race Course hosts its biggest weekend of the year with the $400,000, Grade III Illinois Derby and the $150,000, Grade III Sixty Sails Handicap for fillies and mares. Pimlico swings into action -- it's only four weeks until the Preakness -- with six stakes on the Saturday schedule. And a venerable pair, Ben's Cat and Russell Road, make their 9-year-old debuts Friday and Saturday, respectively, at Pimlico. Santa Anita, Aqueduct and Woodbine all have graded stakes worth considering. On the international front, Sunday is the Satsuki Sho, or Japanese 2,000 Guineas. There are some hot events at Newbury in England for the Derby candidates. One of Hong Kong's favorite horses is retired and Australian racing gets a shakeup. Starting at the top... Classic Shared Belief, once-beaten and focused squarely on the year ahead, is asked to carry 123 pounds in Saturday's Grade II Charles Town Classic, spotting eight rivals no more than 5 pounds each. That seems fair enough, given the 4-year-old Candy Ride gelding's record -- 10 wins from 11 starts with eight of those wins coming in graded stakes. Five of those were Grade I events and he is co-rated No. 1 horse in the world, along with Hong Kong sprinter Able Friend. His only defeat came in the Breeders' Cup Classic, where he was fourth.

If there's any potential chink in the armor of the Steve Asmussen trainee, it's that Saturday's 9 furlongs will mark his first race outside California. Even though he hasn't traveled far, Shared Belief has traveled regularly between his Bay Area training base and Southern California, where most of his races have been run. Shared Belief had a routine work on Tuesday at Golden Gate Fields and was scheduled to fly Wednesday from Oakland, Calif., to Newark, N.J., followed by a van ride to Charles Town. Hollendorfer said the Tuesday work, under regular workout rider Russell Baze, was a routine 51 4/5 seconds.

The rivals Saturday include some familiar names like Vyjack, Moreno, General a Rod and Page McKenney. A good showing Saturday will put some distance between Shared Belief and his chief rival in the division, California Chrome. The latter was sent to England after running second in the Dubai World Cup and now is prepping for a run or two on the British greensward. Both he and Shared Belief ultimately are scheduled for another try in the Breeders' Cup.

If you can't be at Charles Town, no worries. The Horse Racing Radio Network will have you covered, live from the West Virginia hills. Check it out at www.horseracingradio.net. Also look over www.popejude.com to see what Mr. Feld thinks about the Classic and the competitive undercard. He's on a roll.

The Triple Crown trail

The Kentucky Derby picture is pretty clear but there are still some late-developing 3-year-olds who might be heard from down the road a piece. Some of them are on display on Saturday at Hawthorne and Pimlico.

California Derby winner Cross the Line is the morning-line favorite for the $400,000, Grade III Illinois Derby at Hawthorne. The Jerry Hollendorfer trainee followed up the January triumph with a second-place finish in the Grade III El Camino Real Derby and then was fifth, behind Dortmund and others, in the Grade I Santa Anita Derby. Florent Geroux will ride Cross the Line. Also visiting from California is Whiskey Ticket. Trained by Bob Baffert for his A-list clients, Whiskey Ticket comes into the race after winning in his initial start on the West Coast. Kantune and Conquest Curlinate will represent trainer Mark Casse. Nine are set for the 1 1/8-miles challenge.

At Pimlico, Saturday's $100,000 Federico Tesio Stakes, frequently a testing ground for Preakness "new shooters," drew a field of seven. Bodhisattva, a California-bred Student Council colt, has the lengthiest and most impressive resume but a few others seem to be moving in the right direction.

Old guys rule

Russell Road, a 9-year-old Wheaton gelding, is entered for Saturday's Confucious Say Stakes at Pimlico, going 7 furlongs. The James Casey trainee has won 28 of 53 starts, almost exclusively in West Virginia, and earned nearly $2 million. Ben's Cat, a 9-year-old gelding by Parker's Storm Cat, is set for a Friday allowance race at Pimlico. He also has 28 career wins, from 45 starts, and has earned $2.3 million for owner-trainer King Leatherbury, a finalist for induction this year into the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame. Fillies and mares

Awesome Flower heads a field of five for Saturday's $150,000, Grade III Sixty Sails at Hawthorne. She is up from Florida with victories in three of her four starts so far this year. The main competition would be Yahilwa, who finished seventh in the Grade II Santa Maria at Santa Anita in her previous 2015 start.

Sprint

Eight signed on for Saturday's $150,000 (Canadian), Grade III Whimsical at Woodbine, going 6 furlongs on the all-weather track. Executive Allure and Sweater Weather are the highweights in the field.

Don't miss Saturday's sixth race at Keeneland, an optional claimer with heavyweights such as Delaunay, Pablo Del Monte, Jasizzle, Rock Fall and Nate's Mineshaft. That's a stakes-quality field.

Filly & Mare Sprint

Only four signed on for Saturday's $200,000, Grade II Distaff at Aqueduct. Maybe others were scared off by Mamdooha, a 4-year-old Daaher filly who has won her last five races, four of them stakes, but moves into the graded stakes ranks for the first time. She is a Shadwell Farm hombred, campaigned by Kiaran McLaughlin. La Verdad has the credentials to get the job done here but has not raced since finishing seventh in the Grade III Fall Highweight back in November.

Saturday's $150,000 Sugar Maple at Charles Town drew a field of eight to tackle 7 furlongs.

Turf Sprint

Hootenanny, last fall's Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint winner, is among seven in for a Saturday allowance race at Keeneland going 5 1/2 furlongs on the lawn. It's the seasonal debut for the Quality Road colt, who ran with distinction at the top level in England and France for international-minded trainer Wesley Ward before returning home for the Breeders' Cup.

On Sunday, catch the $150,000, Grade III San Simeon down the Santa Anita hillside turf course.

Turf

Night Prowler reeled in pacesetting favorite Luck of the Kitten in the final jumps to win Wednesday's $150,000, Grade III Transylvania for 3-year-olds at Keeneland by a neck. Saham was third. Night Prowler, a Giant's Causeway gelding, ran 1 1/16 miles on soft turf in 1:44.03 with Javier Castellano up.

A well-balanced field of 11 graces Saturday's $250,000, Grade II Dixiana Elkhorn at Keeneland and good luck sorting them out. The field includes Dynamic Sky, Optimizer, Aldous Snow, Java's War and Xtra Luck with others ready to pounce.

Filly & Mare Turf

Saturday's $150,000, Grade II Santa Barbara at Santa Anita features some refugees from last month's Grade II Santa Ana Stakes over the course, including the second-place finisher, Three Hearts and Diversy Harbor and Queen of the Sand, who were an uncharacteristic sixth and eighth in that. Fanticola steps up a notch but is running well. Habibi could improve in her third U.S. start for trainer Richard Mandella.

2-year-olds It's not too early to be thinking about the young uns. Naevussquall was sent quickly to the lead in Monday's $55,000 Copper Top Futurity for New Mexico-breds at Sunland Park, quickly left his rivals behind and held on to win by 3 1/4 lengths over Seasalt N Vinegar. Casey Jones Who was in third. Naevussquall, by Squall out of the Naevus mare Brh Up to Naevus, ran 4 1/2 furlongs on a fast track in 51.58 seconds with Ry Eikleberry in the irons. Rapping Mary also led most of the way in the $55,000 filly companion race, but under constant pressure from a tag team of rivals before finally holding off Indian Tiva for a 3/4-length victory. The favorite, Shug's Hope, finished third. Rapping Mary, with Enrique Gomez up, finished in 51.72 seconds.

International

Japan

Sunday's Group 1 Satsuki Sho or Japanese 2,000 Guineas, has a field of 19, with runners coming from several prep races and promises to be a competitive affair. Two of the group enter with unblemished records -- Satono Crown and Kitasan Black. Either would assume divisional leadership with a good showing in this 2,000 meters over the turf at Nakayama.

England

Some of the leading candidates for the upcoming 2,000 Guineas and, by extension, for the Epsom Derby, will be on display in Saturday's Group III AON Greenham Stakes. Kingman beat Night of Thunder in last year's renewal, attesting to the import of the race. This time around the field includes Bellardo, now sporting the Godolphin blue, and a pair from trainer Richard Hannon -- Ivawood and Estidhkaar. As usual, the unexpected is possible.

The Group III Dubai Duty Free Stakes is for 3-year-old fillies. Redstart and Tiggy Wiggy are among the likely ones there. Older horses, including Romsdal, Pether's Moon and Windshear, get their go in the Group III Dubai Duty Free Finest Surprise Stakes at 1 1/2 miles.

Hong Kong

Ambitious Dragon has been retired. Twice the Hong Kong Horse of the Year, the New Zealand Pins gelding won 13 of 30 career starts and earned more than HK$58 million. Among his triumphs were the 2011 Audemars Piguet QE II Cup and the 2012 Longines Hong Kong Mile. Trainer Tony Millard noted the champion won Group 1 events at distances of 1,400, 1,600, 1,800 and 2,000 meters. "He was unique. We just had to look after him carefully because he was very fragile, like many good horses are. We were very sparing in the way we raced him ... I hope that one day, if I train long enough and live long enough, I might get another like him. It won't be easy because a horse like him usually comes along just once in a lifetime."

Hong Kong's current star, Able Friend, apparently is too good for the rest of the racing world as he found no overseas rivals willing to take him on in the Group 1 Champions Mile on May 3. The co-rated No. 1 horse in the world still will face a tough gallery of locals in what should be his last stop before traveling to prove his worth in other racing venues around the world. First things first -- he will need to hold safe the likes of BMW Hong Kong Derby winner Luger, a rising star, and Dan Excel, winner of the 2013 Champions Mile and last year's Group 1 Singapore Airlines International Cup at Kranji. Noting the depth of the local talent pool, William Nader, executive vice president of racing for the Hong Kong Jockey Club, said the absence of overseas raiders "does not lessen the quality of the race."

Australia

Australian racing has reorganized and consolidated into a new national body known as Racing Australia, which will incorporate racing's key national functions and assets. Racing Australia merges the Australian Racing Board, Racing Information Services Australia and the Australian Stud Book into one entity. The shareholders of Racing Australia are the eight Principal Racing Authorities representing every State and Territory. Racing NSW Chairman John Messara was elected the chairman of Racing Australia at the inaugural board meeting Monday.