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Shared Belief wins $1 million Pacific Classic

By WTOP Staff

BETH HARRIS
AP Racing Writer

DEL MAR, Calif. (AP) — Shared Belief’s hind hit the starting gate when it sprang open, while defending champion Game On Dude shot to the lead.

For a split second, Mike Smith wondered if had chosen the right horse to ride.

In the end, he did.

Shared Belief won the $1 million Pacific Classic by 2 3/4 lengths at Del Mar on Sunday, improving to 6-0 in his career.

The 3-year-old gelding ran 1 1/4 miles on Polytrack in 2:00.28 and paid $4.40, $3.20 and $2.80 as the 6-5 favorite in the field of 10.

“After we got away bad sometimes you have to pull a rabbit out of you know what,” Smith said. “I had a rabbit.”

Game On Dude, the 7-year-old gelding Smith jilted to ride the younger unbeaten horse, finished fourth after being pressed on the pace by Mystery Train.

“They always want to go after him,” said Bob Baffert, who trains Game On Dude. “I hate to see that. I think he was going to win if they hadn’t gone after him like that. It’s frustrating to train a horse and get him ready for his biggest race and have a horse who has no shot to win take that chance away.”

In changing horses, Smith figured Game On Dude is much closer to the end of his career than Shared Belief.

“I wanted this race so bad,” he said.

Toast of New York returned $5.20 and $4.60, while Imperative was another 2 1/4 lengths back in third and paid $8.40 to show.

There was a stewards’ inquiry involving Shared Belief and Toast of New York in the stretch, but they made no change to the order of finish after reviewing video. Toast of New York was in the middle, with Shared Belief on the outside and Game On Dude on the inside.

“I don’t believe I caused any trouble in the stretch,” Smith said. “When I came over, I had room.”

Victor Espinoza, aboard Toast of New York, disagreed, saying, “Mike’s horse did come over on us and I had to take a hold. Maybe it’s different if I don’t.”

With the victory, Shared Belief earned an automatic berth in the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic this fall at Santa Anita, setting up an anticipated showdown with Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner California Chrome.

“What a great thing for racing,” Smith said.

Foot problems kept Shared Belief off this year’s Triple Crown trail. He returned with a victory at Golden Gate Fields on May 26 and won the Los Alamitos Derby on July 5, with Smith aboard. The jockey, who turned 49 two weeks ago, won four races and had three seconds in eight races Sunday.

Shared Belief was just the second horse to enter the Pacific Classic with a spotless record. His sire, Candy Ride, was also 5-0 going into the 2003 running, which he won while setting a track record.

“The whole thing is so surreal,” said Jim Rome, Shared Belief’s co-owner and a sports talk host. “Some of the greatest days of my life have been spent at the track.”

Frac Daddy was scratched because of a left front tendon injury, believed to have been happened in his stall on Friday night. Trainer Ken McPeek said the injury is potentially career threatening, and the 4-year-old colt would return to Kentucky on Monday for further tests.

In other stakes:

–Goldencents won the $250,000 Pat O’Brien Stakes by 4 1/4 lengths, covering seven furlongs in a track record time of 1:20.99. That bettered the old mark of 1:21.12 set in last year’s race by Fed Biz, the 7-5 favorite who finished second this year. Trained by Doug O’Neill and ridden by Rafael Bejarano, Goldencents earned an automatic berth into the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile at Santa Anita this fall. He paid $5.40 to win.

–Tom’s Tribute rallied to win the $250,000 Del Mar Mile by one length. He ran one mile on the turf in 1:33.75 under Smith and paid $8.20, $4.20 and $6.40. Rock Me Baby was second and Handsome Mike third. Obviously, the 2-5 favorite and two-time defending champion, turned his head as the gate opened, causing him to break awkwardly from the rail. He went on to lead into the stretch, but faded to fourth.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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