Last Saturday evening after Shackleford crossed the wire first and holding off Kentucky Derby winner; Animal Kingdom, a winning streak of eight consecutive Preakness tickets cashed by "yours truly" ended. The most predictable jewel of racing Triple Crown had a double digit "longshot" winner for the first time since 2006. All good things came to end for my luck in wagering on this race and once again, Shackleford had it his own way stalking nearly on the lead. This time, they didn't catch him!
I have to admit, I didn't like Shackleford in the Kentucky at all. Since he seemed to "hit a wall" at the eighth pole at Churchill Downs and tired to fourth, I figured like most handicappers that he would get mixed up in a speed duel with other front running horses. He did stick like glue to the pace setter; Flashpoint and in the stretch, put that runner away. He sure did put Flashpoint away. Because between the seven furlong mark and a mile, Flashpoint went from leading by a half length to eleventh and at the finish; dead last! Now, the question was would Shackleford hold off the late charge of the Kentucky Derby winner?
As the field of 14 were coming down the stretch, my second choice; Astrology at 15-1 looked like he had the perfect trip up the rail. The horse I predicted a few weeks ago (on Capital District radio to win this year's Travers) looked like he had a chance to win and a big payday for myself. But, he hung on the inside and tired, now only one horse had a shot at the "shack". That was the longshot Derby hero and the hopes of a "possible" Triple Crown try with a victory.
Now, Shackleford was quite the handful in the paddock, post parade and leading into the starting gate. Sweating, lathering and quite worked up; Shackleford looked like anything but a winner. If I had a ticket on him before the race, I would have raced back to the windows to get a refund! This information provided by NBC was out there for all to hear, if they watched the "live" telecast. What the viewing public didn't know (until after the race) was that Shackleford got this way often before his races. This tidbit of information was told after the race by his trainer; Dale Romans. So much for seeing is believing the way horses behave before the race!
The clever ride that his jockey; Jesus Castanon gave Shackleford was the real reason because of his victory. After close to a quick pace early in the race, he slowed it down enough to keep Animal Kingdom at bay near the finish. Even I could tell that Animal Kingdom wasn't catching him on this day, even with a late rush. I'll have to admit (again) I wasn't fond of him in the Preakness and even more coming down the lane late. But, he really showed a gusty performance in winning at 12-1. His victory, ended my streak and proved that both his efforts in the first two legs of the Triple Crown were all his own on or near the lead. No speed horse or pace presser could overcome his ability to run these route races. Are the rest of this group (besides Animal Kingdom) not so great? Will Shackleford be able to once again, get the ultimate marathon distance of the Belmont Stakes when no one runs with him? Or will what I originally thought of this horse, come true on the third try and disappoint his fans? We shall see in two weeks, I didn't like him in the last two races. But, unless someone else shows up, the "shack" may pull it off again!
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