BELMONT REPORT
MAY 27, 2011
by James Scully
SHACKLEFORD (Forestry) denied ANIMAL KINGDOM (Leroidesanimaux [Brz]) an
opportunity for a Triple Crown bid, holding the late runner by a half-length on
the Preakness (G1) wire, and registered his first stakes win in the process.
A maiden winner last November in his two-year-old finale, Shackleford has
performed admirably in four-of-five starts this year, the lone exception being a
fifth-place clunker in the Fountain of Youth (G2). He opened 2011 with a 2
1/4-length, front-running allowance score going 1 1/8 miles at Gulfstream Park
and turned in a marvelous effort two starts later in the Florida Derby (G1),
missing by only a head after nearly stealing the race on the lead at 68-1 odds.
His supporters will add that Shackleford galloped out past the winner, Dialed In
(Mineshaft), after crossing the finish line.
His hard-trying fourth in the Kentucky Derby (G1) is better than it looks on
paper — the track appeared to be favoring outside closers late in the afternoon
and the pacesetting Shackleford gamely held his lead until midstretch while
racing on the inside, eventually missing second by only a length. And as taxing
as that performance seemed, the colt continued to improve two weeks later,
registering a career-best 103 BRIS Speed rating in the Preakness.
Give Dale Romans credit for a terrific training job.
The Michael Lauffer and W.D. Cubbedge colorbearer tracked Flashpoint
(Pomeroy) through a wicked opening quarter-mile in :22 3/5, but the pace slowed
down considerably from that point. Shackleford seized command on the far turn as
Flashpoint began to fade and reached the top of the stretch with a one-length
advantage. Animal Kingdom gave the crowd reason to cheer from the back of the
pack, surging into contention with a quarter-mile remaining, but couldn’t close
fast enough to catch the winner.
Shackleford showed signs of weakening in the stretch run, drifting in and out
under a driving Jesus Castanon, but it was misleading, just like his pre-race
behavior. The muscled chestnut acted up in the saddling area, bucking wildly,
and was sweating profusely on the track during the post parade. Those are
typically very negative indicators, but didn’t apply to Shackleford. He was
supremely determined throughout the 1 3/16-mile race, digging in to win by a
diminishing but comfortable margin in the end.
Belmont build-up
Thoroughbred racing fans would love to see the budding rivalry between Animal
Kingdom and Shackleford continue in the 1 1/2-mile “Test of Champions,” the
143rd edition of the $1 million Belmont S. (G1) on June 11, but it may not
happen.
Animal Kingdom will probably show up for the final leg of the Triple Crown. Bred
to relish the extra distance, the Team Valor colt should find the expansive
track in Elmont, New York, more to his liking than Pimlico. The Kentucky Derby
didn’t appear to take much out of the lightly-raced sophomore, who has compiled
three wins and three seconds in his six-race career, and the Graham
Motion-trained colt looms as a huge threat to rebound from his solid showing in
the Preakness.
Romans said after the Preakness that he would love to run Shackleford in the
Belmont, but don’t be surprised to see him removed from consideration upon
further reflection. The Preakness winner receives plenty of stamina from his
Unbridled dam, Oatsee, but the 12-furlong Belmont distance remains a potential
stumbling block for a son of Forestry. And Shackleford would need to wheel back
on short rest following grueling efforts in both the Derby and Preakness. Romans
would be wise to freshen his charge for lucrative prizes this summer like the $1
million Haskell (G1) and $1 million Travers (G1).
Five Derby participants who skipped the Preakness — runner-up NEHRO
(Mineshaft), fifth-placer MASTER OF HOUNDS (Kingmambo), sixth-placer SANTIVA
(Giant’s Causeway), seventh-placer BRILLIANT SPEED (Dynaformer) and 12th-placer STAY
THIRSTY (Bernardini) — are under serious consideration, and recent history is
on their side, with six of the last 11 Belmont winners being freshened off Derby
weekend.
Nehro figures to be well backed in the Belmont. Conditioned by Steve Asmussen, the late bloomer didn’t break his maiden until February 21, winning as
a 15-1 longshot, and proceeded to finish a neck second in both the Louisiana
Derby (G2) and Arkansas Derby (G1). The slow pace in the Kentucky Derby did the
bay colt no favors as Nehro proved more headstrong than expected from the start,
launching an early move into contention on the far turn. Nehro is eligible to
receive a more favorable trip at Belmont Park.
Master of Hounds is interesting for Aidan O’Brien. A nose second when opening
2011 in the U.A.E. Derby (UAE-G2), the Coolmore colt didn’t appear comfortable with
the kickback when making his first dirt start in the Derby, but he eventually
negotiated his way through traffic and finished strongly up the rail in the
stretch. He’s a candidate to improve significantly off that performance at
Belmont Park.
And new shooter ALTERNATION (Distorted Humor) merits respect off his win in
the May 14 Peter Pan S. (G2), the local prep for the Belmont. The Donnie Von
Hemel runner received a 103 BRIS Speed rating for his second stakes attempt and
owns a mouth-watering pedigree for the Belmont distance.
We’ll continue to look ahead in next week’s edition.