Shackleford, whose Grade 1 exploits include the 2011 Preakness and the
An earner of more than $2.8 million, Shackleford will be retiring to stud at
The focus on shorter races, mostly around one turn, has paid dividends. In
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Outside of the Donn, Shackleford turned in disappointing efforts in only two
other starts this term. Reportedly disliking the mud when trailing in the Grade
1 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap, the chestnut bobbled leaving the gate in the
Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile last time and never fully recovered in that
two-turn event at Santa Anita November 3.
Preferring to stick closer to home rather than travel to New York Saturday
for the Grade 1 Cigar Mile, Shackleford will carry top weight of 120 pounds in
the Clark with Jesus Castanon regaining the mount for the first time since the
Met Mile.
“I wanted to run him at Churchill Downs and didn’t want to ship him,” trainer
Dale Romans said. “He’s doing good here right now and he likes this racetrack. I
think he’ll run big and the 1 1/8 miles might be a little easier on him pace
wise than the (Cigar) Mile.”
Pool Play, who captured the 2011 Grade 1 Stephen Foster Handicap in his only
prior race under the Twin Spires, enters off an eighth-place effort in the Grade
1 Breeders’ Cup Classic. Undoubtedly hindered to some degree by the
speed-favoring nature of the Santa Anita strip, the seven-year-old had preceded
that race with an upset win in the Grade 2 Hawthorne Gold Cup over 1 1/4 miles.
Second in the Gold Cup was returning foe Cease, a stakes winner who finished
third in the Grade 1 Woodward two back.
The Clark lost some luster Tuesday with the announcement that Neck ‘n Neck,
recent winner of the Grade 3 Ack Ack Handicap and Grade 2 Indiana Derby, would
be sidelined indefinitely after fracturing a sesamoid following a workout last
weekend. There will still be plenty of sophomore representation in the Clark,
with Take Charge Indy and Bourbon Courage both looking for their first stakes
wins against older horses.
Grade 1 Florida Derby winner Take Charge Indy, who exited a 19th-place effort
“He got so much out of (the Fayette),” trainer Pat Byrne said. “I bet he’s
Bourbon Courage, who landed the Grade 2 Super Derby by five lengths in
The other three-year-olds in the Clark lineup are Fast Falcon, who endured
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Lunar Victory, owned by Juddmonte Farms, will make a rare venture into open
company for the Clark. Since his re-importation last year, the Bill Mott trainee
has made six of his eight starts against New York-bred foes. Never worse than
second since his return to these shores, the son of Speightstown has captured
the Empire Classic and Evan Shipman for state-breds and prevailed in both open
company attempts against allowance foes.
The veteran multiple Grade 2 winner Mission Impazible, who finished second in
both the Stephen Foster and the Clark in 2011, has raced just once in the past
five months, finishing second in a third-level allowance at Belmont Park on
October 25. The gray appears to have lost a step this season and is winless
since taking the Grade 2 New Orleans Handicap in March 2011.
The Clark field is rounded out by the D. Wayne-Lukas trained longshot Eye of
the Leopard, whose last stakes win occurred in the 2009 Queen’s Plate.
Earlier on Friday’s card, multiple Grade 3 winner Salty Strike heads a field
of seven fillies and mares in the $65,000
Dream
Supreme over six furlongs. The Kenny McPeek-trained filly turned in a rare
dull effort over the Churchill strip last time when third as the favorite in the
Grade 2 Chilukki.
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