Shackleford arrives in all his glory at Saratoga for the Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap
Concerns about Dale Romans’ trained, Shackleford, hang in the air due to his rather unexpected delivery when he last raced at Saratoga. He arrived there on Thursday, 2nd August for the Grade 1, $400,000 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap on 5th
August. The race is being considered as prep for the Grade 1 Forego Stakes on 1st September at the Spa.
“I was pointing toward the Whitney originally, but when he was tired after the Met Mile we backed up a little bit,” Romans said. “This was in the back of our mind, with the Forego as the main objective. I don’t think this will take as much out of him as
the Whitney.”
“Looking at the big picture, I’m working him anyway, might as well get a race into him going into the Forego and for the rest of the fall.”
Last time that the four-year-old raced at Saratoga was on 27th August, 2011 in the Grade 1 Travers Stakes over 1 ¼ mile. He ended eighth while riding with jockey, J. Castanon.
Ever since then the trainer has avoided such distances and it will be for the first time that Forestry’s colt will race over six furlongs.
Shackleford became the focus of attention of the people at the Dale Romans’ barn as soon as he arrived at Saratoga and had never looked so happy, energised and revitalised before. He is being treated almost like royalty, getting a short roll on the back,
relishing treats, going grazing with the trainer and getting the copper coat glistened after the sponge bath.
“He left Churchill at 6:05 a.m. and got in at 11 am. It wasn’t much of a trip,” said Romans “He went into Lexington and was last on the plane and first off. He gets the rock star treatment from everybody.”
The colt out of mare, Oatsee, has been part of multiple graded races and has successfully landed some too, the most significant being the second leg of the Triple Crown, the Preakness Stakes. During the 2012 season he struck a back-to-back in graded races.
On 5th May, 2012, he won the Grade 2 Churchill Downs Stakes over seven furlongs and then within the same month took charge of the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap over a mile at the Belmont Park.
Tags: