Shackleford necked out Caleb’s Posse to win the Metropolitan Handicap
W. D. Cubbedge and Michael Lauffer’s homebred, Shackleford, in his front wheeling style nicks another race from the proposed favourite, as he necked out, Caleb’s Posse to land the Grade 1, $750,000 Metropolitan Handicap at Belmont Park on 28 May, 2012.
Dale L. Romans trained 4-year-old colt, who was exiting a brilliant win in the Grade 2 Churchill Downs Stakes, where he kept the champion sprinter, Amazombie, at bay, did it again to post back to back victories after a dry spell of seven loses in a row,
starting from 2011 when the Shackleford won the Grade 1 Preakness Stakes at Pimlico.
The Kentucky bred Shackleford under jockey John Velazquez was awesome setting the pace, as he downed the first quarter mile in a swift 22.77 seconds, and it took him just 44.73 seconds to cover the half mile distance into the race, as he reeled the field
through the 6 furlong marker in 1 minute and 8.52 seconds.
Usually Caleb’s Posse is brilliant under Rajiv Maragh, but it seems like that the veteran jockey is having a problem reading the race. The pair was 10 lengths off, when Caleb’s Posse made his bid to pull back Shackleford, and in the end missed it by a neck.
The victory for Shackleford means, that the colt has earned an automatic berth in the Breeders’ Cup, and he will most likely run in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile at Santa Anita – which spells a rematch between Caleb’s Posse and Shackleford after the
former edging out the latter to win the 2011 edition of the race.
“He beat the best today,” said Romans. “It’s as good a race as we’ve seen in a long time. He laid it all on the line. This was our goal from the beginning of the year. He’s as gutsy as they come. Hopefully, he’ll get the credit he deserves. He’s a spectacular
horse.”
"We have no idea what we’re going to do next. This was the goal from the beginning of the year, and we made it here and we’ll regroup and figure out what to do to get to the Breeders’ Cup," Romans said.
The son of Forestry wrapped up the mile long Met Mile Handicap in 1 minute and 32 1/5 seconds.
Tags: