From the Preakness to the Belmont

It’s Wednesday, April 25^th, 2011 and, just like that, the Preakness Stakes is four days in the past and all eyes are turned toward the June 11^th, 143^rd running of the Belmont Stakes (Gr.1) and the potential for an exciting matchup between the Kentucky Derby and Preakness winners. But for a moment I would like to look back at the Preakness Stakes before surging ahead to the Belmont and try to make some sense out of exactly what happened.

On May 21^st, Preakness Stakes day, I was flying back home from Ireland with no cell phone service after a week of spotty internet service in Dublin and was literally on the edge of my seat waiting to debark and embrace cell coverage and internet availability with open arms. Within minutes of landing the seatbelt sign flashed off, cell phones came out en mass and startup screens blinked to life as beeps, bleeps, buzzers and rings announced a flood of notifications. The first thing I did with my long lost internet use was go straight to the BloodHorse.com and check up on the latest Preakness updates. Very quickly I realized that it was after 4:00 P.M. and the Preakness was set to go off in a matter of hours so I switched to Twitter and read the minute to minute updates from my faithful racing fanatic friends. Most of the prerace twitter concerned the antics of Shackleford, who was putting up quite a show and was completely drenched in sweat during the post parade. By the time the field had reached the gate nearly everyone was saying to toss the son of Forestry. The drive from Logan International Airport in Boston to my house in Connecticut takes about two hours and by the time familiar landscapes were flying past my car window the Preakness field had left the gate and we were less than two minutes away from crowning a new champion.

“Shackleford wins!” I had refreshed Twitter for the hundredth time since the Preakness field had broken from the gates and my screen was now filled with the surprised exclamations of pronouncing Shackelford the winner. I actually gave a short whoop of delight; Shackleford had been one of my top three picks for the Preakness and one of three colts I had been planning to profile while in Ireland on my blog. His gritty front-running Kentucky Derby effort had won me over completely when he hung on for fourth after leading from the start, finishing 8 ½ lengths behind Animal Kingdom.

The bell rang and Flashpoint streaked out of post four in the Preakness field like he had been shot from a cannon with a flaming tail to boot. Shackleford was hot on his heels from post five, Dialed In had dropped back to last with Animal Kingdom 13^th of 14 as they entered the first turn. The opening quarter was a rapid :22.69 as the leading pair continued to blaze along. Astrology sat just behind the top two with Midnight Interlude to his outside as Mucho Macho Man rated about 7 lengths off the frontrunners. Down the backstretch positions remained relatively unchanged, Shackleford edged to within a neck of Flashpoint, pushing him through a half that went in :46.87. As the far turn loomed ahead Shackleford made his move and quickly put Flashpoint away as Animal Kingdom swept around the horses from the back. The field thundered into the homestretch with Shackleford leading by one length and pulling away. From behind the leaders Astrology was finally able to find some running room and made a bold move for the lead but from the center of the track it was Animal Kingdom moving the best of all. Closing swiftly with every stride the Kentucky Derby winner inhaled the field in a matter of seconds while Shackleford pulled two lengths clear of Astrology. Down to the wire the two colts laid it all out on the line, the roars of the crowd roaring across the track in wave upon wave as neither rival gave an inch. The final margin of victory came down to a half length in favor of Shackelford who showed millions of fans across the country just how big his heart is and how much talent he possesses. Animal Kingdom ran a terrific race in defeat and came within half a length of continuing his Triple Crown pursuit, proving to any doubters that he is indeed the real deal.

Now we turn our eyes ahead to the Belmont Stakes and for the first time since 2005 it appears both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness winners could be headed for the 1 ½ mile classic. Shackleford doesn’t seem well suited for 1 ½ miles but has proven it is stupid to underestimate his skills. Training and attitude should give us a decent idea of how he comes into the race if he does indeed head for the Belmont but stamina issues can only be answered by running so there I will just have to take a “wait and see” approach. With his distinctive broad white blaze across his face and flaming chestnut coat Shackleford looks the part of a champion and is easy to spot in a crowd.

[caption id="attachment_1486" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Animal Kingdom - Anne M. Eberhardt"][/caption]

Animal Kingdom might have been able to catch Shackleford in the Preakness if the race had been 1/16 of a mile longer like in the Derby but regardless he has shown an affinity for dirt and a devastating late kick that propels him better than the entire class of 2011 so far. 1 ½ miles should be right up his alley. Mucho Macho Man finished sixth in the Preakness after losing his left front shoe, the same thing that happened when he finished third in the Louisiana Derby earlier in the year. Either this big guy likes to run barefoot or he just has bad luck. In the Derby he closed well but late to get up for the third and I think he will be better suited for the longer 1 ½ miles at Belmont than either the Derby or Preakness winner.

Notable Derby and or Preakness starters not listed as possible for the Belmont Stakes right now are Dialed In, who finished 8^th in the Derby and 4^th in the Preakness, and Astrology, who finished a very promising third in the Preakness after being unable to sustain his strong early move in the stretch.

Returning to the classic scene are five Kentucky Derby alumni led by second place finishing Nehro along with European Master of Hounds (5^th), Santiva (6^th), Brilliant Speed (7^th) and Stay Thirsty (12^th). Nehro looks like a monster just coming into his own and his closing Derby run was brilliant. He should love the added distance of the Belmont Stakes more than any other returning contender.