Hot! Preakness Stakes

BY Jerry Bossert DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

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BALTIMORE - Shackleford came up upward limited while in the Kentucky Derby . At longer odds, your dog supplied within the .

The 3-year-old colt, your 12-1 choice, kept heli-copter flight later run from Derby champion Animal Kingdom by way of a half-length Saturday, meaning the particular Triple Crown will probably move .unclaimed for a further year. Affirmed remains the final horse for you to sweep that Derby, the particular Preakness Stakes as well as the Belmont Stakes , that will in 1978.

Racing in second, sitting just away from a new fast schedule becoming set through Flashpoint, Shackleford dug throughout through the lane to carry off Animal Kingdom in addition to allow instructor Dale Romans in addition to jockey Jesus Castanon his or her earliest Classic victory. "It's amazing," Castanon said. "I felt a person returning for the sixteenth-pole, I knew this Animal Kingdom has been the only deer which managed to come receive me."

Despite placing the actual slowest schedule with this more time Derby given that 1947, Shackleford continue to fatigued in order to final with Churchill Downs , but Saturday he has been section of a rapid quick pace using Flashpoint, managing the primary quarter-mile with your blazing :22.60. "The Derby appeared to be a gradual pace," Romans said. "Sometimes should the speed is actually slow, you allow for this closers to remain seated within the race. When an individual proceed fast, a person get all of them from the action early, plus often they do not possess the polishing off kick they will acquired in the Derby."

While Shackleford had been hurtling by way of the fast first quarter, Animal Kingdom was much back with 13th, almost 19 diets behind in addition to just in front of Dialed In.

After your slower start, jockey John Velazquez said Animal Kingdom wasn't accustomed to your soil finding their way back at his mount, because Preakness seemed to be solely his second start out with a soil track.

"In this Derby, he pennyless better," your dog said. "We ended up just simply very far back. When he is at the actual pack (in that Derby), that soil was punishing him within the chest. Today it turned out reaching your ex boyfriend in the head."

Despite attempting to adapt to the dirt, Animal Kingdom launched his rally and began buying farm pets away from a single through one. At this prime of the stretch, Shackleford took the lead on the tiring Flashpoint having Animal Kingdom roaring straight into finally location and looking like a successful ahead of a new packed house of 107,398, the sixth-largest Preakness crowd. "I notion I seemed to be in beneficial position," Velazquez said. "By the time I had the possiblity to go, he was coming, nonetheless it was too late."

This time, contrary to your Derby, Shackleford didn't stop and prevailed less than Castanon. "At the top part with the grow I understood I nonetheless acquired a few horse," claimed Castanon, some sort of 38-year-old out of Mexico . "Just when I expected him to pick the idea up he or she bought bigger."

Castanon had been over emotional following race, specialist his father, Jesus Sr., who seem to passed away in November immediately after being about kidney dialysis within the last a few years. "It indicates a lot to me," he / she said. "I understand he / she seemed to be up now there enjoying me."

Shackleford in addition to Castanon protected your a single and three-sixteenth kilometers around 1:56.47. Shackleford given $27.20, $10.20 and also $6.80. Animal Kingdom paid $4.20 as well as $3.60, while Astrology, exactly who finished third immediately after getting close to the speed most race, arrived $8.00. Dialed In, the 4-1 following choice, completed fourth.

The acquire earned keepers Michael Lauffer plus an additional $500,000 additionally the $600,000 winner's talk about associated with the actual $1 million purse pertaining to doing a new collection including races run at tracks owned by .

Romans, that gained a supplementary $50,000 with the bonus, decided not to get along with this June 11 Belmont , declaring he / she wishes to see precisely how Shackleford emerged out of Saturday's race, nevertheless said he'd like to run. The Belmont could provide a rematch involving this Derby as well as Preakness winners as the early reviews on the Animal Kingdom camp ended up that he'd likely commence around the particular Belmont when well.