BALTIMORE — Trainer Dale Romans says the current Triple Crown class has plenty of good horses.
Sure, ones sidelined by injuries. The remaining runners are nothing special.
Romans’ Shackleford won the Preakness Stakes in a lackluster 1:562Ú5 — nearly three seconds off Curlin’s 2007 Preakness record. That’s a difference of 15 lengths. It was the slowest winning time at the Preakness since Tabasco Cat in 1994.
Animal Kingdom’s Kentucky Derby victory was at least in a respectable 2:02, but the colt blew a chance at the Triple Crown with a horrible start on an unforgiving Pimlico track that favors horses that lead in the stretch. His second-place finish bodes well for the Belmont Stakes on June 11, but even a double crown title won’t convince skeptics of the worthiness of this 3-year-old class. After all, Animal Kingdom’s resume was largely built in the Triple Crown.
Aside from that duo, there’s little else. Florida Derby winner Dialed In was a bust in both races. Mucho Macho Man showed little. With one-time Derby front-runners Uncle Mo and Toby’s Corner injured, there’s little to excite racegoers.
That leaves Animal Kingdom and Shackleford to carry the summer stakes. At least their camps are willing to let these horses meet for a third time in the Belmont; many of their predecessors retired one-shot wonders rather than risk the colts’ breeding value.
Still, Belmont officials can’t be pleased with this showdown.
“It will be good for horse racing to have another good rivalry,” Romans said. “I think everybody’s been knocking [3-year-olds] a little bit when we lost Uncle Mo. I think we have good 3-year?olds, and hopefully we’ll have a good rivalry with Animal Kingdom when it comes down to the wire.”
Said Animal Kingdom trainer Graham Motion: “[The Belmont] definitely will be a possibility as long as he’s OK. I heard [owner] Barry [Irwin] mention it, and I think [jockey] Johnny [Velazquez] feels strongly that it would suit him. We’ll see how he came out of it. He’s got two really tough races, but if he comes out of this one the way he came out of the Derby, I don’t know why we wouldn’t take a shot.”
Now that’s sportsmanship. And Motion knows Animal Kingdom can beat Shackleford in the 1?-mile Belmont after the horse closed to a half length in the 13Ú16-mile Preakness despite trailing by 15 lengths midway through the race. Animal Kingdom can control the Belmont with his tactical speed until the final turn, then outrun Shackleford in the stretch.
“We won the Derby, and we just got beat in the Preakness,” Motion said. “I would love to win a Triple Crown, as much for me as for everybody else. There is so much pressure to do that because it would be so good for the game. But it wasn’t meant to be. The horse ran a great race. He did nothing wrong. I think the horse ran huge. If it wasn’t for the fact that it was the Triple Crown, you’d be thrilled that he ran so well.”
Examiner columnist Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Read more on Twitter @Snide_Remarks or email [email protected].
