Though trainer Dale Romans still believes his Preakness winner
Shackleford can be effective at 1 1/4 miles, he and owners Michael
Lauffer and Bill Cubbedge appear to be targeting the Breeders’ Cup Dirt
Mile rather than the Breeders’ Cup Classic for their 3-year-old.
“The Dirt Mile is probably the way to go, the way we’re leaning
anyway,’’ Romans said Wednesday morning at Belmont Park, where he paid a
visit to his 30-horse stable. “It just fits him better right now.’’
Romans said the Classic hasn’t been totally ruled out, but noted that
many of the horses pointing to the Classic, such as Game On Dude, Uncle
Mo, and Tizway have a lot of early speed. Shackleford is a
front-running type.
“It just looks like the best spot of the day for him,’’ Romans said
of the Mile. “The Classic is going to be a super-tough race with a lot
of speed in it.’’
Read More