Michael Lauffer and W.D. Cubbedge’s Shackleford winner of
the Preakness Stakes and likely favorite in Sunday’s Grade 1, $1 million
Resorts Casino Hotel Haskell Invitational, arrived at Monmouth Park early
Wednesday morning.
The millionaire Forestry colt will gallop up to Sunday’s
race for trainer Dale Romans and will be housed in the barn 8 stalls of Kiaran
McLaughlin.
“He shipped fine,” Romans said. “Everything’s good to go for Sunday.”
Jockey Jesus Castanon, who’s ridden Shackleford in all six
of his 2011 starts, will again be aboard the striking chestnut colt on Sunday.
In other Haskell news, jockey Julien Leparoux will ride
Stonestreet Stables and George Bolton’s Astrology in Sunday’s $1 million event.
The third-place finisher in this year’s Preakness behind
Shackleford shipped to trainer Steve Asmussen’s Monmouth Park barn 39 earlier
this week.
Astrology exits a sixth-place finish in the Iowa Derby
(G3), but hit the board in all three of his other 2011 starts – all of which
were against graded stakes company.