Shackleford? His win in the Preakness defied all handicapping logic.
That and other reflections of the middle jewel of the Triple Crown:
The Preakness was just another reminder of why there are a lot more
broken-down horseplayers out there than rich ones. If you know anything
about horse racing you knew Shackleford had no chance to win the
Preakness. At least that's what this "expert" and most "experts"
thought.
With all due respect to a horse who is obviously pretty good, he stunk
in the Derby. Inexplicably, every jockey but Jesus Castanon fell asleep
during the early running of the Derby, allowing Shackleford to crawl
through opening fractions of :48 3/5 and 1:13 2/5. Those were the
slowest half-mile and three-quarter-mile fractions since 1947 (on a day
when the track was listed as "slow") and a quality horse, with that kind
of trip, should have won. Instead, he was passed by three horses inside
the final furlong and finished fourth.
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