Instead of going straight to the Grade 1, $500,000
Forego on Saturday, September 1 as originally planned, multiple Grade 1 winner Shackleford may run on Sunday, August 5 in
the Grade 1, $400,000 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap.
“There is a slim chance that Shackleford might show up in the
Vanderbilt,” said trainer Dale Romans. “A lot depends on how he
breezes at Churchill tomorrow. It has been in the back of my mind for a while.”
Owned by Bill Cubbedge and Michael Lauffer, Shackleford most recently
ran perhaps the top race of 2012 to this point, defeating Caleb’s Posse
by a nose in the prestigious Grade 1, $750,000 Metropolitan Handicap on May 28
at Belmont.
Romans previously indicated that the 4-year-old son of Forestry would
await the Forego, but he has seen signs that the 2011 Preakness winner might be
ready sooner.
“He’s starting to come out of his shell and I don’t
think it will be as taxing on him as the one and one eighth miles of the
Whitney,” Romans said. “He’s a horse that likes to run, and
if nothing else, it would be a good prep for the Forego. He only has three or
four more races left in his career, so we might as well get them.”
If Shackleford does run in the Vanderbilt, it would be the first time
in his career trying six furlongs. Because he was not nominated for the race,
he would need to be supplemented for $8,000.