Shackleford has denied Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom a shot at the Triple Crown, leading all the way to take the Preakness Stakes by three-quarters of a length.
A long shot who was fourth in the Derby, Shackleford held off Animal Kingdom’s charge in the straight to claim the 1-3/16ths-mile (1900m) showdown in 1min 56.21secs, with Astrology third.
“It feels amazing. I can’t believe the run he made,” Shackleford’s jockey Jesus Castanon said.
Not since Affirmed in 1978 has a horse completed the American Triple Crown sweep by winning the Derby, the Preakness and next month’s Belmont Stakes.
Animal Kingdom struggled with a sluggish mid-race pace after a quick start before finally finding a path to the front around the last turn.
“It was in my mind that was the only horse that was going to be able to come and get me,” Castanon said.
But in a shorter race than the Derby, the colt did not have enough to catch Shackleford at the end.
“The horse ran a huge race. It was so close,” Animal Kingdom’s trainer Graham Motion said.
“I was hoping he was going to get there. It looked like he needed another 16th (100 metres).”
Jockey John Velazquez could only watch in frustration as the finish line arrived too soon.
“He lost a lot of ground in the back stretch,” Velazquez said.
“I had to bide my time to see where I was going to go. I thought I had a chance but I just had too much of a hole to make up.”
Motion could see halfway into the race that his horse, the betting favourite, was in trouble.
“I don’t think there was anything Johnny could have done about it,” Motion said.
“That’s where the horse wanted to run. I think it hurt him when they slowed the pace down in the middle of the race.”
Velazquez won his first Derby on Animal Kingdom while Castanon had his own emotional tale, his father having died last November, six months before his son’s first Triple Crown triumph.
“I know my Dad was with me today,” Castanon said.
Shackleford claimed the $US600,000 ($A563,327) winner’s prize from the $1 million purse as well as a $US500,000 bonus based on tune-up events.
AFP AAP TURF
