Chamberlain Bridge has accomplished a lot in his remarkable career, including a win in the 2010 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (gr. IIT). He’s won 18 times in 40 starts, earned more than $1.7 million, and even at age 8 is still one of the best turf sprinters around.
About the only thing left for the son of War Chant to do is win the $100,000 Shakertown (gr. IIIT), a race he’s been in three times but has yet to conquer. The bay gelding will get a fourth chance April 14 when he meets nine rivals in the 5 1/2-furlong sprint at Keeneland. Post time is set for 5:44 p.m. EDT.
Owned by Carl Moore Management and trained by Bret Calhoun, Chamberlain Bridge has had success over the Keeneland turf course before, winning the 2008 Woodford Stakes. But he finished fourth in the last two editions of the Shakertown, and was third in 2009.
In his season debut on Feb. 25 at Fair Grounds, Chamberlain Bridge finished a closing second, beaten one length in the Colonel Power Stakes over an off course.
Regular rider Jamie Theriot will have the mount once again, and they will break from post 9.
Silverton Hill’s Havelock, winner of the 2011 Woodford (gr. IIIT) last fall, is a main contender. Trained by Darrin Miller, Havelock also won the Play the King (Can-IIT) at Woodbine last summer as well as the Arlington Sprint Handicap. The son of Great Notion was third by two lengths in his season debut March 17 at Tampa Bay Downs. Havelock will be ridden by Joel Rosario and break from post 4.
Other horses in the mix are Great Attack, who was third in the Shakertown last year and won the Feb. 18 Turf Dash at Tampa in his season debut; Perfect Officer, the third-place finisher of the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint in November and second to Havelock in the 2011 Woodford; and the Todd Pletcher-trained Concorde's Flight, a winner of two straight sprints at Gulfstream Park this year.