Preakness (gr. I) winner Shackleford likely will contest the $1 million Travers Stakes (gr. I) Aug. 27, instead of taking on older horses in the Woodward Stakes (gr. I) a week later, trainer Dale Romans said Aug. 7.
“The Travers is the Travers,” Romans said of the 1 1/4-mile test for 3-year-olds. “We can run in the Woodward next year. That’s really the bottom line. It’s too prestigious and classy a race to pass up.”
Owned by Michael Lauffer and Bill Cubbedge, the son of Forestry followed his Preakness victory with a fifth-place finish in the Belmont Stakes (gr. I). He is coming off a neck loss to Coil in the Haskell Invitational (gr. I) at Monmouth Park on July 31.
Coil, trained by Bob Baffert, is also under consideration for the Travers.
Despite running fourth in the 1 ¼-mile Derby and fifth in the 1 ½-mile Belmont, Romans dismissed concerns about the Travers distance.
“Only three horses have beat him at 10 furlongs, and none of them are running (in the Travers),” Romans said.
Romans added that the colt has bounced out of his Haskell performance nicely in anticipation of a rematch with Coil.
“He’s training really super and really doing well,” Romans said.
Shackleford
Bill Denver/EQUI-PHOTO