Shackleford

Quote: kenarman

Come on I can't be the only one that had a bet on Shackleford. Did everyone actually think the world had ended? $50 on the nose at 12 to 1.

Congratulations! At least somebody here had faith. I hope you don't mind if I steal that excuse for not making the bet. It sounds better than "I forgot to."

$2 to win at M Resort. Paid $27.20. Will write about it in next blog.

Column by Richard Eng LVBusinessReview (?) asserts that labor strife in major sports leagues may impair the start of the betting season and this might intensify the interest in Horse Racing.

Seemed like a good bit of "maybe" without much discussion about what effect it might actually have.

Sorry for the lack of a link... memory problems: both the computer's and mine!

Shackleford is confirmed for the Belmont Stakes in one week.

A win in that race, and he would most likely wrap-up the Champion 3 year old title. He would also start being a contender for horse of the year.

I don't think he really has much of a chance. The race is 1 1/2 miles, 5/16 longer than his Preakness win. With his front running style, I see him tiring pretty early in the stretch of the huge Belmont oval.

Shackleford runs today in the Belmont Stakes.

His morning line odds of 9/2 are a bad bet, but in advance wagering, I think he is at something like 15-1 right now. I think 10-1 is the magic number on him.

He does have a chance to win. He needs to set an easy pace (around 24.5 seconds each 1/4 mile), with all of the serious contenders afraid to go out there and challenge him. Then he'll need to somehow have enough left in the tank to hold them off.

Like I said, at 9/2, it's a pretty bad bet, but it looks like no one is respecting him, so he might be had at a nice price.

The race is at around 6:30 eastern. Enjoy!

My gut tells me he'll be in the top 3 at 1 1/4 miles and begin to fade quickly after that. I'm predicting he finishes somewhere around 7th to 9th out of the 12 horses.

*%&#@ nag! Just as in the Kentucky Derby, I was counting my winnings the first 90% of the race, only to have my namesake completely run out of steam prematurely. We Shacklefords are sometimes known for not lasting very long (ahem). Wouldn't you know that I bet on him in the KY Derby and Belmont, but forgot to in the Preakness. Sheesh!

Shackleford is running at around 5:45 Eastern in the Travers at Saratoga. The Travers is the most prestigious race for three year old throughbreds, outside of the Triple Crown.

The race will be broadcast on NBC. The track is heavily favoring speed so far, so Shackleford is a great bet. My guess is that he'll go off at around 6-1. If he wins this race, he'll be the favorite for winning the 3 year old of the year award.

Good luck Shackleford!

Go Shackleford! The Suncoast was nice enough to give me the poster of the Preakness results showing Shackleford as the winner, which is proudly display in my office.

My name should also be in the news any time now, as Shackleford Banks, North Carolina are in the direct line of fire of Hurricane Irene (corrected). Not surprisingly, most maps don't bother to indicate the name.

Emily? You mean Irene?