Shackleford
photo by Jim McCue/Maryland Jockey Club

Preakness winner and Travers contender Shackleford, five furlongs in 1:00.87 breezing over Saratoga main track with jockey Jesus Castanon aboard (seventh fastest of 37 workouts at the distance, fractions were 36.24, 1:00.87, galloped out in 1:14.40)

Dale Romans, trainer of Preakness winner and Travers contender Shackleford on his Saturday workout at Saratoga and thoughts on the horse in general:

“I thought it went perfect today. We just wanted him to break off nice and easy and finish strong. He finished great and galloped out really good. I couldn’t be happier with the way he did it.

“The track has been a bit different this year than in years past but this horse has seemed to really like it. Ever since he’s been here he has gotten over it in good shape and we did a lot with him last week to make sure he’s fit enough for this track and I’m glad we did because today he looked like he skipped around there.

“He finished very strong and I haven’t seen that in a lot of my horses working here. It seems like down the stretch has been a little bit slower than the backside to me. We wanted him to ease off and finish good and that’s exactly what he did. He got a nice sharp work, he finished strong and galloped out around the turn really well.

“He’s seemed to improve after every race that he’s run; he just keeps getting better. He’s one of the few horses that I’ve ever had that the more work he does the better he gets. He came out of the Haskell in great shape. We’re going to be even weight with Coil and we’ll see what happens.

“He is improving. He won the Preakness but he sure seems like he is an improving horse to me. The more he does the better he gets. We’ve been training him hard; he’s been running hard, and he just continues to improve. He’s very happy up here.

“We’re going to take it easy this week and probably give him two days off after this work and take it easy. School in the paddock, school in the gate probably jog one day and gallop into the race.

“He’s not going to get any more fit than he is right now. All the big work is done, we just have to make sure he goes into the race happy.

“He is professional and very smart. He knows what he is out there to do and knows he is the king of the barn. Everybody is coming to visit him. And he is living up to it.”

Jesus Castanon, jockey of Preakness winner and Travers contender Shackleford on his Saturday workout at Saratoga:

“He worked pretty good as I was expecting. He has been feeling pretty excited every time I take him to the track and he did it pretty good.

“He has really relaxed a lot better. He really likes this place a lot. I take him out there every morning and take my time and let him do whatever he wants to do and he just goes out there and does his thing. He’s ready.”