May 7
Churchill Downs, Louisville, Ky.
Win: Animal Kingdom
Place: Nehro
Show: Mucho Macho Man
What happened: Animal Kingdom, trained by Graham Motion and based at Fair Hill, Md., laid off the pace for much of the race, but he flew past the pack down the stretch to win by 2 3/4 lengths. Jockey John Velazquez held Animal Kingdom back, but when it came time to run, Velazquez steered him outside and he began passing horses with ease. It wasn't a particularly fast pace — the winning time was 2:02.04, fairly slow for a dry track — but Animal Kingdom had plenty of energy at the finish.
May 21
Win: Shackleford
Place: Animal Kingdom
Show: Astrology
What happened: Shackleford, trained by Dale Romans and ridden by Jesus Castanon, charged ahead of the pack early in the Preakness and then held off Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom by a half-length at the wire for an impressive victory in 1 minute, 56.47 seconds in the second leg of the Triple Crown. The closers — Animal Kingdom and fourth-place finisher Dialed In — still made their late charge, but Shackleford, a sprinter, had enough energy to hold them off.
June 11
Belmont Park, Elmont, N.Y.
TV: Chs.11, 4
What to look for: Expect Animal Kingdom to be the early line favorite on Wednesday after the draw. The Derby winner and Preakness runner-up is bred for the longer distance of the Belmont and should like this race. If the Preakness had been the same distance, he might have won by three or four lengths. Shackleford is expected to work out today at Belmont Park and Romans will make a final decision on entering the race afterwards.