Shackleford Wins 2011 Preakness Stakes, Animal Kingdom Denied

Overcoming some fairly long 12-1 odds, Shackleford crossed the finish line first to become the winner of the 2011 Preakness Stakes, holding off a late charge from Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom by half a length at the finish line.

Incredibly, Shackleford was bucking before going into the gate, refusing to go in. He had to be shoved into his gate by at least a half dozen people, but I guess it turns out that his antics were more about him being pumped up than scared or nervous? Oh man, I’m trying to read into the body language of horses. Full video of the victory after the jump.

Listen, I’m just going to be upfront with you. I was sort of hoping Shackleford would win the 136th Preakness Stakes because I wanted to be able to spend some time reflecting on Rusty Shackleford, who of course is the alias of King of the Hill’s Dale Gribble. Well, Shackleford did win, so here is my favorite Rusty Shackleford scene of all time.

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2011 Preakness winner Shackleford played the role of front-runner to perfection: after racing out to second place behind Flashpoint early, he held off Animal Kingdom late to claim the Preakness. Here at the full 2011 Preakness results; you can check the full 2011 Preakness payouts for more.

The results are officially in for the 2011 Preakness Stakes, with Shackleford to win, Animal Kingdom to place, and Astrology to show. Here are the payouts. How did you do?

SHACKLEFORD $27.20 $10.20 $6.80

Preakness winner Shackleford was the horse that looked least likely to do anything at the gate. As the 2011 Preakness field was being fed into the chutes at Pimlico, Shackleford balked repeatedly, looking unfocused and gleaming with sweat.

It turned out not to matter: Shackleford broke cleanly and swiftly, and burned a blazing first furlong in second place alongside fellow fast starter Flashpoint. But both horses slowed their pace slightly, giving Shackleford a chance to conserve a bit of energy while remaining out in front. That proved to be valuable when Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom made his way through a massive pack in the middle of the track for a stretch run.

Shackleford has won the 2011 Preakness Stakes. This result is not yet official, but the finish was clear enough to be able to call. Shackleford’s wire-to-wire win was very nearly snatched away from Animal Kingdom, the reigning Kentucky Derby champion who made a furious charge in the final 200 yards.

Just before post time, Shackleford faced 12-1 odds. This is what our horse racing expert, Matt Gardner, had to say about Shackleford before the Preakness:

On Saturday morning, Animal Kingdom still stands as the favorite to win the 2011 Preakness Stakes. The reigning Kentucky Derby champion boasted the same 2-1 odds on Saturday’s morning line as he had in previous days. The odds haven’t remained completely static, however.

Mucho Macho Man’s odds have fallen from 9-2 to 6-1. We’ll have to wait and see how impulse betting is affected following the death of wrestling legend “Macho Man” Randy Savage. Experience tells us that plenty of people bet this way.

The 2011 Preakness gets underway on Saturday evening, live from Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. Animal Kingdom will run for the second leg of the Triple Crown after a late push in the Kentucky Derby landed him in the winner’s circle at Churchill Downs just two weeks ago. With 13 other horses in the field at the Preakness, Animal Kingdom will have his hands full as he tries to keep the Triple Crown dreams alive with the Belmont upcoming.

Here is the vital information for Saturday’s race.

Shortly after the Preakness post position draw, the morning line odds, set by the Pimlico oddsmaker, were also released into the wild. As expected, Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom was installed as the early favorite at 2-1, well ahead of the rest of the field. Coming off the Derby win, Animal Kingdom is expected to draw heavy betting action in the second leg of the Triple Crown as he tries to follow-up his strong performance at Churchill Downs

If the morning line odds are any indications, the Kentucky Derby holdovers are the clear contenders at the Preakness Stakes. Dialed In, Mucho Macho Man and Shackleford are each among the top-five in the morning line, and are joined by newcomer Dance City. Midnight Interlude and Sway Away are also in the mix at 15-1 to win the Preakness on Saturday.

With the Preakness Stakes post position draw out of the way, we know the field and where each of the 14 contenders will start at Pimlico on Saturday. Animal Kingdom, Dialed In and Mucho Macho Man will be side-by-side in the starting gate, occupying the No. 9 through No. 11 gates. The three are all atop the morning line odds, led by Animal Kingdom, the early favorite to win the Preakness.

With the starting order known, the picks are beginning to roll in. From the looks of it, the middle of the pack on the post will be the storyline to watch as the four horses with the best odds -- Dance City is fourth-best -- will all start next to each other. Shackleford, at 12-1, will be all by his lonesome in the No. 5 gate, but is another horse to keep an eye on, especially after a strong performance at the Kentucky Derby.

Horses are not like most other competitive athletes: they don’t need planes for transport, just trailers. And Animal Kingdom is likely to benefit from that, because he might not be shipped to Pimlico, site of the 2011 Preakness Stakes, until race day this Saturday.

Animal Kingdom trainer H. Graham Motion told the Thoroughbred Times on Monday that it was “more than likely” his horse wouldn’t be shipped until race day. On Tuesday, Motion told the Daily Racing Form that no decision about when to ship Animal Kingdom had been made.

One week from the 136th Preakness Stakes, Animal Kingdom appears to be in top form. The trainer of the Kentucky Derby winner, Graham Motion, exuded confidence during a press conference Friday.

Meanwhile, those around Mr. Commons are expressing surprise at his aggressive running. From Daily Racing Form:

Nehro, the Cal Naughton Jr. of horse racing, is raring for another chance to take on Animal Kingdom in the 2011 Preakness, having fallen just short in the Kentucky Derby. Unfortunately, he might not get the chance to break his streak of second-place finishes. It’s up in the air at the moment, as owner Ahmed Zayat told the New York Post:

At least, my assessment of Zayat’s statement depends on interpreting 51-50 as some sort of percentage, not as a reference to the legal code regarding the detainment of the mentally ill by police officers. If that’s the case, I have no idea what he’s talking about and only hope for the safety of the horse.