Churchill Downs notes: Shackleford has bullet breeze

Shackleford took a big step toward getting back to the races by breezing a bullet half-mile in 46.60 seconds Tuesday morning at Churchill Downs. The 4-year-old colt had not breezed since coming down with a minor illness, forcing him to be scratched as the morning-line favorite from the Sept. 1 Forego at Saratoga.

“He’s back doing good again,” said trainer Dale Romans. “That little setback we had is behind us.”

Romans said Shackleford likely would have two more breezes, perhaps the last at Belmont Park, before making his next start there in the Sept. 29 Kelso at a one-turn mile.

* Sons of jockeys become jockeys far more often than football players. But not in the case of Matthew Nakatani, a 20-year-old redshirt freshman placekicker at the University of Louisville.

Nakatani, who grew up east of Louisville when living with his mother, Michele Dollase, scored 9 points in a 35-7 victory for his team last week. He is the son of jockey Corey Nakatani.

* One of the more unusual race conditions a handicapper might come across will govern a Friday race at Turfway. The second race is restricted to $5,000 claimers who have not ever won a race on synthetic. Seven fillies and mares are entered. Eleven races, all of them claiming events, are carded Friday. First post is 6 p.m. Eastern.