Animal Kingdom arrives at Fair Hill
After a couple of days of jogging, the Team Valor International homebred is expected to gallop daily. Trainer Graham Motion said he hasn't decided whether Animal Kingdom will work before the $1 million Preakness (G1).
"I just want to see how he is," Motion said. "Get him back here and see how he is."
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/edito...e.cgi?id=22022
The man who complains about the way the ball bounces is likely the one who dropped it - Lou Holtz
His figs look good because the pace turned out more like a turf or syth race. The front runners didn't go very fast allowing the closers to stay in touch. The middle of the race was slow by most allowance standards. It also helped that the speed turned out to be "cheap speed". I give any horse credit for winning, and this one did. I still have problems with the fig comparsions, since the race was an annomality compared to most Derbys.
Everyone come home sound
Re: Animal Kingdom
Most of the best runnings of the Derby were an anomaly compared to most others. That's why they were considered the best.
I think the jury is still out on this horse. More than anything I have a hard time seeing him win 3 races in 5 weeks with such a limited foundation of only 4 races going into the series. I see him very vulnerable to a fresh horse like a Dance City. I think we likely see 3 frsh horses win each leg. Horses like Dance City in the Preakness and Awesome Patriot in the Belmont enjoy distinct advantages in my opinion.
Thanks for the link.Originally Posted by second_glance
The horse is in the house
Animal Kingdom gets to Fair Hill, eyes Wednesday jog
Tuesday, May 10
Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom arrived at Fair Hill Tuesday evening, in time for dinner and a look at some 30 onlookers. The chestnut 3-year-old was bedded down in the Team Valor barn at Fair Hill (which used to be Mike McCarthy's barn which used to be Mike Goswell's barn). The son of Leroidesanimaux will get his first look at the Fair Hill Training Center tracks Wednesday morning for a light jog.
Horse sense is the thing a horse has that keeps him from betting on people. ~~W. C. Fields
Dance City could be dangerous, as could Awesome Patriot. I respect them both.
However, don't underestimate Animal Kingdom.
I think he's still improving. We know he's tough, and even though he ran greenly in the KD, he was much the best. Unlike some other horses he competed against, I believe AK has a solid foundation courtesy of Motion, so I don't think he's a short horse.
And don't forget this horse comes from much physically tougher stock than your typical American 3YO classics contender.
Anything is possible, any horse can get beat, and AK could get outrun by a new shooter in the Preakness or Belmont, but I don't expect him to fold due to being lightly raced or having 3 starts in 6 weeks. He's fresh but I think he's got bottom.
Before the KD, I went back and watched all AK's starts, and I feel he's potentially a star. He's never run a bad race, even having to deal with all the traffic and mess in the KD. He can also rate much closer to the pace and still close, as he showed in his win at Keeneland, so I think he's more versatile than some people realize.
If Uncle Mo gets back to the races and a couple good ones develop nicely this could still end up being a n interesting seaonfor 3 YO colts.
Don't know whether this is a good thing or a bad thing, but TMZ.com felt compelled to mention some of the "cushy" treatment Animal Kingdom will get over the next few weeks.
http://www.tmz.com/2011/05/11/kentuc...-triple-crown/
First rule: Try always to do what's right for the horse. The people part will work out. -- Josh Pons, Merryland, 2007
The comments on this are priceless.
"That's all the world is after all, an endless battle of contrasting memories."
For those on Facebook, Haskin was at Fair Hill this morning, and took lots of photos:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?s...837.1546364540
First rule: Try always to do what's right for the horse. The people part will work out. -- Josh Pons, Merryland, 2007
Horse sense is the thing a horse has that keeps him from betting on people. ~~W. C. Fields
Couldn't find another thread to stick this in -- but it's good news for fans of Toby's Corner.
From Joe Clancy's "diary", following Animal Kingdom:
Motion’s assistant Adrian Rolls passed along some good news about Wood Memorial winner Toby’s Corner, who was pulled off the Derby trail with a sore hind leg last week. “He’s 50 percent better,” Rolls said. “That was nice to see.” The son of Bellamy Road has not trained since the problem flared, but walks regularly in the shedrow and was happily munching mints and watching the action in the main barn Tuesday
http://www.st-publishing.com/cms2/in...step-1-of-many
First rule: Try always to do what's right for the horse. The people part will work out. -- Josh Pons, Merryland, 2007
Most are priceless.....some are scary!
A government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on
the support of Paul.
~George Bernard Shaw
"The budget should be balanced, the Treasury should be refilled, public debt should be reduced, the arrogance of officialdom should be tempered and controlled, and the assistance to foreign lands should be curtailed lest Rome become bankrupt. People must again learn to work, instead of living on public assistance."
~Cicero - 55 BC
Another great Haskin piece, this one about Animal Kingdom at Fair Hills. Some nice pictures too.
http://cs.bloodhorse.com/blogs/horse...fair-hill.aspx
It's perhaps worth noting something Motion says about Irwin:
“I have to give a lot of credit to Barry. A lot of this is because of him. This horse won at Keeneland going a mile and an eighth last October. A lot of people would have gotten caught up with getting down to Florida. But he sent the horse to the farm in Ocala just to give him a break. There was nothing wrong with him. He just wanted to give him some time off and let him be a horse. Not many people do that this day and age and I think that’s a big factor why we are where we are.”
http://cs.bloodhorse.com/blogs/horse...fair-hill.aspx
Last edited by second_glance; 05-11-2011 at 06:23 PM.
First rule: Try always to do what's right for the horse. The people part will work out. -- Josh Pons, Merryland, 2007
Catalano takes pride in his part in developing Animal Kingdom at Arlington
Trainer Wayne Catalano sat at a shaded table just outside his Arlington barn on an unseasonably warm Wednesday morning and pointed in to stall number 1, situated right next to the barn office. That was where a big, gangly chestnut 2-year-old took up residence last June 25, a Team Valor colt by Leroidesanimaux whose best days figured to be well ahead of him. His name was Animal Kingdom, and last Saturday at Churchill Downs, Catalano and the rest of the racing world watched him win the Kentucky Derby.
http://www.drf.com/news/catalano-tak...gdom-arlington
The man who complains about the way the ball bounces is likely the one who dropped it - Lou Holtz
That's a great story. It's a shame that Irwin will be remembered more for that silly comment rather than about Animal Kingdom's path to the Roses. It really is an incredible one; one that might make people rethink how to make a Derby horse. From his breeding to the decision to ease in and be careful, to use synthetics, to give the horse a break all paid great dividends. Yes, it's lightning in a bottle, but in this case what was good for the horse and good for racing was good enough for the Roses.
Wow Fair Hill really is a paradise for horses. I want to live there! AK looks a little like Sec in some of those photos with his kind eye and burnished chestnut coat.
It is a nice place. Here's goes they're web site.
www.fairhilltrainingcenter.com
I love Fair Hill (only realized that place exists because of Barbaro). But then I'm biased, cause I'm from Europe and IMO this is how horses should be trained.Also really like the pedigree of Animal Kingdom and how Motion is training his horses.
Sea The Stars - perfection in equine form, a horse of a lifetime!
And here is Herringswell's site...which is Graham Motion's racing stable...which reported on his arrival...which is
http://www.hgrahammotion.com/
"...and God took a handful of Southerly wind, blew his breath over it, and created the horse." - Bedouin Legend
PLEASE SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL HORSE RESCUE OR OLD FRIENDS KY OR NY - AND GIVE THE GIFT OF LIFE.
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