Animal Kingdom eyes Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap next year
Team Valor International’s 4-year-old colt, Animal Kingdom, freshly off a second place finish to Wise Dan in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Mile at Santa Anita Park on 3 November, 2012, is already thinking of his next start, that could possibly fly him half-way across the globe to run at Meydan in the Group 1, $10 million Dubai World Cup in March 2013.
Animal Kingdom by Leroidesanimaux, ran in the Breeders’ Cup Mile after a long layoff, but showed no signs of rust as he barely let Wise Dan edge him by 1 ½ lengths for the first place, and now trainer Graham Motion is looking at prep races for the Dubai World Cup.
The spot Motion likes for Animal Kingdom is the Grade 1, $300,000 Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap on 9 February, 2013, which according to him nice timing, spacing, and the surface ahead of the world’s richest race.
In between now and the Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap, Animal Kingdom will have some respite, and when the time comes, he will be cranked up to run in the 1 1/8 miles turf event.
Bred in Kentucky by Team Valor, Animal Kingdom ran over Gulfstream Park’s turf track at the beginning of this year in February. An allowance optional claimer at 1 1/16 miles, also served as a prep race for the 2012 Dubai World Cup, but the Kentucky Derby winner was knocked off the trail because of an injury he sustained while preparing for the race.
"I like racing him on grass again, because it is kinder on horses, and he won over the Gulfstream Park course this year and showed a liking for it," Motion said. "He also raced on the grass a year earlier at 3. So he should feel at home.
"As for getting used to the track in Dubai, it is made of Tapeta and while it may not be exactly the same as our course at home or the one as Presque Isle, it should be close enough, so that I am not worried about how he will handle it."
If everything goes according to plan, Animal Kingdom is expected to have a full 5-year-old campaign.
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