Animal Kingdom up and running for another comeback
Team Valor International’s 4-year-old colt, Animal Kingdom, is back on the work tab for trainer Graham Motion, and will look to make up for lost time, as he targets the second part of the 2012 campaign.
Winner of the 2011 Grade 1 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs, Animal Kingdom was sidelined a week before flying to Dubai, to participate in the Group 1, $10 million Dubai World Cup at the Meydan on 31 March, 2012.
While the son of Leroidesanimaux, was preparing for the World Cup, Motion detected that the colt is not moving like he should, and with further x-rays and nuclear scans it was discovered that Animal Kingdom has a hairline fracture of the ilium, part of the pelvis.
Surgery wasn’t required, but the colt was sidelined to recover from it, and it took his 60 days to get back on the track.
Bred in Kentucky by Team Valor, Animal Kingdom was found galloping on 21 June, 2012, at Fair Hill Training Center in Maryland, with another comeback on the cards.
“What happened to him was really just a blip on the radar, not a serious injury at all; the timing was just horrible,” said Barry Irwin, chief executive officer of the 4-year-old colt’s owner and breeder, Team Valor International. “We’re excited to get him back. We have a goal in mind for him at the end of the year, but we don’t want to say what it is just yet.”
Out of Acatenango mare Dalicia, Animal Kingdom did make a start this season, and it was a winning won as well, when he downed a 1 1/16 mile allowance/optional claimer over the Gulfstream Park’s turf course on 18 February, 2012, under rider, John Velazquez.
Animal Kingdom downed Monument Hill and Bell By The Ridge, convincingly in the stretch, as they finished second and third, respectively, while Animal Kingdom topped the distance in 1 minute and 42.72 seconds.
It was Animal Kingdom’s second start since finishing 6th in the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes last year to winner, Ruler on Ice, and that is when he injured himself and couldn’t continue racing the whole of 2011.
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