Animal Kingdom’s return at Gulfstream Park rather than going with the original plan to start at Tampa Bay Downs
It happened by chance or accident rather than design that the last year 3-year-old champion and the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby winner, Animal Kingdom, get to open his account for the new campaign in an allowance race on turf at Gulfstream Park on 18 February,
2012, instead of making his seasonal debut in the Grade 3 Tampa Bay Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs on 25 February, which was the original debut start for Animal Kingdom.
The allowance/optional claimer will be run over a distance of 1 1/16 miles on turf, and the race is a non-winners of three ‘other than’ event, which has reeled in 5 other runners including Animal Kingdom.
Graham Motion trained 4-year-old colt, Animal Kingdom, has been tested over the Gulfstream Park’s turf course back in March last year in a 1 mile long allowance/optional claimer, where he got defeated by Powhatan County in second place.
Team Valor International’s son of Leroidesanimaux, out of Acatenango mare Dalicia, Animal Kingdom surprised all and his trainer Graham Motion with his rapid recovery from a leg injury which he incurred last year in June, coming out of the Grade 1 Belmont
Stakes’ gate.
He has been training superbly at Palm Meadows, and recently he has been turning in the hard yards for his comeback race.
“I’m very excited to get him back, and now that we’ve entered him I’m extremely anxious,” trainer Graham Motion said. “I have been pleasantly surprised how quickly he’s come around. I think he got a good base in him at Fair Hill before he came down here.
Once he got down here we’ve gotten some serious works on the grass.”
Team Valor president Barry Irwin added. "It was an easier ship. We don't want him to be too primed for a big race first time back. We want him to get something out of the race, and not leave his Dubai World Cup race on the course.”
The Gulfstream allowance race will be Animal Kingdom’s only prep race before the Group 1 $10 million Dubai World Cup at the Meydan on 31 March, 2012, in the UAE.
Tags: