Animal Kingdom May Not Be Running For The Triple Crown, But He's One Real Good Race Horse

By Author: Lee Lane-Edgar
Total Articles: 365
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On account of Animal Kingdom’s half length loss in the Preakness, we have been deprived of the excitement that comes from the possible fulfillment of a Triple Crown, but there is still plenty to look forward to in this talented animal.

He has never finished out of the top two spots in his entire career, and except for his first race in which he encountered traffic at the 5/16ths pole and got second, losing by 2 ¾ lengths, he has always been right there even in his second place finishes.

He won his second race easily by 3 ¼ lengths, and then in his first allowance race on the grass, he came charging at the end to miss the win by just a head, and that was after he had an awkward start out of the gate. His next two races would be wins in the Grade 3 Spiral at Turfway and then of course, the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby, both of which he won by 2 ¾ lengths.

His last race in the Preakness was only a ½ length loss and he was again coming strong at the end. It is safe to say that if either the grass allowance race or the Preakness had been a 1/16th of mile longer, this horse would be going for his sixth straight ...
... win. He is always right there at the finish and there is no reason to think he won’t be in contention near the wire for the Belmont Stakes.

Make no mistake, despite our long shot play of Mucho Macho Man (see previous article), Animal Kingdom is still the one to beat. Mucho Macho Man we think has a shot to come back, but we think his chances are going to be better than his odds will reflect on Belmont day. That doesn’t mean Mucho Macho Man is the most likely winner, that distinction still belongs to the Derby winner.

But if you are not the betting type, and are just looking for the horse most likely to win, you can’t go wrong with Animal Kingdom. His connections clearly think he has always been a long distance type horse – even in his maiden race, they started him in a 1 1/16 mile race, whereas most horses start out in the sprints.

Animal Kingdom is also very versatile, as he has shown that he can run on natural dirt, synthetic, and grass. His sire is Leroidesanimeaux, who was a brilliant turf runner at the middle distances, and was the favorite for the 2005 Breeder’s Cup Mile, but finished second. There is every reason to think, therefore, that Animal Kingdom will thrive on the grass as well. It is very rare to see the same horse run so well over three very different surfaces, but Animal Kingdom appears to be one of those types.

That is one reason it is likely that Animal Kingdom will finish in the money in the Belmont, even if he doesn’t get the win. Some horses love certain tracks, but for some reason don’t like others, but that should not be a concern for Animal Kingdom as he seems very adaptable.
If he can get it done for this Saturday’s Belmont, it will be the first Belmont win for his trainer Graham Motion, and the second for his jockey, John Velasquez, who won his first Belmont in 2007 aboard the filly, Rags to Riches.

Animal Kingdom may not be the greatest race horse ever, but he has surely earned the respect of some top horse racing analysts. Imagine being able to race Animal Kingdom against past Belmont Stakes winners. Take it one step further and imagine even jockeying these past winners at a Belmont Stakes Championship match race. Whether you're a hard-core horse race enthusiast or you're just a novice learning the ins and outs of the racing game, we suggest you check out horseracegame.com. This complete virtual online racing game brings you so many different aspects of breeding, training, owning and even matching up past champions.