Animal Kingdom out for season with slab fracture

by Vance Hanson

Kentucky Derby (Grade 1) winner Animal Kingdom will not race again this

season, Team Valor International CEO Barry Irwin announced Wednesday.

Two weeks ago, when trainer Graham Motion noticed that the colt was lame,

X-rays were taken that revealed a small defect in the left hind leg.

Veterinarians rescheduled another round of radiographs after a period of two

weeks.

"A second set of films has revealed a slab fracture just above the small

fissure noted in the previous images," said Irwin, after he and Motion consulted

veterinarians Dr. Dean Richardson of New Bolton Research Center in Kennett

Square, Pennsylvania, and Dr. Larry Bramlage of Rood and Riddle Veterinary

Clinic in Lexington, Kentucky.

Dr. Richardson will insert a screw to compress the fracture on Thursday

morning, after which Animal Kingdom will do 90 days of rehabilitation at the

Fair Hill training center, first in Team Valor's own barn and then on a water

treadmill at Bruce Jackson's equine therapy unit.

Rehabilitation plans call for Animal Kingdom to rest for from four to six

weeks, after which he will walk on the water treadmill until 90 days have

elapsed. The colt will be off for three months before returning to training at

Fair Hill.

Motion will train the colt at Fair Hill well into the early winter before

eventually sending him to Florida to begin his final preparation for the late

March renewal of the Dubai World Cup (Group 1) at Meydan Racecourse. It is

undecided whether Animal Kingdom will race prior to the World Cup.

"I think that Henry Cecil proved it was possible to train a colt in a cold

climate like England and win well with him off the plane in Dubai, as he did

with Twice Over last year." Irwin said. "Graham and I have talked about this. No

decision will be made for a while. But running Animal Kingdom in the World Cup

without a prep is definitely something to consider."

The World Cup is run on Tapeta, a surface over which Animal Kingdom has

trained at Fair Hill. Two of his three wins have come on synthetic surfaces.