Motion declares Animal Kingdom ready
|
Trainer Graham Motion said Friday that Grade 1 Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom is ready for the Grade 1 Preakness, the middle jewel of the Triple Crown. "I feel very confident with how the horse is doing," Motion said. Animal Kingdom galloped 1 1/2 miles on the synthetic Tapeta surface track at Fair Hill Training Center in Elkton, Maryland. The Team Valor International homebred is scheduled to leave the facility in Cecil County for the 60-mile trip to Pimlico shortly after 5 a.m. (EDT) Saturday morning. With a strong run through the stretch at Churchill Downs at odds of 20-1, Animal Kingdom's status changed from an intriguing but lightly-raced colt to Kentucky Derby winner. Motion said the three-year-old chestnut looks good to him as they approach the Preakness. He didn't have an answer to questions about whether Animal Kingdom benefited from a slow early pace in the Derby or if he might be due to "bounce", a racing term meaning regress, off his winning performance. "I just couldn't be happier with how he's doing," Motion said. "I can't dictate the pace and I really can't predict if he's going to bounce, but he's giving me no indication of any of those things happening. I think sometimes when a horse bounces you don't get any indication. I think it's pretty hard to boldly say he's not going to, but he hasn't given me any indication that he's not doing as well or better than he was going into the Derby."
|
Motion said it was fun to throw out the ceremonial first pitch prior to the
start of Thursday evening's game between the New York Yankees and the Baltimore
Orioles at Camden Yards.
"It was pretty cool," he said. "They had a bit of a rain delay, so actually I
did it on the side of the field. It was really neat. It was a cool thing to do.
I enjoyed it."
The appearance at the downtown stadium, prior to the game won by the Yankees,
13-2, was one of the many perks that have come Motion's way since Animal Kingdom
won the Derby.
"I don't think I could have anticipated some of the things I've been able to
do, some of the people I've met, just the whole experience," he said. "I
don't think you'd really appreciate it unless you had done it before."
And Motion said he was very comfortable on the morning before the Preakness.
"I feel more relaxed than I have all week," he said. "I think I've done what
I can do and it's really out of my hands now. The nerve-wracking stuff is just
getting the training done and just trying to keep things straight. We're to this
point where it's really out of my hands; we just get into the races and hope
everything goes smoothly."
Authors
Categories
FEATURED PRODUCTS
Daily Selections
Full racecard analysis/expert picks for major tracks from America's top handicappers.
Buy Nowe-ponies Picks
E-Ponies computer-based figures have been around since 1997. Using an algorithm written by the business owner and handicapper, Liam Durbin, and powered by BRIS data files, E-Ponies offers a unique, fact-based, dispassionate analysis of every horse in every race, assigning scores for speed, class, form, connections, and more. Forget which jockey owes you money! What does the data say!
Buy NowBruno With the Works
Bruno De Julio & team bring 30+ yrs experience observing racehorses to Brisnet with valuable insight into their morning routines & chances for success in the afternoons.
Buy NowValue Plays AI by Predicteform
Full race card program with easy-to-use win chances and contender classifications for every runner plus analysis of the Best Bet, Live Longshot, and Wagering Suggestions for every race.
Buy NowADVERTISEMENT