2011 Triple Crown Watch - All Eyes on Animal Kingdom

by Bodog Racebook | May 16 2011

After winning the Kentucky Derby, Animal Kingdom's next task in his quest for the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing is the Preakness Stakes, the shortest leg of the three-race series. The 1 3/16 mile race is held annually at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md., and this year it will take place on Saturday, May 21. No horse has won the Triple Crown since Affirmed in 1978 – Animal Kingdom will get his chance to make history in 2011.

Animal Kingdom, trained by Graham Motion, has more than sheer speed in his pedigree – he has stamina. Though the Preakness is a relatively short race at 1 3/16 miles, Animal Kingdom – along with several other rivals – will be going into that race off the 1 ¼ mile Kentucky Derby with just two weeks' rest and preparation. Several other Preakness contenders, like Mr. Commons and Norman Asbjornson, will be going into the race with fresh legs. But Animal Kingdom is a son of Leroidesanimaux, a Brazil-bred who excelled at mid-distance races. And his road to the Kentucky Derby was not an exhausting one – he made only two previous starts in 2011: an allowance optional claimer on March 3 at Gulfstream Park and the Gr. 3 Spiral Stakes at Turfway Park on March 26. He has also been in light training at Fair Hill Training Center in Maryland, where he is likely to remain until May 20, and appears to have come out of the Kentucky Derby well.

Animal Kingdom's greatest challenge will be contending with the pure speedsters in the field; he did improve on his 91 Beyer Speed Figure earned in the Spiral Stakes, posting an impressive 103 in the Kentucky Derby. Shackleford, a son of Forestry, nearly went wire-to-wire in the Kentucky Derby before fading to fourth late in the race. Pomeroy colt Flashpoint posted a 102 Beyer Speed Figure for his 7-furlong Hutcheson Stakes win on Feb. 26, a race he won by 7 ¼ furlongs. And the only 3-year-old to post two triple-digit Beyer Speed Figures this year, The Factor, will not be running in the Preakness Stakes.

The biggest question surrounding Animal Kingdom going into the Kentucky Derby was his ability on dirt. He had raced exclusively on synthetics and turf – but demonstrated his versatility with a solid 6-furlong workout at Churchill Downs on his way to capturing the Kentucky Derby as his first-ever dirt-run race. The dirt surface at Pimlico Race Course will not be an issue for the 2011 Kentucky Derby champion.

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