NEWS
Animal Kingdom rallies to victory in Vinery Racing Spiral
Posted: Saturday, March 26, 2011 5:58 PM
ANIMAL KINGDOM
Pat Lang photo
For video of Vinery Racing Spiral Stakes, click here.
by Frank Angst
Although Animal Kingdom failed to break well in Saturday’s $500,000 Vinery Racing Spiral Stakes (G3) at Turfway Park, jockey Alan Garcia remained confident in the early going.
That belief paid off as Garcia deftly found racing room to improve position in the backstretch and far turn before launching a five-wide move entering the homestretch. Animal Kingdom, making his fourth career start, looked like a horse racing veteran as he charged past Decisive Moment in midstretch, surging to a 2¾-length win.
“I decided to be patient and save ground,” Garcia said. “My horse responded very well today. I stayed on the rail because I had a feeling everybody would try to go wide. I figured that if he was good enough, he would make a move and he did.”
While Team Valor International’s homebred had not faced stakes competition before, trainer Graham Motion saw a lot of promise in the three-year-old Leroidesanimaux (Brz) colt in his seasonal debut, a fast-closing, narrow runner-up finish in an optional claiming race on the Gulfstream Park turf. Motion noted that the Gulfstream course typically favors speed and closing efforts catch his attention.
On Saturday, Motion thought Animal Kingdom may have overcome a bit of a speed bias in the Spiral, Turfway’s top Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1) prep race.
“I think it was a very impressive race today,” Motion said. “Today you can’t afford to get too far out of it. …That makes his race all that more impressive. We knew there would be an honest pace.”
Animal Kingdom completed the 1 1/8-mile race in 1:52.32 on the synthetic Polytrack surface. Just For Fun Stable’s Decisive Moment, runner-up in last year’s Delta Downs Jackpot Stakes (G3) finished second, 3¼ lengths in front of WEBN Stakes winner Twinspired.
Team Valor’s Barry Irwin believes Animal Kingdom, who is Triple Crown nominated, has classic potential. He said they will work him on dirt a few times before making a decision on any of the classics.
Prior to the Spiral, Swift Warrior led at every call and held off a late charge from Team Valor’s Crimson China to post a two-length victory in the $100,000 Rushaway Stakes, a 1 1/16-mile race for three-year-olds. (video)
In the $100,000 Bourbonette Oaks (G3), Summer Soiree delivered an eye-popping performance as the 3-to-2 favorite, going gate to wire and drawing off in the stretch to post a 10 3/4-length victory, her first stakes score. Trainer Larry Jones saddled the three-year-old War Front filly in back-to-back wins this year at Oaklawn Park and Turfway. He plans to point Summer Soiree to the Kentucky Oaks (G1), which could be her next start. (video)
Other stakes winners on the card included Sweet Gladys, who scored a 20.1-to-1 upset victory in the $50,000 Queen Stakes, a six-furlong sprint for older fillies and mares (video); and Ghost Is Clear, who secured a neck victory as the 2.30-to-1 favorite in the $50,000 Hansel Stakes, a six-furlong test for three-year-olds. (video)
For Equibase charts, click here.
Frank Angst is senior writer for Thoroughbred Times
