Bon Voyage, Animal Kingdom

re: Bon Voyage, Animal Kingdom

JoyJackson21 — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 20:37:43 GMT

Hi Steve,

OMG - Such an eloquent column about my beloved Animal Kingdom. I am so proud of him! You caught the very essence of Animal Kingdom - his power, his versatility, his majesty, his star power in any race he is in, his superior qualities, which are always on display. Animal Kingdom's second place finish in the Breeders' Cup Mile was one of the Top 10 race performances I have ever been privileged to witness personally - it was an incredible, eye-popping effort. To improve upon that race is astounding, but improve he did in his Dubai World Cup victory. Staying loyal to Animal Kingdom through his injuries and through all of the vile name-calling and abuse heaped on Animal Kingdom AND his supporters by misguided fans of other horses on other racing websites has been totally worth everything we had to go through to support this wonderful horse. I always saw greatness whenever I looked at Animal Kingdom (the same is true of I'll Have Another, too). Animal Kingdom is a superhorse - he can handle dirt, tapeta (synthetic), grass - and win over all of those surfaces. He's one of the most powerfully-built horses I've seen. He looks like a proud Greek statue, all muscles and regalness. It's an honor to be his fan and supporter!

Thank you, Steve, for another magnificent article. You are a very gifted, very intuitive journalist. BTW - I also loved the beautiful pictures of Animal Kingdom. Thank you for including them with your article.

re: Bon Voyage, Animal Kingdom

mz — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 02:24:47 GMT

Karen in Indiana: with the Olympics coming up soon, why not next cosider putting Animal Kingdom on skis and enter him in the Downhill? Considering his background however, it would be tough to pick a flag for him to walk into the stdium behind on the first day. i would suggest they use the Olympic Flag. Heck, the flag bearer could just ride into the sodium ON him.

(Ain't April 1st news items grand?)

p.s. Yay for Monty Python fans! I could see photo-shopping AK into the Ministry of Silly Walks sketch or maybe exchange him for the cat in the Confuse A Cat sketch.

re: Bon Voyage, Animal Kingdom

1pony — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 01:42:18 GMT

Thank you Steve for this wonderful tribute to a horse that I think could have done so much more if not for his two freek injuries. The owners and Trainer get a lot of credit from me for bringing him back to the races and not sendiing him to the Breeding shed early. I hope he kicks butt at Ascot!

re: Bon Voyage, Animal Kingdom

SUE LL — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 15:51:36 GMT

Steve,

Great tribute to one of my favorites, Animal Kingdom. You are unsurpassed in writing about both the present and past of thoroughbred racing.

Just a note for newer fans on the 2 groups of greats that you mentioned.It reminds us that the amazing Kelso would uniquely fit into both groups.If retired after a couple of full racing seasons, as the near perfect group, he would have exited with exactly Secretariat's won - loss record with the same 2 HOY awards. Plus an 11 race win streak, surpassed only by Man O WAR on your list.Then in his second career, from 5 to 7 yrs old when injuries are part of the job, he matches Forego's 3 HOY awards. Plus he closes out his 5th HOY season with the near impossible. Kelso wins the definitive year end races on both dirt and grass. These only 11 days apart, at 2 & 1.5 miles and both in alltime record time!

re: Bon Voyage, Animal Kingdom

smartysgal — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 15:45:54 GMT

You nailed it, Steve! Perfection, that what Animal Kingdom is. I was SO pleased to see he won the Dubai World Cup. He deserved it. He also deserves the stand at stud here in America and I was doubly ecstatic when I read Darley has bought a 29% interest in him and will stand him here in KY! HOORAY!

re: Bon Voyage, Animal Kingdom

Karen in Indiana — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 15:04:12 GMT

And now for something completely different:

www.thisishorseracing.com/.../1975-animal-kingdom-to-try-jump-racing-next

re: Bon Voyage, Animal Kingdom

Dr Drunkinbum — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 13:48:55 GMT

Needler in Virginia

Good point.

re: Bon Voyage, Animal Kingdom

haudagain — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 12:33:58 GMT

I noticed that Animal Kingdom has High Line in his pedigree, I remember him running in the late 1960's as I was always interested in Hyperion-line horses. As he excelled over long distance races such as 2 miles, his opportunities as a stallion must have been very limited indeed but surprisingly he appears in the pedigrees of modern day stallions such as Thunder Gulch, Dubawi & Dansili as well as Leroidesanimaux.

Sookera was a champion two year old in Ireland.

The mating of these two horses High Line and Sookera gave us the grand dam of both Dansili and Leroidesanimaux

re: Bon Voyage, Animal Kingdom

Needler in Virginia — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 03:20:58 GMT

I would guarantee that the possibility of Animal Kingdom's running at Ascot, or any other damn place Messr's Irwin and Motion think appropriate, has been evaluated, considered, mulled, contemplated, cussed, discussed, dissected, reassembled, strategized, planned, RE-planned, dreamed and fantasized. In the end, I trust the horse will be handled as beautifully by Arrowfield and Darley as he always has been by Team Valor. When you hold lightning in your hands, you never EVER treat it as just another rainy day.

Cheers and safe trips.

re: Bon Voyage, Animal Kingdom

Paula Higgins — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 01:19:18 GMT

Yes, to Mine That Bird Dr Drunkinbum. His story and his connection's story are so unique and wonderful. I guess Zenyatta's two BCC's will top my list forever. I seriously doubt anything is going to top them. Kind of wish Animal Kingdom would ruun in the BCC this year.

re: Bon Voyage, Animal Kingdom

Ted from LA — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 22:25:36 GMT

4-8-7 box every way until Sunday in the Wood.

re: Bon Voyage, Animal Kingdom

MacKenzie — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 20:40:09 GMT

I fell for this horse at the end of the Kentucky Derby. First, he was running very green, almost as much back and forth as forward, yet was pulling away from the others. Then, after the finish line, you could see his ears still pricked and his eyes wide open. He wanted to keep racing.

re: Bon Voyage, Animal Kingdom

Greg R — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 04:33:16 GMT

Since Animal Kingom's daddy was a crack turf miler, it makes sense to let the son's last race be a turf mile. True, the Queen Annne is what they call a "stiff mile," because of the lay of the land, but A K has that covered, stamina-wise, as a multiple Gr I winner at 1 1/4. If he's right on the day, it could prove his best race.

Drunkinbum: I've been plugging Midnight Lute as a match for Zenyatta for a long time, via comment sites!! Glad for the backup! AFTER she visits Awesome Again, because he's older (isn't he still standing?).

re: Bon Voyage, Animal Kingdom

Linda in Texas — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 01:43:23 GMT

Hope BigTex can email his photo of Animal Kingdom at Santa Anita.

Did you know you can take that to CVS and make an 8 x 10 with it? I sure would. I did one of my brother's 4 dogs on their morning walk and it came out beautifully.

Walking to the Race in Dubai he was observing everything as i caught a glimpse of him and i truly feel he knew it was an important race. He was so well groomed, his caregivers sent him out to win, he knew it and he brought them the trophy. And a dollar and a half to boot. His composure was even more noticeable after the race. So well behaved. Just a delightful horse to observe.

(And i learned from HRTV that it takes the American Horses 1 hour to walk from their barn in Dubai to the gates.) What does that take out of them???

PLUS and this is the biggest treat of his win imo. He brought some well deserved respect to the owners and trainers of 'our horses.' His win brought a flush over my face and my heart skipped a couple of beats. He was awesome. Just no other words. And having him race in England is the greatest advertisement in the world for American Thoroughbred Racing and will also help show off his talents and style to others across the pond. Now i just pray he travels well both in the air and on the track and stays sound.

Steve, thank you for a good good article. I felt like a bunch of us were on the floor surrounding you sitting in an easy chair telling this from your wonderful memories off the top of your head. Very nice and it is real. Favorite photo is the second one. He has such a beautifully honed and chiseled head, simply regal.

I say ol' chaps, bring on the high top hats,the strawberries and

cream and maybe even a nod from Elizabeth The Queen!

I must not forget to mention Royal Delta. She is to be admired, she did herself proud. So sometimes i call her Proud Delta.

Such thoughtful people come here to roost and preen their feathers. My day does not officially begin until i check here first. We may not always agree but everyone gets their chance to say how they feel.

And we all seem to accept those with whom we disagree. And that is as it should be. Thanks Steve. Safe racing to all involved this week end.

re: Bon Voyage, Animal Kingdom

Past The Grandstand — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 23:30:11 GMT

As usual, absolutely outstanding job, Mr. Haskin! Your tweet after the Dubai World Cup that read, "If anyone still doubted it, it's official. Animal Kingdom is a great horse who could have been one of the all-time greats if he stayed sound," rang many bells of truth and this article detailed that statement beautifully. What Animal Kingdom has accomplished up to this point is extraordinary, having captured America's most coveted race and the world's richest horse race. It will be exciting to see what the remainder of his career holds. What Animal Kingdom has shown is one-of-a-kind brilliance that should be cherished and remembered forever. Thank you for this wonderful article, Mr. Haskin!

Mary Cage

pastthegrandstand.blogspot.com

re: Bon Voyage, Animal Kingdom

MinStar — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 23:21:24 GMT

Thank you, Steve, for a wonderful tribute to Animal Kingdom's career. You put the heart in sports writing, pal!

re: Bon Voyage, Animal Kingdom

Dr Drunkinbum — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 23:06:02 GMT

Paula Higgins

Rags to Riches Belmont and Mine That Bird Derby are maybe 4th and 5th for me. Rags was a big "She did it !!!!!!" celebration. Most of Zenyatta's races are right up there because of the way she did it.

Jean in Chicago

"A" is good. I try not to worry too much when they race but it's always there somewhere. A safe race always feels good.

re: Bon Voyage, Animal Kingdom

Jean in Chicago — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 20:21:14 GMT

Dr. D, True Nicks rates Zenyatta X Animal Kingdom 'A'.

Kincsem: Not knowing about Kincsem is a shame. That's why I keep recommending people go back and look up some of these truly great horses from the past. Try Sceptre, Imp, St. Simon. Check generations back in pedigrees for horses that keep reappearing. The breeders back in the day (WAY back) weren't stupid. Tesio did a lot of back crossing to St. Simon to finally get Nearco, although I'm a great believer in outcrossing, especially these days when we can sure use some more distance ability in thoroughbreds. If you want to watch sprints, go see quarter horses (many of whom are being bred to thoroughbreds).

Although I'd like to see AK at Ascot, I worry every time anybody steps on the track. So maybe just send him off to visit the ladies and have some fun bouncing around the paddock.

re: Bon Voyage, Animal Kingdom

Paula Higgins — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 19:18:41 GMT

Kinscem, I think all of us probably

know who Kinscem was. One of the greatest horses of modern times and the greatest female horse (maybe greatest female or male) of the 19th century.

I was surprised to see that Graham Motion won't be training Team Valor horses. I am glad that he will still train AK until he is retired. It seems to be a very amicable parting and having one trainer dedicated to their own horses seems reasonable.

Happy Birthday Linda in Texas.

Dr Drunkinbum, my list in order of favorite races: Zenyatta's 2009 BC, Zenyatta's 2010 BC, Secretariat's Belmont, Secretariat's Preakness, Seattle Slew's Triple Crown races, Affirmed/Alydar Belmont, Rags to Riches Belmont, Sesbiscuit vs War Admiral match race, Animal Kingdom's Dubai, Spectacular Bid's first 2 legs of the Triple Crown, Black Caviar's William Reid, Smarty Jone's first 2 legs of the Triple Crown................the list could go on and on.

re: Bon Voyage, Animal Kingdom

kevin blair — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 17:45:53 GMT

Steve, thanks again for another special column...fantastic writing. You truly hit the nail on the proverbial head. As a partner in several Team Valor horses, my family and I had the pleasure of visiting with Animal Kingdom during one of his rehabs at Fair Hill. We had traveled there to see our horses(which unfortunately did not include AK as I was obviously too stupid), but did include Howe Great which was stabled near AK. As we entered the barn, Megan from Team Valor said, " You're going to see Animal Kingdom over there and he is going to want your attention...in fact he expects or demands it!" Sure enough, there he stood , our eyes meeting and you knew right then...this guy knows..He's the One! He is one tremendous physical specimen ...and with personality to boot. We spent alot of time with him that day as he is a true sweetheart...thanks again Steve!

re: Bon Voyage, Animal Kingdom

Pedigree Ann — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 17:42:14 GMT

Linda -

When I started looking to buy a mare, Slew City Slew was one of the stallions I had hoped to be able to use. A real racehorse sire. Unfortunately he was retired that fall. A member of my Blue-Collar Stallion Hall of Fame. He will be missed.

re: Bon Voyage, Animal Kingdom

Bethany Loftis — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 17:26:27 GMT

Thanks Steve for another great article!!! There's always been something about Animal Kingdom that I liked, but I couldn't quite explain it until I finally saw a picture of him without blinkers on for the first time. Then it hit me, he is the exact spitting image of my 16-year old gelding! Even has the same great stride! The only thing missing is another sock on his back left :)

Thanks Mr. Irwin for taking the time out of your busy schedule to respond on these blogs! Your time is greatly appreciated! I'm so thrilled, like everyone else, that this great horse will be standing in America part time! Thank you, thank you to all parties involved on making this happen! Good luck Mr. Irwin and Animal Kingdom! Go strut your stuff in Ascot and win it all!

re: Bon Voyage, Animal Kingdom

Dr Drunkinbum — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 17:23:31 GMT

Barry Irwin

Thank you very much for your response and all of the other posts you've made. I appreciate it. It does help to have the information before forming and stating opinions. It makes more sense now, however I'd still be a little leary but then again I always am for a final race prior to stud. Good luck to Animal Kingdom, continued success with your excellent operation, and with your new(old coming back) trainer in the coming years.

re: Bon Voyage, Animal Kingdom

Eight paws — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 10:31:32 GMT

Thank you Steve for a brilliant story on a magnificent champion. I agree with the above poster, allow the horse to run at ascot. He deserves the chance to once again go down in the history books as being the 1st Kentucky derby winner to win at RA. Although, personally, i would love to see him match up against camelot in the prince of wales stake. If Graham can get AK to is form in the breeders cup mile and world cup, NOONE is beating him!. AK is immensely explosive around bends and would beat the pants off of camelot if given the chance. The grade 1 wins on all three surfaces will also put him into the very elite category and watch his stud fees sky rocket. He will be the most sought after stallion in the world. Animal kingdom has every right to be mentioned among the greatest, just give him the chance to do it.

Wherever he goes, I will among his MANY followers!

re: Bon Voyage, Animal Kingdom

Alex'sBigFan — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 04:21:22 GMT

Linda in Texas,

Happy Birthday to you!!!!!!

Linda's birthday is Friday, the 5th.