All eyes on Animal Kingdom
Graham Motion is one confident trainer, a cautious one, too.
After long-shot Animal Kingdom’s surprising win in the Kentucky Derby, the Englishman knows his colt will be running in the Preakness with a bull’s-eye on his back as perhaps racing’s next superstar.
“I don’t want to get into that,” he said. “I’ve tried to make up in my mind I won’t get too caught up in the Preakness because you’ve got two weeks to enjoy winning the Derby.”
Animal Kingdom did it by 2C\v lengths and Motion’s fervent hope is for the horse to replicate the trip straight into the winner’s circle at Pimlico Race Course next weekend with a chance to capture the Triple Crown three weeks later in the Belmont Stakes.
He is set to arrive in Baltimore on Friday, the day before the 1 3/16-mile race, which is limited to 14 starters. It last drew a full field in 2005.
“It’s going to be about staying out of trouble, very much like it was in the Derby,” Motion said. “Fourteen horses is a lot of horses to navigate, especially when you’re the one they’re gunning for. The track is possibly a little tighter, the surface is probably a little different than at Churchill Downs. My horse has shown he can handle the dirt.”
Animal Kingdom became the first horse in the Derby’s 137-year history to win his debut on dirt, having run three times on synthetic surfaces and once on the turf in four previous races.
“He seemed to get over it easily. He accelerated really well,” Motion said. “I guess, ultimately, you still don’t know until they win a race, when they have to accelerate on a dime, and he handled that really well.”
Animal Kingdom had a light schedule before the Derby, with just two races in which he finished first and second. His freshness could work in his favor during the grueling five-week Triple Crown campaign.
“He’s just run the biggest race of his life in the Kentucky Derby,” Motion said. “I’m impressed with how he’s handled everything.”
The 46-year-old Motion is known primarily for developing turf runners, and he didn’t earn his first Grade 1 stakes victory on the dirt until 2009 — 16 years into his training career.
He began his career in Maryland and saddled his first winner at Laurel in 1993. Until the Derby, his biggest career victories were Breeders’ Cup wins last year and in 2004.
Asked how he’s handling his newfound fame, Motion replied, “Probably not as good as him. It’s been an extraordinary week.”
Animal Kingdom is training for the Preakness at bucolic Fair Hill in Elkton, Md., about an hour’s drive out in the countryside from hardscrabble Pimlico. It was home to 2006 Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro, whose breakdown in the Preakness and subsequent death from his injuries rocked the sports world.
“It’s where we’re comfortable,” said Motion, who has no plans to change Animal Kingdom’s training leading up to the Preakness. “If he’s good enough, he’s going to handle it.”
