by Vance Hanson
Kentucky Derby (Grade 1) winner Animal Kingdom will not race again this
season, Team Valor International CEO Barry Irwin announced Wednesday.
Two weeks ago, when trainer Graham Motion noticed that the colt was lame,
X-rays were taken that revealed a small defect in the left hind leg.
Veterinarians rescheduled another round of radiographs after a period of two
weeks.
“A second set of films has revealed a slab fracture just above the small
fissure noted in the previous images,” said Irwin, after he and Motion consulted
veterinarians Dr. Dean Richardson of New Bolton Research Center in Kennett
Square, Pennsylvania, and Dr. Larry Bramlage of Rood and Riddle Veterinary
Clinic in Lexington, Kentucky.
Dr. Richardson will insert a screw to compress the fracture on Thursday
morning, after which Animal Kingdom will do 90 days of rehabilitation at the
Fair Hill training center, first in Team Valor’s own barn and then on a water
treadmill at Bruce Jackson’s equine therapy unit.
Rehabilitation plans call for Animal Kingdom to rest for from four to six
weeks, after which he will walk on the water treadmill until 90 days have
elapsed. The colt will be off for three months before returning to training at
Fair Hill.
Motion will train the colt at Fair Hill well into the early winter before
eventually sending him to Florida to begin his final preparation for the late
March renewal of the Dubai World Cup (Group 1) at Meydan Racecourse. It is
undecided whether Animal Kingdom will race prior to the World Cup.
“I think that Henry Cecil proved it was possible to train a colt in a cold
climate like England and win well with him off the plane in Dubai, as he did
with Twice Over last year.” Irwin said. “Graham and I have talked about this. No
decision will be made for a while. But running Animal Kingdom in the World Cup
without a prep is definitely something to consider.”
The World Cup is run on Tapeta, a surface over which Animal Kingdom has
trained at Fair Hill. Two of his three wins have come on synthetic surfaces.