ANIMAL KINGDOM Animal Kingdom joins Visionaire as the second horse that owner Team Valor International has started in the Kentucky Derby. Visionaire finished 12th in 2008. Team Valor has had tremendous success, both in the US and aboard with their acquisitions. They are the most successful stable of partnership owned racehorses. At the helm calling all the shots is Barry Irwin. He has established Team Valor as one of the most accomplished racing stables among all types of owners. Irwin knows where to get horses and where to run them. He selects all of Team Valor's racing stock without the need for consultants. Animal Kingdom is just one of their many success stories. He has shown steady improvement in all four starts. As a result of his outstanding distance pedigree, Team Valor wasted no time entering him at two turns in his first career start at Arlington last September. In an off the grass race, Animal Kingdom sustained a strong closing rally from dead last to be a clear second despite having traffic problems. It is interesting to note that Animal Kingdom did not race on lasix that day. He wasted no time breaking his maiden thirty five days later at Keeneland at 1 1/8 miles receiving lasix for the fist time. Animal Kingdom showed much more early speed. He stalked the pace in second position, took the lead at the top of the stretch, and drew away from eleven rivals with a 3 ¼ length victory. Animal Kingdom was given the winter off. He resurfaced on March 3 at Gulfstream Park with a trainer change from Wayne Catalano to Graham Motion. Entered on grass for the first time, Animal Kingdom broke from a tough outside post. He broke awkwardly, but quickly recovered to race in perfect striking position. He continued to have dead aim on the leader through the stretch, but fell short by a neck. It was an excellent return to the races. Animal kingdom was running a mile, which is too short a distance for him to be at his best, but a great starting point to his three year old campaign. Needing Graded stakes earnings to have any chance of starting in the Kentucky Derby, Animal Kingdom was entered in the Grade 3 Spiral at Turfway Park twenty three days later. A change of tactics was employed. Similar to his debut, he was allowed to drop back to last place in a field of eleven. Animal Kingdom made a strong middle move into the fastest part of the pace. New rider Alan Garcia then angled him wide into the stretch to take the lengths. The million dollar question that Team Valor and Motion had to answer was if Animal Kingdom would be able to transfer his steadily improving form to dirt. You had to go back to the spring of 2010, several months before making his first career start, when Animal Kingdom breezed on the dirt at Adena Springs training track near Ocala Florida. This was where he was broken and trained by Randy Bradshaw, one of the very best in the game at developing yearlings. Once Animal Kingdom made his first start, until one week ago, he had not raced or worked on the dirt. A start in the Kentucky Derby or the American Turf one day earlier would be decided right after Animal Kingdom worked six furlongs on dirt at Churchill in company with stable mate Meistersinger, who had run a huge race in very fast time breaking his maiden at Gulfstream first time out. He had proven to be a very good work horse, which was a good test for Animal Kingdom who he spotted his mate three lengths at the start. Both colts raced as a team to the top of the stretch. Robby Albarado who was aboard Animal Kingdom, tapped his right flank a couple of times, and he quickly distanced himself from Meistersinger by eight lengths at the wire. His six furlong time of 1:13 breezing was just what the doctor ordered. He galloped out 1:26 2/5 for seven furlongs and then finished up his work at a mile, running his last 1/8th of a mile in: 24 flat. This workout was far better than the disappointing one he had a week earlier which was also in company. Robby Albarado who was aboard for the work, had only ridden Animal Kingdom once before in his maiden score. Albarado told Barry Irwin that he was very impressed by the way he handled the track. Now that Animal Kingdom passed a big test, the question is if you can equate an impressive workout in the morning to a strong performance against nineteen rivals in the Derby. Animal Kingdom has an outstanding distance pedigree. Even though his father Leroidesanimaux was an Eclipse Award champion on the grass, he has sired Always A Princess and Gabby’s Golden Gal, who were both multiple stakes winners on the dirt over a distance of ground. Leroidesanimaux family includes names like Candy Stripes, Invasor, who won the 2006 Breeders’ Cup Classic, and Candy Ride, all who excelled on dirt at the highest level. Going back several generations on Animal Kingdom’s mother’s side, there is an abundance of stakes winners on grass who could run all day. But buried deep into her pedigree was one horse, who was a champion on dirt. His name was High Gun, winner of the 1954 Belmont stakes. I feel this is the weakest field that I can recall ever assembled for the Kentucky Derby, with so many short priced horses losing key Derby preps. A “wild card” like Animal Kingdom, who you know will relish the 1 ¼ mile distance, and could end up the last man standing, must be considered a major player and a danger to win the Kentucky Derby. I have so much respect for Barry Irwin and Graham Motion, that if they both have decided to run, it is a huge vote of confidence. Like many others in the field, it is a guess how he will handle a wet track if confronted with it.
Los Angeles Times - June 13, 2012 Jury rejects 'Zoloft' defense, finds ex-detective guilty of rape Anthony Nicholas Orban will next face a sanity hearing. If found to be sane, he probably faces a life term. By Phil Willon, Los Angeles Times A San Bernardino County jury Wednesday rejected a controversial "Zoloft" defense presented bya former Westminster police detective accused
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