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| John Velazquez and Heather Craig leading Animal Kingdom after his Derby victory. |
Having done a cover profile on Graham Motion for
North American Trainer and a Q&A interview with Team Valor’s Barry Irwin for the May issue of
Thoroughbred Owner & Breeder, I’d be lying if I didn’t say I had a special rooting interest in Animal Kingdom to win the Kentucky Derby.
I got a good look at the colt in his stall hours before he won the Grade 3 Spiral Stakes at Turfway on March 26, and was impressed by what a gorgeous, physically imposing horse he is. My camera’s memory card chose that day to quit working, so I had to rely on my camera phone for my pictures.
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| Relaxing in his stall before the Spiral. |
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| Graham putting Animal Kingdom's blinkers on at Turfway. |
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| To the winner's circle! Alan Garcia up. |
Graham kept Animal Kingdom at my home track, Keeneland (photos below), for most of the six weeks between the Spiral and the Derby, so I was able to see him train some mornings. In retrospect, it was nice to have him all to myself; that will certainly never happen again...!
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| Animal Kingdom, held by John Panagot, sneaking a look behind him on the track in mid-April. |
