2011 Kentucky Derby: 5 Reasons Animal Kingdom Will Win the Triple Crown
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We've barely digested the Kentucky Derby. Heck, I've only watched the race twice. But already everyone has the same question: can Animal Kingdom sweep the Preakness and Belmont and become the first Triple Crown champion since Affirmed in 1978.
Obviously, it's tough to say anything yet. We still don't have an idea who will be running in the Preakness. There's every chance that he'll run against a field that just doesn't set up his way.
But for now, here are five reasons that Animal Kingdom could go on and become the 12th Triple Crown champion:
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Harry How/Getty Images
Obviously, it's tough to say anything yet. We still don't have an idea who will be running in the Preakness. There's every chance that he'll run against a field that just doesn't set up his way.
But for now, here are five reasons that Animal Kingdom could go on and become the 12th Triple Crown champion:
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Harry How/Getty Images
Animal Kingdom, despite the doubts to dirt pedigree, is a well-bred horse to go the 1-1/2 of the Belmont Stakes.
Leroidesanimaux, his sire, was a great turf horse, winning an Eclipse Award and addition to over $1 million in earnings.
His damsire, Acatenango, was the five-time leading sire in Germany and a champion at distances of 1-1/4 and over. His progeny have carried his ability to stay.
The question was dirt. He proved he can handle it. We know he can handle the longer distance of the Belmont.
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For how effortlessly he won the Derby, Animal Kingdom had a surprising amount of trouble.
He went three-wide on the far turn and nearly got squeezed out from between horses. There was no hole for jockey Johnny Velazquez to squeeze through and yet Velazquez found a way to lead him through.
The adage recently has been that 'It's not the best horse who wins the Derby but the luckiest.'
Well, the luckiest was Nehro, who had almost no trouble and was rated closer to the lead to avoid having to circle a wall of horses.
But Animal Kingdom still caught him.
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Jim McIsaac/Getty Images
Leroidesanimaux, his sire, was a great turf horse, winning an Eclipse Award and addition to over $1 million in earnings.
His damsire, Acatenango, was the five-time leading sire in Germany and a champion at distances of 1-1/4 and over. His progeny have carried his ability to stay.
The question was dirt. He proved he can handle it. We know he can handle the longer distance of the Belmont.
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For how effortlessly he won the Derby, Animal Kingdom had a surprising amount of trouble.
He went three-wide on the far turn and nearly got squeezed out from between horses. There was no hole for jockey Johnny Velazquez to squeeze through and yet Velazquez found a way to lead him through.
The adage recently has been that 'It's not the best horse who wins the Derby but the luckiest.'
Well, the luckiest was Nehro, who had almost no trouble and was rated closer to the lead to avoid having to circle a wall of horses.
But Animal Kingdom still caught him.
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Jim McIsaac/Getty Images
As I said in the introduction, it is still too early to start guessing who will run in the Preakness, but you can imagine that most of the Derby losers will not make the trip to Baltimore for the second leg of racing's Triple Crown.
Astrology, Flashpoint, King Congie, and Sway Away loom as the highest-profile non-Derby horses that could take a run at the Preakness in two week's time. None of them are top-level opposition.
Dialed In might run as well. As part of a promotion by Pimlico's owner Frank Stronach, Dialed In would win a $5.5 million bonus if he wins the Preakness after his earlier wins in the Holy Bull and Florida Derby.
But even if the Preakness draws capacity, it will be a smaller field.
And a smaller field can only help Animal Kingdom. As was discussed before, he encountered a lot of traffic on the far turn and still got up. Yet things easily could have gone so much worse.
There will be at least five less horses in the Preakness, and that can only make it easier for Animal Kingdom to unlaunch his bid from the back half of the field.
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Paul Bereswill/Getty Images
Astrology, Flashpoint, King Congie, and Sway Away loom as the highest-profile non-Derby horses that could take a run at the Preakness in two week's time. None of them are top-level opposition.
Dialed In might run as well. As part of a promotion by Pimlico's owner Frank Stronach, Dialed In would win a $5.5 million bonus if he wins the Preakness after his earlier wins in the Holy Bull and Florida Derby.
But even if the Preakness draws capacity, it will be a smaller field.
And a smaller field can only help Animal Kingdom. As was discussed before, he encountered a lot of traffic on the far turn and still got up. Yet things easily could have gone so much worse.
There will be at least five less horses in the Preakness, and that can only make it easier for Animal Kingdom to unlaunch his bid from the back half of the field.
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Paul Bereswill/Getty Images
The grueling 1-1/2-mile distance of the Belmont Stakes takes a special kind of horse, one that really isn't bred for anymore on this side of the pond.
Of the Derby horses, only a select few seem like bona fide contenders for the Belmont.
I like Brilliant Speed going 1-1/2 and will bet him heavily since he'll have great odds. Dialed In could be a factor. So too could Master of Hounds or Santiva. But that is about it.
Except, of course, for Animal Kingdom.
I'm not overly impressed with any of the looming Belmont horses that didn't run in the Derby. It's at-most a five horse affair right now.
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Harry How/Getty Images
Of the Derby horses, only a select few seem like bona fide contenders for the Belmont.
I like Brilliant Speed going 1-1/2 and will bet him heavily since he'll have great odds. Dialed In could be a factor. So too could Master of Hounds or Santiva. But that is about it.
Except, of course, for Animal Kingdom.
I'm not overly impressed with any of the looming Belmont horses that didn't run in the Derby. It's at-most a five horse affair right now.
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Harry How/Getty Images
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