Barry Irwin

[pointman]

Originally Posted by Danzig

does animal kingdom move back to turf? i don't see him running in three weeks. i just hope he does't turn out like another mine that bird, who also ran second in the preakness after a surprise win in ky.

I can't see why Animal Kingdom would not run back in the Belmont if he comes back out of the race ok. He had 6 weeks off before the Derby so a run back in 3 weeks should be no problem. Certainly the distance is not an issue.

The Preakness was only his second start on dirt and he lost because a bad break put him too far back. I believe that he is a much better horse than Mine That Bird and there is no reason to believe that he can't be a top three year old on dirt going forward. Considering that he can run on all three surfaces, he should have quite a future as long as he stays on the track.

As for Shackleford's owner, consult Root.