HASKIN: Expect Animal Kingdom status news today..

[MaTH716]

Originally Posted by Merlinsky

His stumble reminded me of Afleet Alex's who may've gone on to win the Belmont but I believe they suspected the Preakness incident led to the injury that eventually forced his retirement. Maybe discovering it before AK runs again means he won't have had a chance to make it worse, and his career will continue.

Afleet Alex did run and win the Belmont.

[Merlinsky]

Originally Posted by MaTH716

Afleet Alex did run and win the Belmont.

I know that. The "may've" wasn't to illustrate doubt about whether he did or did not. It's to say that even though he did win the Belmont, it was with the Preakness stumble injury beginning to fester, and he won the Belmont in spite of it. Going 1 1/2 miles couldn't have helped. I definitely read more than one piece that had the owners believing the retirement injury came from the stumble. If they'd found anything post-Preakness, he wouldn't have necessarily gone in the Belmont and maybe we have him running later into the season without the early retirement. Then again they did get him a second classic win so it's hard to go too far into the 'what if' on that one.

[MaTH716]

Originally Posted by Merlinsky

I know that. The "may've" wasn't to illustrate doubt about whether he did or did not. It's to say that even though he did win the Belmont, it was with the Preakness stumble injury beginning to fester, and he won the Belmont in spite of it. Going 1 1/2 miles couldn't have helped. I definitely read more than one piece that had the owners believing the retirement injury came from the stumble. If they'd found anything post-Preakness, he wouldn't have necessarily gone in the Belmont and maybe we have him running later into the season without the early retirement. Then again they did get him a second classic win so it's hard to go too far into the 'what if' on that one.

In both cases it could have had something to do with both horses stumbling. But in both cases, each horse ran very well after their stumbling episodes.
I think another factor that might have furthered any type of injury (if there was an actual one that wasn't caught) is that both horses raced in all 3 Triple Crown races.