Bet On Horse Racing - On To Baltimore
The smoke has cleared, the emotions have ebbed away and the reality has now set in for the connections of the Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom.
The way Animal Kingdom inhaled the leaders at Churchill when recording his 103 Beyer Figure last week suggests he is not just a one-hit wonder and will run big again in the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico on May 21.
As for his trainer Graham Motion, bettors should know what he excels at on a daily basis.
In the last 5 years Motion has hit at an 18% win rate and nearly 50% of his starters have finished in the money.
He is patient with his young stock and only slightly better as a debut trainer with maiden claimers than with maiden special weight runners.
He is excellent with long comebackers that have been away for 6 months or more and he knows how to get foreigners to adapt to American racing.
During the last 5 years, Motion has hit with 13 of 60 foreign shippers with a median winning price of over 4-1 and 52% ran in the money.
The winning horse betting Derby trainer had this to say after the most important win of his life, Motion: “I have a lot of confidence in this horse. He’s the whole package, he has a tremendous disposition.
Motion has already headed back to his base at Fair Hill Training Center in Maryland and he indicated he would ship Animal Kingdom to Pimlico as late as possible.
That strategy should bode well as the runner can stay home and get the comfortable feeling back after such a grueling race.
One thing Kingdom did not do, is scare anybody away as a large field is still in prospect for the 2011 Preakness betting.
Third finisher (Mucho Macho Man), fourth finisher (Shackleford) and sixth finisher (Santiva) all immediately aimed for the second jewel after the Derby.
The new shooters that could show up include Astrology, Concealed Identity, Dance City, Flashpoint, King Congie, Norman Asbjomson, Prime Cut, Sway Away and Mr. Commons.
As for the crybabies after the Derby, there really were none to be mentioned.
Nehro’s rider had this to say after the race, Corey Nakatani: “Overall the trip was pretty darn good. We were in a predicament where I didn't think the pace scenario was as fast as what I needed to be able to get him into a high cruising speed. It didn't set up for us, he ran a great race, and the winner was just a little bit better today. I ended up having a great trip with the outside post that we had. It's difficult when you're out that far to save as much ground as we did. He ran a tremendous race.”
Mucho Macho Man’s rider had similar sentiments, Rajiv Maragh: “I had a great trip. My horse gave me a great feeling all around the racetrack. At every point in the race that I needed something from him, he gave it to me. He was just third. He ran 110 percent. He kept coming on all the way through to the wire. He ran an amazing race.”
Rosie Napravnik saw the race unfold pretty much just how she planned but Pants on Fire was just able to run a bit better than mid-pack. Rosie: “I couldn't have wished for a better trip. We had to adjust minimally into the first turn but we were in a good spot and he ran so well. He galloped out past them. I think the best feeling was when I just kind of tapped him to see what I had about the 4 1/2 and I angled him out to the outside and I had some left and I was like, 'Oh boy, I wonder where we're going from here.”
As the days approach toward online Preakness betting, bettors have to pay attention to how the horses are responding to the surface at Pimlico.
