News

Secretariat, Seattle Slew, Affirmed...Animal Kingdom? That phrase sounds eerily similar to Sesame Street's "one of these things is not like the others." However, if Animal Kingdom should win the Preakness, the Triple Crown will be a forgone conclusion since not many three-year-olds are more apt to handle the grueling 1 1/2-miles of the Belmont Stakes than the son of Leroidesanimaux.

Though admittedly "shocked" that he won America's most-famous race, trainer Graham Motion, a British expatriate, on Sunday morning had recovered enough to start focusing on the May 21 Preakness Stakes, which he said would be the next start for Animal Kingdom, the upset winner of Saturday's 137th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs.

Team Valor International's ANIMAL KINGDOM (Leroidesanimaux [Brz]) answered any questions about his aptitude for dirt, or readiness for the Kentucky Derby (G1), Saturday morning with a sharp six-furlong work in 1:13 at Churchill Downs.

From The Blood-Horse comes this week's "Derby Dozen," by Steve Haskin, which includes for the first time Team Valor International's Animal Kingdom.

Summer Soiree, who will make her next start on May 6 in the $1-million, Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks, had her first workout for Graham Motion and her first bit of serious work since romping in the Grade 3 Bourbonette Oaks 3 weeks ago at Turfway Park.

A weekend full of surprises at tracks in Louisiana, Kentucky and New Mexico has put the names of these 3-year-olds on the AP's latest Run to the Roses Top 10 list of Derby contenders.

Barry Irwin's Team Valor International has tapped diverse sources for its racing stable for many years, perhaps most notably in the discovery of Zimbabwe sensation Ipi Tombe (Zim), by way of South Africa.

Animal Kingdom went from last to first and scored a decisive 2 ¾-length triumph in the $500,000 Spiral Stakes today at Turfway Park in Northern Kentucky.

To many, the seemingly meteoric rise of English-bred Gitano Hernando over the last year has been simply amazing. But not so for Team Valor International president Barry Irwin, who bought the colt after he broke his maiden with intentions of racing him on the world's biggest stage. – Team Valor Headline News

Gitano Hernando warmed up for a crack at the Dubai World Cup at Meydan on March 27 with a convincing win in the Winter Derby Trial at Lingfield on Saturday.

Gitano Hernando exploded with a furlong remaining and drew off to a 4 ½-length triumph when he missed the Lingfield track record for a mile and a quarter in taking the Listed Winter Derby Trial Stakes today outside of London, England.

Team Valor International and Gary Barber's Gitano Hernando punched his ticket for the June 6 Belmont Stakes with a bang-up second today when he failed by a head of pegging back the winner of the Group 3 Dee Stakes at Chester race course in England. – Team Valor Headline News

Hull, unbeaten in 3 starts by a total of 16 lengths this season for trainer Dale Romans, will line up for the Preakness. Owned by Heiligbrodt Racing Stables, Team Valor International and Gary Barber, the Kentucky-bred son of Holy Bull won the Derby Trial on opening day at Churchill Downs by 4 lengths. – Team Valor Headline News

When Hull skipped under the wire 4 lengths clear to take this afternoon's Derby Trial Stakes at Churchill Downs, he became stakes winner number 100 to represent a racing partnership formed by Team Valor International owner Barry Irwin since 1987. – Team Valor Headline News

Hull exceeded expectations today when he dominated the Grade 3 Derby Trial Stakes at Churchill Downs, pressing the pace from the outside while extremely wide and drawing off to triumph by 4 lengths as the 7 to 3 third choice in a field of 8 for trainer Dale Romans and owners Team Valor International, Heiligbrodt Racing Stable and Gary Barber. – Team Valor Headline News

Four-year-old Visionaire, who rolled home to a 2 ¼-length victory last summer in the Grade 1 King's Bishop Stakes at Saratoga, has been retired from racing, it was announced by trainer Michael Matz. "Visionaire most likely suffered a knee chip in the King's Bishop," said Matz. "His next two races were unlike him. Surgery was performed by Dr. Larry Bramlage last fall, but he has not trained to our satisfaction, so the owners have decided to retire him, rather than blemish his racing record." – Team Valor Headline News

Hull stamped himself as much more than a "one-hit-wonder" and as a bona-fide contender nationally in the sophomore ranks on Thursday at Turfway Park when he parlayed his debut romp at Fair Grounds in February with an encore performance saturated with brilliance. The recent Team Valor acquisition cruised by 7 ¾ lengths in his first start against winners and despite being held in the proverbial "death-grip" by jockey Miguel Mena for the entire 1:16 1/5 of the race, the blue-sky prospect stopped the clock just four-fifths of a second shy of the track record on the Polytrack. – Team Valor Headline News

Gitano Hernando made a sterling impression in his Team Valor International debut at Doncaster Racecourse on Sunday in the northern part of England, storming home down the stretch to register a resounding 2 ½-length score in a Class 3 Handicap over 1 ¼ miles on firm turf. The win marks a successful initial step on the colt's path towards the Grade 1, $1,000,000 Belmont Stakes on June 6. The son of Hernando was acquired by Team Valor earlier in the year. – Team Valor Headline News

Even though a decision was made last week to run Russian Sage in the 9-furlong Dubai Duty Free, Team Valor International owner Barry Irwin could not reconcile the decision and kept regretting it over the last several days. When Mike de Kock removed probable favorite Eagle Mountain because of an injury, Irwin really started questioning the sanity of running against the top middle-distance performers in the world in the hottest race on the World Cup card in the Duty Free, instead of taking the path of least resistance in the Sheema Classic. – Team Valor Headline News