Saturday, May 21, 2011

ANIMAL KINGDOM ARRIVES AT PREAKNESS STAKES BARN

BALTIMORE, 05-21-11---Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom completed his journey to the Preakness Stakes at 6:45 a.m. Saturday, just under 12 hours before he will compete in the Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown at historic Pimlico Race Course.

Post time for the 136th running of the Preakness is 6:20 p.m.


Led by assistant trainer Dave Rock, the Team Valor International colt stepped off the horse van that carried him the 60 miles from his home at the Fair Hill Training Center in Elkton, Md. to the Preakness Stakes Barn at Pimlico. Animal Kingdom walked the shedrow before being led into Stall 40, the traditional home of the Kentucky Derby winner during its stay at Pimlico.

Trainer Graham Motion shipped the chestnut colt from Churchill Downs to Fair Hill on Tuesday, May 10 and opted to keep him at the quiet, rural facility northeast of Baltimore until Preakness morning. Motion’s contingent of seven horses entered in races on the Preakness program left Fair Hill at 5:32 a.m. Animal Kingdom was the only horse on the second van.

The two Preakness runners based at the Bowie Training Center, Norman Asbjornson and Concealed Identity, arrived at Pimlico in separate vans between 5:30 and 6 a.m.

Four Preakness horses, Mr. Commons, Astrology, Flashpoint and Mucho Macho Man were taken to the track for some light exercise during the 5:30 to 6 a.m. period reserved for Preakness runners.

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