Tag: animal kingdom (Page 1 of 2)

      2011 Belmont Stakes Predictions

      June 11, 2011 /
      Exercise rider Carlos Rosas gallops Kentucky Derby hopeful Nehro on the track during early morning workouts at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, May 5, 2011. REUTERS/Jeff Haynes (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT HORSE RACING)

      The third and final leg of the Triple Crown will be run tonight at 6:36PM ET and as usual, I’m here to produce some good fade material.

      Actually, my predictions for the Preakness weren’t half-bad. After going 0-3 picking the money horses in the Kentucky Derby, I nailed Animal Kingdom and Astrology to finish on the board at Pimlico. Maybe tonight at Belmont Park is my night!

      Nah – fade me.

      WIN: NEHRO (4/1)
      Many observers believe that this year’s Belmont Stakes will be a three-horse race between Animal Kingdom (2/1), Nehro (4/1) and Shackleford (9/2). But out of those three contenders, Nehro is the freshest after sitting out of the Preakness and that’s important considering the Belmont is a 1.5-mile race. Nehro has also already shown that he can hang with Animal Kingdom after finishing second at the Kentucky Derby. I like him to pull off the small upset tonight.

      PLACE: ANIMAL KINGDOM (2/1)
      Apparently there’s a 50-percent chance that it could rain tonight at Belmont Park, so I’m a little concerned about all the favorites. But Animal Kingdom is just too good to leave off the board. And while I’ve predicted Nehro to finish ahead of him, I wouldn’t be surprised if the 2011 Kentucky Derby champion won easily. In six career starts, he hasn’t finished lower than second in any of them and has three career wins, including back-to-back victories in the Grade 3 Spiral Stakes and the Kentucky Derby.

      SHOW: MUCHO MACHO MAN (10/1)
      I predicted Mucho Macho Man to finish second at the Preakness Stakes and he was a major dud, coming in sixth. But apparently he lost a shoe during the race, which contributed to his poor finish. In 10 career races, he’s finished off the board in only two of them. He won the Grade 2 Risen Star back in February and now that he’s been fitted with a new shoe, I love his chances of finishing in the money at the Belmont.

      FOURTH: PRIME CUT (15/1)
      I usually don’t make a prediction for fourth place but I had to mention this horse because I consider him my sleeper of this year’s Belmont. Prime Cut didn’t run in the Kentucky Derby or the Preakness, but in seven career races he’s never finished lower than fourth and that came in his debut. The only reason I don’t have him finishing in the money is because he’s only raced twice against graded competition and has never made a Grade 1 start.

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      Animal Kingdom to race at Belmont

      May 28, 2011 /
      Jockey Jesus Castanon (R) rides Shackleford to victory ahead of second place finisher Animal Kingdom ridden by jockey John Velazquez (L) in the 136th running of the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Racetrack in Baltimore, Maryland, May 21, 2011. REUTERS/Tim Shaffer (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT HORSE RACING)

      Even though he lost his bid for the Triple Crown when he was defeated at the Preakness, Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom will race at this year’s Belmont according to SI.com.

      There were some questioning whether or not trainer Graham Motion would hold Animal Kingdom out of the Belmont (June 11) after Shackleford held him off down the stretch at the Preakness. But apparently the 3-year-old colt is a “go” for the third leg of the Triple Crown.

      Preakness winner Shackleford is not yet a definite for the final leg of the Triple Crown. Trainer Dale Romans says he wants to wait a few days before deciding.

      The last rematch in the Belmont between the Derby and Preakness winners was 2005, when Preakness winner Afleet Alex defeated Derby winner Giacomo.

      Animal Kingdom will attempt to become the 12th horse to complete a Derby-Belmont double.

      Even though Shackleford beat Animal Kingdom at Pimlico two weeks ago, I would think most horseracing observers would consider Nehro to be Animal Kingdom’s main threat at the Belmont. Nehro had an impressive outing at the Kentucky Derby, where he finished second behind Animal Kingdom. He sat out of the Preakness, meaning he should be fresh for his running at Belmont Park in two weeks.

      Of course, many people probably counted Shackleford out at the Preakness when track crewmembers had a though time loading him into his starting position. He set the pace at Churchill Downs before finishing fourth and then won at Pimlico. He cannot be counted out if he winds up running and I hope he does, because it should be a three-horse race between him, Animal Kingdom and Nehro at the Belmont.

      External Sports, horse racing

      2011 Preakness Stakes Predictions

      May 21, 2011 /
      Preakness hopeful Mucho Macho Man, with exercise rider Herberto Pulgar, works out at Pimlico Race Track in Baltimore, Maryland, May 19, 2011. The 136th running of the Preakness Stakes will take place on May 21. REUTERS/Molly Riley (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT HORSE RACING)

      All right, you got me: My Kentucky Derby predictions were bad. Atrocious actually. True story: One of the horses I picked (ArchArchArch) almost bucked his jockey right off out of the gates and had to retire following the race. The last time anyone saw him he was being loaded into something called a “horse ambulance.” Yikes.

      I’ll try to do better in the Preakness tonight, although fading me has never been a better idea.

      WIN: Animal Kingdom (2/1)
      Yeah, I like the winner – go to hell. Wait, I’m sorry. That wasn’t nice…Last week I wrote about Animal Kingdom’s odds to win the first Triple Crown since Affirmed accomplished the feat in 1978. I think if Animal Kingdom gets by a weak field today, he’ll cruise at the Belmont and accomplish a rare feat in the sports world by capturing horse racing’s Triple Crown. Even though he slipped in practice today, I like the 3-year-old colt to win back-to-back outings after winning the Kentucky Derby earlier this month. In five career races, he’s never finished worse than second. I think he’s that good (even though I clearly missed him while handicapping the Kentucky Derby…dumbass).

      PLACE: Mucho Macho Man (6/1)
      I was tempted to renew my faith in Dialed In but I just couldn’t pull the trigger after he finished 8th in the Kentucky Derby. Besides, Mucho Macho Man has a steady, impressive resume and has yet to finish lower than fourth in his nine career outings. He took third at the Kentucky Derby earlier this month and third at the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby in March. This is an impressive-looking horse that always seems to be near the front. I don’t see him overtaking Animal Kingdom, but I do like him to finish somewhere in the money.

      SHOW: Astrology (15/1)
      Call this my First Dude of the 2011 Preakess. Last year I predicted First Dude (who was 20/1 coming into the race) to finish third and he actually came in second. This year I like another seemingly unknown in Astrology, who has never finished out of the money in seven career outings. He has three-straight second-place showings coming into the Preakness, which includes runner-up finishes at the Kentucky Jockey Club, the Sunland Derby and the Jerome Hcp. I don’t think he has the strength to go wire-to-wire or edge out the favorites down the stretch, but I really like this dark horse (ha! Get it? Yeah, you get it.) to finish in the top 3.

      External Sports, horse racing

      Animal Kingdom a 2/1 favorite to win 2011 Preakness

      May 21, 2011 /
      Animal Kingdom with jockey John Velazquez in the irons wins the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, May 7, 2011. REUTERS/John Gress (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT HORSE RACING)

      Animal Kingdom will attempt to win the second leg of horse racing’s Triple Crown this evening at Pimlico Race Course when he runs in the 2011 Preakness Stakes. The 3-year-old colt won the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs earlier this month.

      Oddsmakers currently list Animal Kingdom as a 2/1 favorite to win the Preakness. Dialed In, who was favored to win the Kentucky Derby, is 5/1 to win and Mucho Macho Man, who finished third at Churchill Downs, is currently 6/1 to win the Preakness.

      As I wrote last week, I believe there’s a good chance that we could witness horse racing’s first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed accomplished the feat in 1978. Every year it seems like we’re getting closer and closer to having another contender sweep the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont, and Animal Kingdom certainly has the talent.

      The concerns about Animal Kingdom coming into the Kentucky Derby were that a) he only had four races under his belt and b) that he could run on dirt. Well, he’s now raced five times in his career with three wins and two second-place finishes. And he apparently runs on dirt just fine, as his win at the Kentucky Derby proved.

      Dialed In, Mucho Macho Man and even a mid-range contender like Shackleford could upset Animal Kingdom tonight. The toughest part is out of the way for Animal Kingdom, as he’s already won the Kentucky Derby. But the Preakness can be a difficult task as well, but if he wins tonight then he may cruise at the Belmont next month.

      External Sports, horse racing

      Can Animal Kingdom take home the Triple Crown this year?

      May 10, 2011 /
      Animal Kingdom (C), with jockey John Velazquez in the irons, wins the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, May 7, 2011. REUTERS/Jeff Haynes (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT HORSE RACING)

      It’s funny how much things can change in a matter of days. Animal Kingdom wasn’t even on most bettors’ radar last week heading into the Kentucky Derby and now observers are wondering if he can become the first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed accomplished the feat in 1978.

      At the start of the week, Animal Kingdom was a 30/1 long shot to win Saturday’s Kentucky Derby. He took a backseat to more intriguing contenders like Dialed In, Mucho Macho Man and Twice The Appeal (ridden by popular jockey Calvin Borel). In fact, Animal Kingdom even switched jockeys the day before the race when John R. Velazquez lost his mount with Uncle Mo, who was scratched due to a gastrointestinal issue.

      But Velazquez rode Animal Kingdom to his first career win at the Kentucky Derby and now the pair is the talk of the horseracing world. In fact, along with Dialed In, Animal Kingdom is a 4/1 favorite to win the Preakness on May 21.

      Of course, most horses that win the Kentucky Derby are considered the favorite to win the Preakness. Oddsmakers base their lines on how they think the public will wager and causal bettors are instantly drawn to the Kentucky Derby winner when it comes to betting the Preakness. Just because a horse wins at Churchill Downs doesn’t mean he has what it takes to win at Pimlico and Belmont Park. In 2009, Borel rode Mine That Bird to victory in the Kentucky Derby but finished second in the Preakness and third in the Belmont. In 2008, many felt that Big Brown had the best chance of winning the Triple Crown in the last decade and after winning the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness, he flopped in the Belmont and finished ninth.

      But here’s the thing: I think Animal Kingdom does have what it takes. In fact, I think if he can win in two weeks at Pimlico, he’ll cruise at the Belmont (barring injury, of course). The concerns about him coming into the Kentucky Derby were that a) he only had four races under his belt and b) that he could run on dirt. Well, he’s now raced five times in his career with three wins and two second-place finishes. And he apparently runs on dirt just fine, as his win at the Kentucky Derby proved.

      My bigger concern for Animal Kingdom heading into the Preakness is Dialed In. I don’t think we saw his best effort at Churchill Downs last week, as he hung in the back of the pack too long before finally making his move down the stretch. He finished a disappointing 8th but again, I don’t think we saw his best effort. (It would also be interesting to see if Uncle Mo could make a recovery and run in the Preakness, although I think those odds are between “slim” and “no way in hell.”)

      But if Animal Kingdom can eke out a win in two weeks, I like his chances of capturing the Belmont and giving horseracing fans their first Triple Crown winner in nearly 34 years. As the overused, clichéd sports take goes: He certainly has all the tools.

      External Sports, horse racing

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