Union Rags and Animal Kingdom Shine Light On Local Horsepower

Union Rags winning the Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park in Florida.

     The depth of local horse power should never be underestimated and 2012 is looking like it might be a banner year. Two very intriguing horses call Fair Hill Training Center home for most of the year - Animal Kingdom and Union Rags.
     The former is the reigning 2011 Champion Three Year-Old and the latter stamped himself as the early 2012 Kentucky Derby favorite with an impressive win this weekend. Cecil Scene mentioned them last month as the Eclipse Awards were approaching. (CLICK HERE)
     Both horses are wintering in Florida before they return to Fair Hill. In the mean time, their connections have set their sights on the more prestigious goals in thoroughbred racing in the Kentucky Derby and the Dubai World Cup.
     Many thought Union Rags should have been Juvenile Horse of the Year. The three year-old trained by Michael Matz was barely beaten by Hansen in the 2011 Breeders' Cup Juvenile last November. The strapping colt made his return to the races at Gulfstream Park in Florida on Sunday and quickly reminded everyone how fantastic he looked in 2011. Ridden by jockey Julien Leparoux, he geared down in the stretch and defeated some accomplished rivals handily.  That win solidified him as the early Kentucky Derby favorite.

Animal Kingdom training at Fair Hill last Spring.

     There was no reason to expect Union Rags wouldn't do well in his return, but the return of Animal Kingdom was a different story. He last ran in the 2011 Belmont Stakes where he was injured. Team Valor principle Barry Irwin and trainer Graham Motion made the decision not to retire the colt, to rehabilitate the 2011 Derby winner and keep him racing in 2012.
     The return to competitive racing is always a tenuous situation. Horses can look healthy and train well, but one never knows if their competitive fire is still there.
     Animal Kingdom returned to the racing on February 18th and cleared up those doubts.  His win made him the first Kentucky Derby winner since Big Brown to win a race after the Derby. 
     With that victory, Animal Kingdom remained pointed for a trip to Dubai on March 31st to run in the $10,000,000 Dubai World Cup, the greatest purse in racing.
     Cecil Scene will keep you posted as Animal Kingdom and Union Rags progress towards their ultimate goals this Spring.