Reliable Animal Kingdom comes in for Dubai World Cup market support

Animal Kingdom – trained in the USA by H. Graham Motion – has come in for support with Coral after the field for the Dubai World Cup, the world’s richest race was whittled down to 13 entrants at the latest declaration stage.

Now 5/1 with Coral for victory in the contest taken last year by Monterosso, Animal Kingdom has finished out of the first two just once in a nine race career across polytrack, dirt and turf racing in the United States, however just three of those top two finishes were victories

Animal Kingdom’s 2012 Kentucky Derby win was his sole Grade 1 victory from five starts at the highest level to date, but that run came at the Dubai World Cup’s 1m2f trip at which Animal Kingdom is unbeaten in two runs.

He was also a half-length second when finishing best of all in last year’s Grade 1 Preakness Stakes indicating that he’s set to be seen a his best of the 1m2f trip.

The five-year old’s one lesser performance to-date came in the Belmont Stakes which came over 1m4f on sloppy ground.

The American is one of seven horses below the age of six who remain in contention for the race, which has been taken by runners aged four or five in seven of the past 10 years.

Among his younger rivals are Saeed bin Suroor’s Hunter’s Light and William Mott’s Royal Delta, who Coral currently have as 9/2 joint favourites.

The latter has posted an impressive sequence of five wins and a second from her last six outings but she hasn’t been seen in mixed company since finishing ninth in last year’s Dubai World Cup and has plenty to prove for a joint favourite.

Hunter’s Light looks far more solid for the favourite backers having posted successive Meydan triumphs this term, including a Grade 1 over the World Cup course and distance last time out.