Royal plans for Animal Kingdom

Dubai

Royal Ascot, the biggest meeting of the season in England, would appear to be the next planned stop for 2013 Dubai World Cup winner Animal Kingdom and the 2011 Kentucky Derby winner will not be alone at the Royal Meeting with at least two other of Saturday’s winner targeting the fixture.

Graham Motion, trainer of Animal Kingdom, confirmed England is the plan and said: “We are so lucky to have this horse who is so versatile with regards to both trip and underfoot conditions. The 1600m of the Queen Anne Stakes is probably my favoured option but we will think about the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes over the same 2000m as the World Cup.

“He won the Kentucky Derby on dirt, the World Cup on Tapeta and is a winner on turf. To have a horse good enough for Royal Ascot is a privilege and that is the logical next step.”

South African Mike De Kock has a yard in Newmarket and both his World Cup night winners Shea Shea and Soft Falling Rain are likely to compete at Ascot with Shea Shea, who smashed his own 1000m turf track record at Meydan on Saturday when winning the Group 1 Al Quoz Sprint likely to contest the Kings’s Stand Stakes and/or The Diamond Jubilee.

The latter will be considered for his Godolphin Mile winner Soft Falling Rain for whom the Queen Anne is also under consideration. De Kock said: “The plan has always been to take them to England with Ascot in mind and most of our World Cup night runners will go to Newmarket.

“Shea Shea is very quick and Ascot should suit him and Soft Falling Rain is exciting – we really like him. Igugu should be competitive over the summer be it in Europe or America, and we have the possibility of Hong Kong and/or Singapore for her. Await The Dawn will probably go to Singapore next.”

Godolphin’s Sajjhaa landed her second Group 1 victory of her career in the Dubai Duty Free and her trainer, Saeed Bin Surour, said: “She will go back to Newmarket and we will plan from there. She has been a revelation this year and is the ideal type for the fillies and mares races of which there are plenty in Europe and America. She will get a well deserved break first though.”

Golden Shaheen winner Reynaldothewizard provided his jockey Richard Mullen with a first Group 1 winner and he said: “It was a great night and I doubt we will see Reynaldothewizard until next year and probably only twice, maybe three times.”

Irish Champion Trainer Aidan O’Brien saddled a double and is aiming UAE Derby winner Lines Of Battle at the Kentucky Derby, with his Group 1 Sheema Classic victor St Nicholas Abbey likely to seek a third consecutive Coronation Cup win at Epsom’s Derby meeting.