Animal Kingdom out for the season

Animal Kingdom, impressive winner of this year’s Kentucky Derby, will not race again this season.

The Graham Motion-trained colt suffered lameness earlier this month after finishing sixth in the Belmont Stakes, after which he was found to have sustained a leg injury.

Further X-rays have now revealed a fracture, which will keep him on the sidelines for the rest of the campaign.

Barry Irwin, chief operating officer for owners Team Valor International, said: “A second set of films has revealed a slab fracture just above the small fissure noted in the previous images.”

Animal Kingdom could now be primed for a tilt at the Dubai World Cup at Meydan next March.

Irwin added: “I think that Henry Cecil proved it was possible to train a colt in a cold climate like England and win well with him off the plane in Dubai, as he did with Twice Over (in a Meydan Group Two) last year.

“Graham and I have talked about this. No decision will be made for a while.

“But running Animal Kingdom in the World Cup without a prep is definitely something to consider.”