Animal Kingdom's racing future undecided

Sunday 31 March 2013, 2:23pm

A decision on the racing future of Animal Kingdom will be made after the euphoria of his Dubai World Cup win dies down.

Arrowfield Stud boss John Messara, who owns a controlling share in the horse who will stand in Australia, says there are many options.

Late last year Messara bought a 75 per cent interest in the 2011 Kentucky Derby winner from Team Valor and the horse boosted his stud value immeasurably with his convincing win over Red Cadeaux in the $US10 million ($A9.62 million) World Cup (2000m).

Messara said Royal Ascot in June was a possibility but not a certainty while he would also think about whether the horse would stay in training for the next Australian season or go to stud in September.

"We will meet tomorrow in the cold light of day and see what the logistics are," Messara told Sydney's Sky Sports Radio from Dubai on Sunday.

"They are pushing me very hard to take him to England to run at Royal Ascot.

"I'll talk to the trainer (Graham Motion) and see if he can handle it. He's based in America so it's not easy."

Messara claimed the win for his home country and made sure Advance Australia Fair was played after the World Cup.

"The Australian national anthem was controversial because everyone said `what are you doing, this is an American horse'" Messara said.

"I said, `I bought the horse and I'm playing my anthem'."

Messara pursued Animal Kingdom after identifying him as an ideal stud prospect for Australia after seeing him run second in the Breeders' Cup Mile.

"I had been tracking him for some time because he is a Kentucky Derby winner," he said.

"I was able to negotiate a deal to buy three-quarters of him from Team Valor.

"He is the best horse in training in the world at the moment at the distance," he said.

"It gives us another option in Australia because he is almost free of Northern Dancer blood and would mix well with all our Danehill mares.

"He's won on every surface - grass, dirt and all weather - so he is very versatile."

– AAP

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