The waiting is almost over for connections of Animal Kingdom, with the American raider set to follow the lead of Frankel and dazzle in the Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Last year, Frankel was the 1-10 favourite for the opening race of the five-day meeting and while Animal Kingdom will be nothing like that price, he is expected to get the Royal jamboree off to the perfect start.
Victorious in the Kentucky Derby two years ago and winner of the world's richest race, the Dubai World Cup, in March, the Graham Motion-trained Animal Kingdom will be the first winner of the Churchill Downs showpiece to run at this fixture since the 1930s.
Motion, who has expressed his view that Animal Kingdom is "probably a short price for what we are doing", is relishing the challenge on a route planned by Team Valor chief Barry Irwin and Australian John Messara.The latter's Arrowfield Stud bought into the colt following his close second to another top American horse, Wise Dan, at the Breeders' Cup in November. Motion said: "We're not ducking anyone and it's admirable that John and Barry want to do this. It's been a great experience and for me it's a relief that all his work is now behind him. I'll never train another one like him. The horse has had a chequered career because of injuries so it is all the more remarkable how he has kept his form. I was concerned the day we worked him at Ascot because there had been a bit of rain and it was very soft by our standards but he seemed to handle it well."
Leading the opposition is the Aidan O'Brien-trained Declaration Of War, although he must bounce back from a disappointing fifth place in the Lockinge Stakes at Newbury, having been the short-price favourite.
Prior to that the War Front colt had been progressive, winning over a mile on his return to action in a Listed race at Leopardstown in April.
O'Brien said: "I think we learned quite a lot at Newbury. He won his Group race [at Dundalk] over a mile and a quarter and we always thought he was going to get that trip, but then he showed us a lot more speed than we thought [he had]."
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