The bride and the bridesmaid

Everyone has heard of the phrase regarding the one who is the bride and the one who is thebridesmaid ( comes 2nd), and this year we had 2 brides ( Animal Kingdom and Uncle Mo) and 2 bridesmaides ( Nehro and Stay Thirsty). In horse racing , the bride is the horse who has won several major races and is ranked high on the top horses lists, whereas the bridesmaids are the horses who finish second, and are the ones who are on the lower end of the top horse lists. They can often be the underdogs, but can do great things.

The first bride I shall mention is the King , and no I am not talking about Elvis, but I am referring to Animal Kingdom. Animal Kingdom is the son of Leroidesanimaux and his dam is the German bred mare Dalicia. Both his sire and dam were successful milers on the turf in Europe. His sire's name literally translates into "King of the animals",so you can say that Animal Kingdom is the king, hes royal and he was literally the king of the derby field. Animal Kingdom earned his spot into the derby field after winning the Vinery Stakes , which was run on a synthetic racetrack and had run well on turf. If you look at his pedigree, you will see why he ran so well on synthetics and turf, and why he was huge question mark for the derby. Handicappers were not sure how this colt would run on dirt, and they placed him as a slight longshot to win the derby. On derby week his jockey, Robby Alvarado was taken off him for the derby, and Uncle Mo's jockey ( Johnny Valasquez) was instantly put on him to for the derby. I believe this jockey change might have worked wonders for the colt and could have helped him win the derby. Robby is one of the nation's leading jockeys, and is known as being a "smart" rider. Leading up to the derby, Animal Kingdom showed he could work well over the dirt surface and impressed some , including me. After winning the derby over Nehro ( who I will discuss later on) , he instantly became the "bride", or the horse who began to get all the attention and favoritism in the Preakness and Belmont Stakes. Unfortunately he failed to win the final two legs and suffered an injury in the Belmont Stakes after a terrible stumble coming out of the gate. What makes him a bride you ask? The fact he pulled an upset in the derby, his regal, royal bloodline , and the attention he received after his derby win.

Now lets move on another "bride" of horse racing- Uncle Mo. Yes Uncle Mo, the horse who became ill and was forced to withdraw from the derby. Uncle Mo was highly successful as a 2 year old , was undefeated and won the BC juvenile, and won 2 year old champion of 2010. He didnt possess the 'royal' bloodline as of AK, but he proved he had guts. His sire failed to run the derby distance and Indian Charlie foals were not thought of as distance runners, but rather shorter distances. Winning the BC juvenile thrust him into the nations top 5 horses heading into his 3 year old campaign. Everyone claimed he was the horse who could win the historic Triple Crown, and finish what horses like Barbaro, Big Brown and others failed to accomplish. While AK went on the win the derby, Uncle Mo was left in his stall , fighting an awful GI infection which we now know is a form of hepatitus. What makes him a bride? His 2 year old record, 2 year old champ award, and media exposure leading into derby week.

Now I will move on to discsuss the two horses who were 2nd to these two great horses, but are still amazing and have a bright future in racing.The first bridesmaid is Stay Thirsty , who is Uncle Mo's stable mate and whose owner and trainer are the same. He was the only Repole horse to make it to the derby field with the scratch of Uncle Mo, and he was one of the longshots. In the post parade, some saw an image of Uncle Mo, due to the fact he wore the same silks of the Repole Stables , but it was not Mo. Stay Thirsty's career has not been as glamorous as Uncle Mo, but he is a special horse indeed. He placed top 5 in the derby, and placed 2nd in the Belmont and nearly won. I hoped this little colt would win the Belmont, not only for Mike Repole and Pletcher but for his dear stable mate Uncle Mo, who posted daily on his facebook, egging Stay Thirsty on. Although Stay Thirsty has been the 2nd best horse in the Repole Stables, I feel that after the Belmont Stakes, we will see a dramatic improvement in his race performances.

And lastly, let us not forget the ultimate bridesmaid, Nehro. Nehro was entered into the derby with hopes he would finally get a win after a few months of placing 2nd and 3rd. He had the speed, beauty and distance ability but this horse just couldnt win. His sire ( Mineshaft) was 2003 horse of the year and was the sire of the derby favorite , Dialed in. He placed 2nd in the LA derby, and AK derby and his owners wanted a win in the derby. Unfortunately it was not Nehro's day and he once again became the bridesmaid , 2nd to Animal Kingdom. I almost wonder if this horse lacks confidence because he runs so well in his races but comes short at the end. I was impressed by his 4th place effort in the Belmont, even more impressed with the fact he ran the race with an injury. Rest up Nehro, I am hoping for a big win in your future!