Animal Kingdom won the Gr1 Kentucky Derby, helping to boost Barry Irwin’s Team Valor International to the top of the list of leading North American owners by purse earnings for the week ended May 7.
The Versailles, Kentucky-based syndicate group and their private trainer, Graham Motion, also enjoyed a win at Belmont Park on Saturday with Daveron (Ger), who captured the Gr3 Beaugay Stakes, but winning the Derby was a defining moment for 68-year-old Irwin, a former Turf writer who is in his 25th year of racing horses for a syndicate.
Animal Kingdom is the fourth Derby starter for Team Valor as owner or co-owner and first as a breeder.
Team Valor acquired Animal Kingdom’s dam, German Group 3 winner Dalicia (Ger), by Acatanango, in 2005 at the Baden-Badener Auktionsgesellschaft (BBAG) fall sale and campaigned her in the U.S. with trainer Neil Drysdale as Team Valor and Richard Haisfield’s NeverTell Racing. In five U.S. starts, she won an optional claiming race at Hollywood Park.
Haisfield and Irwin also were involved in the later stage of the racing career of Animal Kingdom’s sire, 2005 champion turf male Leroidesanimaux (Brz), and Irwin brokered the deal to stand him at the Haisfield’s Stonewall Farm stallion operation.
Richard Haisfield and his wife, Audrey, were part of Animal Kingdom’s ownership until Team Valor International bought them out for $100,000 at the 2009 Keeneland September yearling sale and formed the partnership to race him.
Team Valor has several mares in a broodmare band at Craig and Holly Bandoroff’s Denali Stud near Paris, Kentucky, and the Bandoroffs are members of the Animal Kingdom partnership. The Bandoroffs also owned a portion of his dam until she was sold in foal to Mr. Greeley to Teruya Yoshida’s Shadai Stud for $397,316 at the Tattersalls December mares sale from the consignment of European Sales Management, agent.
“I know everybody wants me to say my whole life was changed, but I feel exactly the same,” Irwin said after the Derby. “My major comment would be I’m just happy to own a horse this good. That’s what means something to me. I’m not doing this just to make a whole lot of money. It is so tough to make money in the horse business it’s not even funny. I’m doing it because it’s in my blood and I love it. It’s all I’ve ever done.
“We’ve made some history, and I like making history. It means something to me. I started writing a book once, and I guess I’m going to have to write the damn book now.”
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The explosive victory on Churchill Downs’ main dirt track proved the all-around class of Animal Kingdom, who appeared to have a pedigree more suited for turf racing.
Animal Kingdom is the first starter out of German Group 3 winner Dalicia (Ger), by Acatenango. Team Valor purchased the mare following her fourth-place finish in a German Group 2 race at the Baden-Badener Aukiionsgesellschaft fall sale and later shipped her to the U.S., where she raced five times in Southern California.
Animal Kingdom has a two-year-old half brother named Thursby, by Mr. Greeley.
The victory also made Animal Kingdom the leading earner for his sire, 2005 champion turf male Leroidesanimaux (Brz). Irwin brokered the deal to stand Leroidesanimaux at Stonewall Farm. By Candy Stripes, Leroidesanimaux stands for an advertised fee of $7,500 at Stonewall Farm Ocala.
