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Zoldan has another horse in the Derby
By Tom Williams
YOUNGSTOWN
Three years after watching Visionaire finish 12th in the Kentucky Derby, the horse-racing syndicate that includes Youngstown businessman Bruce Zoldan has another horse qualified for the Run for the Roses.
On Saturday, Team Valor International’s leader Barry Irwin will decide if Animal Kingdom, winner of last month’s Spiral Stakes, will participate in the May 7 race.
Zoldan, owner of B.J. Alan Fireworks, said Animal Kingdom was being transported on Thursday from Lexington, Ky., to Louisville’s Churchill Downs.
On Saturday morning, the horse is scheduled for an intense training session on the Kentucky Derby track. After that workout, Irwin will decide on entering the horse in the Derby.
“Right now, we are go,” Zoldan said. “He had a galloping [Thursday] morning at Keeneland {racetrack],” Zoldan said. “[Friday], he’s going to gallop at Churchill.”
The concern is the sogginess of the track.
“Saturday morning, we’re going to have a good workout at three-quarters of a mile at Churchill,” said Zoldan who added that Irwin and [trainer] Graham Motion are concerned about the track’s condition after so much rain.
“They feel condition of the track — it’s still very soggy and they are putting surfacing material on to try to maintain it — that it’s not as safe condition as we would like,” Zoldan said. “So we chose not to send Animal Kingdom too early to Churchill. Our people feel there is a higher risk of injury doing that.
Zoldan said Irwin feels it’s likely that Animal Kingdom will be in the race.
“There is always a chance that you’ll pull a horse for some season,” Zoldan. “If for some reason we see a problem on Saturday or Animal Kingdom doesn’t like the dirt and can’t run in the dirt, then obviously we would look after the best interests of the horse and pull the horse from the Derby.
“Barry doesn’t think that will happen, he thinks by the way the horse is built ... and the way that he runs that he will like the dirt.”
Team Valor almost had two horses in the race. Crimson China needed to finish first or second in the Bluegrass Stakes earlier this month to qualify for the Kentucky Derby. Crimson China finished fifth.
“Kentucky is experiencing the worst weather conditions for the tracks that you could ever imagine,” Zoldan said. “We knew on the day of the race that Crimson China was probably not going to do very well.”
It could be a very busy week for Team Valor as another horse, the filly Summer Soiree, is entered for the Kentucky Oaks race May 6.
“This horse is maybe the fastest filly our group has ever had,” Zoldan said.