Animal Kingdom out of World Cup

BOYNTON BEACH, Fla., March 12 (UPI) -- Animal Kingdom, the 2011 Kentucky Derby winner, will miss the Dubai World Cup because of lameness in his left hind leg.

The injury was detected after a workout Saturday at the Palm Meadows training facility.

A hairline fracture in the same leg forced surgery and caused Animal Kingdom to miss the second half of last season. He won his first race this year on Feb. 18 and had been scheduled to ship to Dubai on March 20 for the March 31 race.

Animal Kingdom would have been among the favorites for the $10 million race at the plush Meydan facility. However, Barry Irwin, CEO of Team Valor International, which owns Animal Kingdom, said the timing of the injury rules out the trip.

Irwin said tests were being conducted to determine the severity of the injury. "If he comes out of this okay, hopefully we can run in the World Cup in 2013," Irwin said.