Belmont Stakes 2011: Animal Kingdom Win Could Be Great For Horse Racing

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There's an underrated aspect of the Belmont Stakes that was brought up at SB Nation's horse racing blog, And Down The Stretch They Come, this week and it has nothing to do with the race itself. Instead, Animal Kingdom has a chance to lend legitimacy to a completely different thoroughbred bloodline and, perhaps, alter the sport for the better in the future. As it stands now, American horses are meticulously bred, and right now, Mr. Prospector's line is dominant.

But all that can change if Animal Kingdom is able to produce. The diversification of the bloodline, if breeders show a willingness to move away from Mr. Prospector's tree, is seen as a great thing by TFTribe, who wrote the following FanPost at And Down The Stretch They Come.

If Animal Kingdom can make LEROIDESANIMAUX not just a legitimate stallion, but an influential one, that is nothing but good for horse racing. One of the major issues that industry commentators always bring up is that the thoroughbred has been bred so specifically that they are now fragile. Well, focusing on one major lineage certainly cannot help that problem.

It's interesting, and a storyline that goes deeper than just the race. Give it a read for more information on the bloodlines and why he thinks an Animal Kingdom win -- which he believes is a real possibility -- would help the future of horse racing in America.

Look back on our 2011 Preakness StoryStream to get up to speed To look back at the Derby, check out SB Nation's 2011 Kentucky Derby StoryStream. Also, our horse racing blog And Down The Stretch They Come has two must-read resources for Belmont fans: A Beginner's Guide To Following Horse Racing and a glossary of horse racing terms.