As is the case with new shooters this season in the Preakness, there will be an unusually low number of Derby starters coming back to try the second jewel of the Triple Crown. The day after the Derby, jockeys and trainers, the losing ones anyway, are usually full of excuses and can’t stop talking about how their fortunes will change in just two weeks.
This year however, only four that vied for the roses will be looking to add some Black-Eyed Susans to their gardens. Don’t get me wrong- it’s an impressive four. We got the winning trifecta ticket of Street Sense, Hard Spun and Curlin as well as the last edition of Circular Quay. They say to the winner goes the spoils, so I guess the appropriate place to begin is with Street Sense.
Despite the fact he had just one horse beaten going down the backstretch, I don’t think trainer Carl Nafzger or his jockey Calvin “Bo-rail” Borel could have scripted a better trip and race scenario than he got. Borel broke him away cleanly and was on the rail before the field reached the first turn. A quick pace, notably a :46 half mile, helped to string the field out about, giving Borel and the son of Street Cry plenty of room to gather up a head of steam while rallying along the inside.
As if watching a replay of his win in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile some six months earlier, Street Sense started running by horses like they were tied to a fence, never leaving the rail in the process. With just the pacesetting Hard Spun and a quarter of a mile between himself and immortality, Borel guided Street Sense off the rail just long enough to pass Hard Spun, immediately slid back to the fence once clear with a jubilant Borel celebrating outside the sixteenth pole.
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Also, Pimlico is a far different beast. On those tight turns, he may find himself spinning out on the turn when he starts to rev up. Then what? His three biggest wins have come while sneaking up the rail. What if he has to go wide? Is he good enough to lose ground and still win?
Finally, as is customary, the Derby winner is now the prey. They may as well hand you a bull’s-eye after they give you the blanket of roses on the first Saturday of May. Will that precious inside spot be open when they turn for home or will the speed horses make sure to keep it bottled up this time around?
To his credit, Street Sense hasn’t missed a beat since the Derby according to Nafzger and he tried to prove that by working him five furlongs in 1:00 at Churchill on Tuesday. Borel will take his usual spot aboard the Derby winner on Saturday.
The one that may have the ultimate say on the last matter we discussed is Hard Spun. I don’t know about his connections, but I was shocked, absolutely SHOCKED, to see Hard Spun alone on the lead in the Derby. Where were Teuflesberg. Cowtown Cat, and the rest of the supposed speed horses that figured to be part of the early mix?
I can’t say I was surprised by the aforementioned :46 opening half mile. I was surprised that a horse was three in front because in the Derby that never, ever happens. This year taught us all to never say never, and it gave Larry Jones the thrill of a lifetime because on the far turn his colt was in front and looking good before Street Sense came a running.
Still, second in the Derby is nothing to be ashamed of, especially when you’re trainer is a Kentucky cowboy stabled at Delaware Park and your regular rider Mario Pino is known for winning races at places like Laurel and Philly Park, not Saratoga and Santa Anita.
Jones has been extremely vocal about having to keep an eye on Street Sense. Hell, he’s done nothing short of putting out an APB on him. That can be tricky in this game, especially at this level. You start worrying and looking for the competition and the next thing you know, they’re running right by you. For Hard Spun’s sake, let’s hope Jones is more concerned with how he’s coming into the race and not the rest, because lets face it. In the end there isn’t a damned thing he can do about the rest of them.
One thing I can almost guarantee, Hard Spun won’t be alone on the lead this Saturday. In the Derby, while some horses opted not to take him on early, a few were the victim of circumstance and couldn’t be closer than they’d have liked. One of them is Curlin.
After leaving from post 2, a terrible place to be for any horse in the Derby, let alone one making just his fourth start, Curlin steadied briefly early on before racing between horses, the worst place to be, for the better part of the run down the backstretch. Once the running did start, Curlin who was never worse than fifth in any of his earlier races, was still twelfth and was force to make a wide move.
Undaunted, he made a bold five wide move and kept on coming to get third when he had every right not to overcome the adversity and spit the bit. The fact that he didn’t is a testament to both his mettle and his ability. He probably learned more in the two minutes and change it took to run the Derby than he had in his entire life. He’ll be far more accustomed to the lay of the land at Pimlico as well as the way the race figures to unfold, both of which should allow us a better glimpse of the real Curlin this Saturday. Curlin worked maintenance half mile in :51 at Churchill on Monday. Robby Albarado will be back aboard.
The last of the Derby runners ready to dance again, Circular Quay, is a welcome eleventh hour addition, especially to those looking to topple Street Sense at the windows. One of five that his trainer Todd Pletcher ran in the Derby, Circular Quay came into that race off an unheard of eight-week layoff yet managed to finish sixth and beat his four other stablemates in the process.
He didn’t really have the best of trips at Churchill either. Breaking from post 16, Circular Quay raced wide, at least five or six wide, all the way around there, bumped with Stormello on the far turn then continued to gain ground, missing third money by just 1 ½ lengths. This may sound strange, but for the first time ever, the Kentucky Derby may have inadvertently turned into a prep for the Preakness.
He’s another who had every right to quit but he kept running late a good sign when you’re wheeling right back to the races after just two weeks. On Monday, Circular Quay “told” Pletcher he was ready to battle the top three again with a :48 2/5 half mile move at Belmont. Either John Velazquez or Garrett Gomez will ride him in the Preakness.
