Henny Hughes is the best sprinter in the country
 

...mark it down...after what I saw today at Monmouth, he reaffirmed my belief in him that he is the best sprinter in the country and will be the big fave in the King's Bishop....I think he's better than Lost in the Fog, Songster and Bordonero....we'll see...ironically, I also think Keyed Entry - who scratched - is the 2nd best 3-year-old sprinter in the country but I think he will prove to be better at 7-8 panels around one turn more so than 6 furlongs.....Henny's natural high-cruising speed and efficient stride is as good as any I've seen in the last 5 years....His win today was unreal considering McLaughlin said that he wouldn't be 100%....he was eased up and won by a pole in 1:08 and change...crazy fast

S*** YEAH Joel!!! That horse is spectacular.

The Shieks WILL dominate this fall baring any injuries....How is it not inevitable?

I have to believe that they will; and I also believe that they deserve this success given the amount of money that they have spent on it's pursuit.
I sincerely hope that HH can be their star though--I have history with that one. If you could have seen him at a week or a month or two months--he never had that gangly phase that foals get. He was just so well made--and an absolute pistol!

Too Much Bling's the best 3yo sprinter...

"for me he is a definite "bet-against" in this race. Off of a layoff this long we can't be sure that he will be back to his 2yo form in his first start, and for that matter I'm not sure that he will EVER return to form."

That is what I said about HH in a different thread before the race. Ha! Sometimes I am so bad at this game that it just makes me laugh.
Great performance.

Need more evidence.

One thing this game is so great at is serving everyone humble pie on a pretty regular basis. LOL

Wow...that is bold...the great thing is that we will find this out in the King's Bishop...good luck because TMB will need it to beat the monster that I saw run today...Wow!

At least your honest and I like that...very few are anymore...

Not me.....that was absolute poetry in motion...

couldn't have said it better

Very, VERY impressive. He's certainly gonna be tested by a lot better horses than He's Got Grit though, so I wouldn't hand over the Eclipse just yet..

Hey JC, where did K-Mc say HH wasn't necessarily 100% going in today?

Ummm, Henny was GREAT but please don't forget about Proud Tower Too.:)

What a remarkable year this is for 3YO sprinters ...

Songster, Too Much Bling, Exclusive Quality, Keyed Entry ... now Henny Hughes ... a bumper crop ... unlike ...

... unlike last year when there were a bunch of palookas who were pushovers for a fraudulent "superhorse."

Yeah ... I'd pay to see these guys get together in the same race.

Too Much Bling looked even better in the Bay Shore ... blitzing away from the still-green Songster. But tables can be turned ... as we saw in the Woody.

One race does not a champion make ... but Henny Hughes has proven back-class ... so he's likely for real if he holds together.

I lean to Bling at this point, but Songster's last two were huge.

On your show Steve he said that he thought the horse might need a race...close enough to not 100%

TMB had a bad post and got a bad ride in the Woody Stephens, he was also coming off of a huge top on the Sheets, he'll be much better next time and I believe he's the best 3yo sprinter, got to love the Ohio Bred....

Henny Hughes today looked awesome. Yes it was a small field and not the best sprinters in the country, but the way he moved with such quick, powerful strides and the ease of the effort and fast final time. My gosh that was impressive.

I think he meant that he didn't have the screws 100% tighten and he might need the race....

He was quoted in the Form as saying that he'll probably need one or that he probably will not be 100% - or something to that effect...not sure of the exact quote but he definately sounded like he really didn't think the colt would be fully wound up for this, but he could have been playing possum...anyone remember the exact quote?...DRF doesn't archive there stories beyond a couple of days....

Proud Tower Who?...j/k :D ...I just don't regard him as one of the top tier sprinters at the 6 furlongs distance....he's a nice horse though...

I like Too Much Bling but think he is more of a 7 panel animal than 3/4s....his Bay Shore can't be taken away from him but it was in the slop, so I chose not to get too excited about it...I think Songster is better than TMB now, but I think 'Henny' and Keyed entry are both better than those pair...just my opinion...

I swear that was not Henny Hughes in that race. That had to be some other horse. If you cant tell, I am kidding. It is amazing how much that animal has matured since I last saw him. He really looks like a completely different horse. I dont think they will keep HH sprinting. I think they will try and stretch him out after the KB. Remember he did finish 2nd in the BCJ.

Joe Brave said in the interview after the on HRTV--I am paraprhasing here - That was just a workout for HH. A workout in 1:08:1 - WOW.

Too Much Bling can run with any horse. Lost in the Fog should not be discounted. The horse has lost a big race and he is trashed. Ridiculous. Everyone knows how talented the horse is. Patience. He is not over-the-hill at 4.

Yeah, but that was around one turn (the BC Juvy)....trust me, he will remain sprinting....if I have to drive to New York and force Kiaran to continue around one turn I will do so (just kidding - he is a smart enough trainer to understand that he is sitting on one of the best sprinters in the land)...I seriously doubt he'll out smart himself and stretch this horse out...I really don't...the Sheiks have plenty of horses that will go long....Discreet Cat, Bernardini, Invasor, Jazil, Electrocutionist and the list goes on....Songster is there only bona fide sprinter (funny when you can say 'only'..LOL)...

Also, Bravo is right...that looked like a workout...he never had to really get busy or work hard for it...he is that good of a mover and that naturally brilliant....this horse is SCARY good...

I hope Prado gets back on for the King's Bishop and not Bravo or Jara....no offense, but the BC Sprint is a tough race to win and I want the best aboard...

Evidentally you must not have spent too much time around this colt because you couldn't hall this horse 1 1/8-miles around two-turns IMO...he is clearly a sprinter....he is by Hennessy out of a Meadowlake mare...what more do I have to say...6 furlongs to a one-turn mile will be his game and he will be more vulnerable the further he goes.....horses with his early brilliance simply just don't stretch out too far....it just doesn't happen...his cruising speed is so brilliant that there is no way he'd hold up going that far.....he was made to be a sprinter...plain and simple...

Correct me if I am wrong, but didnt he go two turns at Saratoga as a two year old? I really think KM will stretch him out. Just think, in the classic he will have the speed and the closer. That is a pretty good combo--if both of them make it to the BC.

Actually dude, you are wrong. The only two-turn baby races at Sar are on grass. Henny won the Sar Special at 6f, then ran second in the Hopeful at 7f..

As far as I know, this horse has never gone around two turns, and I doubt he ever will. I'm with Cunningham. He's a very fast sprinter..

The Classic? That seems pretty unlikely to me.

Thanks Ateam--I couldnt remember.

You are a sharp guy, but this is the one of the most ridiculous things I have ever read on this site. The horse beat absolutely nothing (worse than Funny Cide's competition, which you mocked) and now he is faster than Bordonero. Give it up.

The best horse in the country at any distance is Surf Cat. He is just fast at any distance. All of the specialty spriters are just luckey he uses them for tune=ups. If he can stay together and ship all he has to do is pick his race.

Bruce Headley , Art Sherman and Bob Baffert have afew quick ones in their barns. Maybe they will run into each other and if they do my money is on Headleys horse.

The field that was entered in the race yesterday and the field that showed up were two completely different stories ( always is these days ). The two other talented horses in the race besides Henny Hughes scratched and left it a lopsided and one horse affair. Getting all giddy about this race is just a tad premature. It's hardly surprising he ran a big race against this non-competition in his return. He was a very good horse last year.

But, at least he did run well and hopefully will continue to run well. The more good horses the merrier. But excuse me if I'm not ready to annoint him a champion off one race. However, considering his 2YO form, it will hardly be a shocker if he has a very big second half.

I agree that his best races will be sprinting, perhaps up to a mile, and I'm not sure what the obsession is with stretching horses out. But, he did run very well in the BC juvenile, so I guess it's not impossible. It just feels like a case where it would be nice to see him run in spots that accentuate his strength....which is sprinting.

Did somebody actually call Patrick Biancone a clown in this thread? How many Arcs did he win?

Songster and Henny Hughes aren't the only potential top sprinters from Godolphin. The Sheiks also have Afrashad who won an allowance on Belmont Day in 108.1 after breaking poorly. He's entered in the eighth at Monmouth on Tuesday. Bravo aboard. Their stable is absolutely loaded right now. Bernardini, Jazil, Henny, Songster, Invasor, Discreet Cat and the list goes on.

What is your problem with Biancone? do tell.

Thanks for reposting that. I couldn't remember who said that.

I love those little acronyms ( SOS/LH? ). I'm sure I'm just internet ignorant, and everybody knows what they mean, as I can't believe they would just be some cowardly way to put down somebody who has actually accomplished something in this game....other than masquerading on the internet.

Henny Hughes was bred to be a fast 2yo and he was. His half- and three-quarter-siblings were all sprinters. His dam was a stakes-placed sprinter, by Meadowlake (sire of sprinters) out of a graded sprinting SW by Hagley, sprinter and sire of sprinters. There is no Hawkster or Broad Brush on the bottom side to help him get a two-turn distance. His BC Juvie was the longest he will ever run well. The Pedigree Maven has spoken. <grin>