Am I crazy?? Street Sense's next start
 

I am guessing that they won't train right up to the Classic so looking at available stakes races 30 days out. You have the HAWTHORNE GOLD CUP a Grade 2 going 10 panels for 500k. Tafel is a Chicago guy and I am guessing he doesn't want to ship back to NY for the Gold Cup, when he will just ship to Chicago from KY.

Has anyone heard what his next start might be as a prep for the Classic?

I heard it will be the Super Derby on September 22 or nothing. I believe TizNow used it as his prep the year he won the Classic.

I believe the Hawthorne race would stick him with too much weight.

It would for 3 year old's and up and they never get a horse that is worth Graded Stakes competition. I seriously think they might consider it

Sounds like they are going straight to the Breeders Cup.

Ian says they are going to the HGC, The JCGC or maybe the Turfway race

A polytrack race at Turfway wouldn't surprise me. They liked prepping on it for the Derby. I did read they might train up to the BCC though, but that was before the race today. I really doubt they go to the JCGC though.

From DRF.com
Nafzger said Street Sense would soon ship back to Louisville and target the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic at Monmouth Park on Oct. 27. Nafzger mentioned four possible races as preps - the Massachusetts Handicap on Sept. 22; the Kentucky Cup Classic at Turfway Park or the Hawthorne Gold Cup on Sept. 29; or the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont on Sept. 30.

I doubt he goes to the Mass Cap or the JCGC at Belmont. Both Turfway and Hawthorne are gonna recruit the hell out of him and my guess is that Tafel wants Chicago fans to get a taste.

The more I think about it the more I think you are right. Chicago makes sense.

It is against 'olders' and he might actually get a weight break because of that, it should be interesting.

i'm surprised he's going to run him again before the bc...certainly goes against the popular thinking these days. glad to see it.

I would love to see him in the MassCap, but more for the help it would give to Suffolk...

The Mass Cap would be the easiest of the spots, but the Hawthorne race makes a lot of "sense".

The horse could train on the Moon for all I care, he's still going to find a way to win the BC.

I'll tell you this, he goes to Hawthorne it will be my 2nd visit ALL TIME to that dump, it should simulate Monmouth pretty good with the way speed holds in the fall meet.

You know how to get there?

LOL...yes. Getting there and back is easy, wandering around down there is what causes problems.

I've been to Hawthorne

I don't think it is safe

Me too. The crowd outside the paddock went crazy when Borel got on Street Sense today. It would be a fine way for Suffolk to bring back the 'cap if they can get him there.

Of course I wouldn't be heartbroken to see him in the JCGC either. :D

I doubt that connnections need the money but the Mass Cap this year have a nice bonus on offer, some 200k for (lets hope I remember this right) a horse that wins a G1 at a mile or more in 2007 and wins the MassCap..

Hopefully the speed bias wouldn't be in full effect at that point in the fall -- it might not be cold enough for it to be as obnoxiously pronounced yet. It really takes full effect sometime in November/early December as the temperature drops like mad.

With that said -- I'd be sure to make a trip down to Hawthorne to see that one.

I think we saw the last of Street Sense yesterda...AGS will light him up at Monmouth...

I thought after the great "success" they had with it on the day of the '06 Illinois Derby, that Hawthorne was going to become exclusively an ostrich racetrack.

The real bonus lies in Louisiana in the Super Derby. Street Sense qualifies for a $500K bonus if he wins, so it would be another $1,000,000 race under his belt. It gives him 4 weeks off and then 5 weeks off before the Classic.

The owner could show his real class and donate the $500K bonus money to Katrina victims and turn this horse into the most popular horse in the world. The track and NTRA should really offer a $500K bonus to him which they have and another $500K to Katrina victims if he wins. Can you imagine the media attention it would get with a horse running for the people of New Orleans.

A poster here would get to call the race too.

My lobbyist cap is on!

Our race (The Super Derby) really does fit nicely with the BC Classic. The purse swells to $1 million if the big hoss comes. Nafzger's been here before with Unbridled, and that worked out well.

It would be great for the track, for the area etc., and of course, I would love to call the race!

It would be dissapointing for Street Sense to run at the bush league tracks like Hawthorne, Suffolk, Turdway and Lousyana. The logical choice is the JCGC at Belmont.

Pure speculation, but I think he's going bad, they probably knew he could make it through the Derby and that's why he didn't start until March and only had 2 preps... They said all along they wanted this race as well. I think yesterday was his BCC.

Grasshopper might be a nice horse and got away with slow fractions, but SS should have not had as much trouble getting past him. I love the horse and have to commend both Nafzger and Borel, but I would be surprised to see him run again. I don't think he could beat AGS right now and what more is there to prove for him?

Street Sense ran him usual 105-110 beyer. That is good enough to win grade 1's. Some others are catching up with him, but he isn't going backwards. He is what he is, a 110 beyer horse. A 110 beyer could easily win the Classic this year.

Potentially running against Curlin in the JCGC is really quite an illogical move. If SS beats Curlin in the JCGC and then loses to him in the BC Classic, does that not sway many voters?

NT

...

I'm just a racing fan. I don't give a **** about awards and popularity contests.

Worked out pretty well for Tiznow too. Who else is likely to show in the Super Derby? Also what are the odds if, say they opted for the JCGC, that Curlin would find a reason to delay the head to head? Doesn't seem like Tafel and Nafzger run scared so money might be on Curlin's folks to blink. I'm not sure they'll find themselves in a position to do that if the Super Derby looks better to Nafzger but just a thought.

Nafzger mentioned the mass cap, kentucky gold cup, hawthorne gold cup and jcgc as possibilities. No mention of the Super Derby.

I'm sure Carl had it figured out moments after winning the race. The typical, "Where to next?" question is the worst in the game. That's the last thing they're thinking about. I wouldn't put too much stock in the list of races.

Maybe the DRF should hire you?

Do you have any connections there? Can you get me the job?

That depends on your appearance. We currently have an opening for a grizzled beat writer for the arizona/new mexico circuit.

We'll see...


I think he's finished, he's won the BCJ, Derby, and Travers...There's no more upside, only downside to running him...

You must be his archrival...NoSense.