why hard spun sucks...
 

lets look at the big picture... hard spun todays hat flopping favorite of the people .is a great horse.. he should have been battleing it out with street sence the whole time..but hes not of that class..hes been reduced to 7f.. pretty great.... yee haa larry..you gota real goodin ..

not sure if you were watching the ESPN coverage, but Randy Moss said some sort of inside source said that there was "extra insentive" from whom ever bought Hard Spun's breeding rights if he were to win a Grade 1 before going to the shed. So i guess this was pretty much the only logical choice for that type of race so far along in the season.


Also, did anyone see how apeshit Larry Jones went when someone knocked off his cowboy hat during the celebration with owners and friends in the grandstand. His horse finally won the elusive G1 and he looked like Lou Holtz when some kid stole the hat off his head during a post-game interview..... can't lose my favorite stetson


-bt-

LMAO he did look pretty mad:D

Better than seeing his ass up on Hard Spun like we did all of the time around the Triple Crown races. No wonder he couldn't win - he was tired all of the time...

Matt,

I assume this was fueled by Budweiser or meant to be provocative, because otherwise, it's a rather ridiculous comment. The King's Bishop is 7f.. a distance that is indicative of class which is why there are two Gr. I 7f races for 3yo's (Bishop/Malibu). Hard Spun's effort today was outstanding. Battling on/near the lead the entire way, getting headed, and then battling back to the wire. While he has a pedigree that was thought to be perfect for classic distances, it has been apparent to most that he was more of a brilliant type than a stayer type.

In running 2nd in the Haskell and winning the King's Bishop, he joins Tale of the Cat and Forestry. The ability to win at 7f, coupled with the ability to place gamely at 10f in the Derby and Haskell makes Hard Spun a rather special horse. Another horse that comes to mind to compare him to is More Than Ready, who was a King's Bishop winner that fell short at classic distances. Is he in Street Sense/Any Given Saturday company among this crop? No.. But he's been campaigned seriously and shown tremendous 'class' and should be a terrific sire.

Steve,

Remember when I wrote that Hard Spun was "sore and stiff" during Derby Week and hundreds of people wanted me killed or fired, or both? Those were good times.

By the way, your analysis is right on the money.

I cant disagree more. This horse has shown me nothing but class. He battled it out gamely in all three jewels of the triple crown, running a monster race in the Ky Derby.

Great race by gamely holding of Curlin in the Haskell

Lets see who his graded race losses have come at the hands of:

Street Sense
Curlin
Rags to Riches
Any Given Saturday

He has run in 8 races in 2007 ( an 8 month period ). No small feat in today's racing world.

He has won races at distances of 5.5f, 6f, 7f, 1m, 9f He has won on dirt and polytrack.

Yesterday he attended scorching fractions, was faced with a horse passing him for a stride and looked that horse in the eye and proceeded to draw away from said horse. Not only has his races on track been more than admirable in EVERY race he has run, but he has also had to deal with having an owner that has tried so hard to mismanage him.

As far as "should have been battling it out with street sense the whole time"
the connections made a GREAT decision to run in the Kings Bishop. He gets a GR1 win against what I feel was a very competitive, and large field. IMO he accomplished YESTERDAY more than SS who beat six other horses with a combined 1 stakes win.

he should go in the BC Sprint instead of the BCC IMO

Agree 1000 % !!!

I hate to pile on you hooves, but if winning a G1 race at Saratoga is "patetic" or makes the horse a "big turd," I think it is possible that your standards are a bit too high.

To the fan a Hard Spun-Street Sense battle would have been exciting but Grasshopper filled in nicely. I don't see Hard Spun digging in past 8f with anyone though. He is a miler, which breeders love, but he can't get the 10f comfortably, so they made the right decision.

He is now a 100K starting fee, and it won't go up or down even if he were to win the Classic. His pedigree and win in a grade 1 puts him right there with SS in the shed. 100K to start.

His best shot would be the BC Mile on the dirt but they are not going to run against Discreet Cat.

I think we need to give Hooves a mulligan here. It was a late night post that sounds like it was made out of a little frustration. I think I know where he's coming from in the sense that it would have been more interesting to see him run in the Travers. Obviously it was a smart and in the long run a financially sound decision to run him in the Kings Bishop. It's a shame that the race turned into a two horse race pretty much the whole way around. The horse I used E Z Warrior did not get going until late. I also know that like myself, Hooves is not a chalk man as he has provided many of us on here some great picks. Remember Keeneland? Anyway, let's cut the man some slack.

The real knock on Hard Spun is how slow he ran the last 1/8th. Are the kidding thinking this horse could stay at 10f. He never has and he never will.

Interesting thing is that Jones also indicated to me that he figured the colt to be a serious middle distance GRASS horse when he got him. He trained over grass last season before his debut and his first run was seen as a sprint prep for a later grass route try. Jones still thinks he might be better on grass but knows that he'll never race over it, which is too bad.

Hard Spun has raced 8 times this season, competed in ALL the Triple Crown races, has twice placed at 10f and now won a 7f G1. During the TC everyone whines that no one takes on all three and then when one does and then follows up with 2 very solid G1 performances, he's bashed because he LOST ONE???

HS is undefeated under 1 mile and yet has earned over $1m while routing. What does a colt have to do?

BTW, I saw HS 3 or 4 times this week and he looked great. He was bucking and playing in the paddock yesterday. Unsoundness has never been a problem. He doesn't even wear standing bandages. He was the picture of fitness and readiness yesterday and it was JONES who got him there.

you did see the ky derby, right?

Well, I certainly don't think 10f is going to be his best distance, but his one try at that distance wasn't exactly a complete flop. Second to Street Sense (and therefore in front of horses like Curlin and AGS) is not exactly a shameful performance. Personally I think 8-8.5 furlongs is probably where he would be the most effective, but he can still be pretty decent stretching out to 9f and beyond, and as he showed yesterday, he can sprint and be effective too.

hmmmmmmmmmmmm...just dont like em...would of loved to see frankle win..i may have been out of line,.. delete at will............:eek:

one thing not to like him, but saying he sucks is quite a statement.

[quote=hoovesupsideyourhead]lets look at the big picture... hard spun todays hat flopping favorite of the people .is a great horse.. he should have been battleing it out with street sence the whole time..but hes not of that class..hes been reduced to 7f.. pretty great.... yee haa larry..you gota real goodin ..[/QUOT


thats better..

"Also, did anyone see how apeshit Larry Jones went when someone knocked off his cowboy hat during the celebration with owners and friends in the grandstand. His horse finally won the elusive G1 and he looked like Lou Holtz when some kid stole the hat off his head during a post-game interview..... can't lose my favorite stetson"

that's a cowboy thing. you can take his girl but don't touch his hat.