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Originally Posted by Kasept
John,
Last I looked Hard Spun has one loss in his career. And that losing effort was a lot better than it looked. While Rick Porter may never shut up and has been meddlesome with Larry Jones' operating with the colt, he hasn't exactly been 'mismanaged'. While he would have likely won the Blue Grass had he gone, you can be assured that Jones will have him ready to run off the 6 week break. He is the most intriguing and difficult entrant to project in this Derby. The pace is certainly going to suit him, and he's the best bred horse in the field for the trip. The questions are exactly how good he is and Mario Pino.
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Watch the replay of the Lecomte or the Lanes End and I think you can say he's pretty darned good. Winning for fun 3-4W the whole way (regardless of the competition was "really" G2 level) @ TP was particularly impressive; in the fall/winter of '06, only 4 winners came from outside the 8 hole at a mile and a sixteenth or or a mile and an eighth in 43 races (86 starters). Mario Pino is a capable rider, I have zero concern with that... my ONLY reservation is the longish layoff but Jones is a very underrated trainer and should have him ready.