[philcski]

Originally Posted by The Indomitable DrugS

Hard Spun would have a serious look in the Breeders Cup Classic.

He's a much better horse when he's allowed to make the early lead, which he hasn't been since the Derby....because a wide variety of reasons ranging from Flying First Class and Xchanger setting crazy fractions in the Preakness, to incompetent race-riding by Gomez in the Belmont, to an early stumble while breaking from a slight outside post in the Haskell.

All the cheap speed that has denied him leads lately (horses like Xchanger, Cable Boy, etc) would certainly go in a race like the Breeders Cup Dirt Mile instead, if they'd run in a BC race at all.

Monmouth is a track that can be especially kind to controlling speed horses (see Gottcha Gold's wire-to-wire upset of Lawyer Ron at near level weight) and Hard Spun would prove a very elusive target to catch on the fairly easy lead he could possibly get.

If Hard Spun doesn't go in the Breeders Cup Classic....it could certainly setup to be a very paceless race.

I've given up on him after the Haskell... which means he'll probably win his next start.

Originally Posted by NoLuvForPletch

I don't think the 3YO Sprint Division is strong anywhere, East coast or West coast. Who will he face in the King's Bishop, Teufelsberg? Most Distingushed? Americanus? Sports Town? King of the Roxy? Black Seventeen? Am I missing someone? Not exactly Murderers' Row.

Sports Town is dead.