Street Sense, Hard Spun face off on the Polytrack

[sumitas]

Why ? It had to be because it'd s kinder surface to him physically/ With all this talk about poly being a closer's surface why does the front runner Hard Spun loom large here ?

[Danzig]

Originally Posted by sumitas

Why ? It had to be because it'd s kinder surface to him physically/ With all this talk about poly being a closer's surface why does the front runner Hard Spun loom large here ?

i didn't know poly was supposed to only favor closers...didn't seem the case when hard spun won on it in the spring.

[cmorioles]

Originally Posted by Danzig

i didn't know poly was supposed to only favor closers...didn't seem the case when hard spun won on it in the spring.

There were about 4 mules, 3 donkeys, and 3 slugs in the field along with Hard Spun...if memory serves.

[Danzig]

Originally Posted by cmorioles

There were about 4 mules, 3 donkeys, and 3 slugs in the field along with Hard Spun...if memory serves.

but which of those were the closers this track was supposed to favor??

[NTamm1215]

I will say, first off, that I literally pay attention to Turfway twice yearly, so my comments may be way off, that's why I'd like other opinions. But, all I can recall from last year's Ky Cup and this year's Lane's End card was that speed was golden. I don't recall any winners from off the pace.

Am I completely wrong?

NT

[Bobby Fischer]

How do you think Borel will ride Street Sense?

Is he going to stay outside, and near the front, so he doesn't eat that kickback?
If he doesn't, does he have a chance to win? If he does, is that the form they want to carry to the BC?

[sumitas]

it seems to me the poly bashers always complain that poly kills speed and favors closers, regardless of the track. are we seeing a shift away from that position by the poly bashers ?

[tiznowthegreat]

Originally Posted by NTamm1215

I will say, first off, that I literally pay attention to Turfway twice yearly, so my comments may be way off, that's why I'd like other opinions. But, all I can recall from last year's Ky Cup and this year's Lane's End card was that speed was golden. I don't recall any winners from off the pace.

Am I completely wrong?

NT

Not completely. I follow Turfway on a weekly basis and it has been playing relatively fair. Lanes End this year on the undercard in the Rushaway Dominican ran a huge race from off the pace. Last year in the Kentucky Cup there were also quite a few from off the pace with the obvious exception of Ball Four's thievery.

[ArlJim78]

Originally Posted by DaHoss9698

Nope. Nafzger said a month ago he wanted a race against elders, and on this weekend. He had three options, the Jockey Club Gold Cup, Hawthorne Gold Cup and this race. From what I have read this race was chosen because, like Danzig said he doesn't have to ship far and without a doubt his 2 best races came after a prep on poly.

I am a big Street Sense guy, but Hard Spun is who I would play here. Street Sense's 2 races on the poly were IMO not his best. Hard Spun ran very well at Turfway last March, arguably his best race and might prove too tough for SS to catch.

yep I agree, it will be a very interesting race because Hard Spun could take it. Its not so easy to close into a horse with his kind of speed at Turfway. I don't know who else is in this race but lookout if Hard Spun gets sent out on an easy lead. also I like that he's coming out of a fast paced race whereas Street Sense is coming out of more leisurely paced affairs. It will be interesting to see how the betting goes.

[miraja2]

I think it will be very interesting to see what the post-time odds are on these two for this race.
I could see a lot of people relying too much on the, "Hard Spun likes poly and Street Sense does not" angle. They might overlook the sometimes important, "Street Sense is a better horse" angle.
On the other hand, people might not pay enough attention to the fact that while Street Sense should be (and would be) a huge favorite over Hard Spun at 10f on the dirt, this race isn't being run under those conditions.
I suppose some of it will hinge on how the other horses in the race will affect the pace scenario, but as of right now, I really have no idea how the odds will look for the "big two" at post time.

[letswastemoney]

I don't believe that Street Sense is better on poly until he proves it.

[letswastemoney]

and there's no question Street Sense will be the favorite. Kentucky Derby/ BC Juvenile / Travers champion = favorite. A lot of casual bettors will have him on top just on the Street Sense name alone.

[lemoncrush]

It was tough to make sense of the Bluegrass Stakes on polytrack last April, and SS did run well last Fall at the BCJ prep at Keenland, so I wouldn't really suggest he doesn't like the surface.

Hard Spun does fit well here, but does anyone thinks he will regress after the balls out effort he gave Vs. First Defence in the Kings Bishop?