2/16 (OP): Southwest S. (Gr. III)

[Travis Stone]

Originally Posted by The Indomitable DrugS

I beat the '07 version of the Southwest to death here. The race Hard Spun was hung wide on both turns - rated back against a slow pace over a very pro inside-speed track - and ran a sneaky good 4th behind Tufulesburg.

It was actually a sneaky huge performance .. but it came after a Lecomte win of his on comeback that I thought was much less impressive than looked on paper or tape.

He was the victim of a two very key circumstances:

* Being born the same year as Curlin.

* Street Sense peaking at the right time (Hard Spun ran a huge race in the KY Derby, an effort that wins most Derby's nowadays).

When was the last time we saw a horse capable of winning a G1 sprint and nearly taking down a G1 10f Derby?