Tampa Bay Derby
 

Im not sure if anyone else saw this but it was a pretty cool stretch battle...

yes it was, im a little worried that this might take too much out of street sense, maybe thats just me, also what does everyone think of this guy now, and how good is he ?

It was an.....
 

Amazing stretch duel! That race is what this great game is all about. Both Street Sense, and Any Given Saturday just threw down, it was a great race.
I guess Carl Natzger knew what he was doing after all, Street Sense looked great off the layoff since the BC.

great stretch run ! shot through on the rail just like the BC. street sense has guts !

I dont know about yall but I thought it was a great Prep. Street Sense,, I dont even want to say it but, Wow! I dont want to be one that just goes crazy after one race but put it together with his BC trounce, off the layoff, agianst a very nice horse who is dead fit...... Wow. I dont know folks, the BC/KY.Drerby curse might be a goner this year.

PG...I wouldn't worry about taking too much out of him...he pretty much loped along for the first 3/4 of the race....made a nice move turning for home...rail opened up perfectly...and was asked in the stretch. I do think he moves forward off this race.

i just watched the replay and i agree, this guy is amazing he might be the next big thing in horse racing, he had every reasson to lose today and he still dug in and won im impressed.

Another ground saving trip for Street Sense but still a very gutsy performance in the stretch for his first prep of the year. We will have to see how he comes out of the race, but it may be tough to get in another start for SS if this race took alot out of him. Nafger may now question starting SS this close to the derby, but only time will tell.

I agree GPK....
 

It appeared to me he was doing it easy, and just moved when he had to, and when asked down the stretch show the guts of a BC champ!

Exactly, he was asked for absolutely nothing until the stretch.
This race should tighten him up.

I have to say that I didn't think AGS could hang with him, but he showed me something losing by only a nose, actually coming back at the end.

both horses galloped out tired in my opinion, race might take a toll. Track record was announced. Very nice duel by two nice animals... not really sure why JV was content to 3 wide both turns. If this horse is going to have any chance in the Derby he MUST learn to have a horse on his outside. Good race by Saturday, however he has just gone off my Derby radar and I have a future on him.

I didn't see it as "coming back". He was relentlessly coming at Street Sense and oh so slowly closing the gap. An excellent performance by both horses, considering (1) the layoff by SS and (2) the fact that AGS ran a couple extra lengths in the 3 path. The 3rd place horse impressed me, too. He had the outside post, and the head-on shows him veering WAY out into the middle of the track at the start. I think he lost by about 5 lengths, which isn't much considering that start.

--Dunbar

Yeah the seven was nice for me. I keyed him in third for the super and it worked out perfectly.

He really darted out at the start.

I think overlooked a bit is that Street Sense was tired early in the stretch, I think he's guts and class carried him the rest of the way. Perfect set-up race because we all know he was not 100% cranked. AGS ran well too. Great race!

Street Sense should have lost that race, he got tired, but hes got a little grit to him. What a perfect race for Nafzger, Borel, and Street Sense. You couldnt ask for a better stepping stone. Any Given Saturday should have won, If they ran back in three weeks Street Sense would beat him in hand.

Great race by both. I think Johnny was surprised to see Street Sense sneak through the rail as they were coming around the far turn. Perfectly timed ride by Borel, but would have been dead in the water if the rail didn't open up. Still, gutsy move and it worked wonderfully.
I assume both will meet again in the Bluegrass, which should be fun, despite being on polytrack.

Today was the only chance Any Given Saturday had to beat that horse.

I agree, better hope the rail is clear on derby day, it's worked twice, third times a charm. Nice race 1st back, great duel.

I think they both looked very nice. But is a little scary. I remember Read the Footnotes...

i have a little feeling that it wont be the case as rtfootnotes. like others have said, the grueling part of the race was only the last furlong. it was a good race to get SS in shape! anyways, a real champ would be able to rebound.

SS will be fine Lori. Had just about a good a trip as you could ask for. Saved every bit of ground possible...let them set the quick splits up front...and really only ran the last couple panels. Just a tightner race as much as anything...IMO.

I hope you are right Anti. I have both of them in my RTTR stable. I just picked up SS yesterday. :) I knew I could wait to pick him up since he wasn't racing before today.

So far in my RTTR stables I have two firsts and a second. :) This must be my weekend. The rest of the races and weeks, I SUCK.

What I really liked was the fact that he just sat where Calvin put him. No head tossing, no weaving. He was relaxed and fine with wherever the jock wanted him. And he galloped along sweetly. Of course he got tired hes coming off a 4 mth layoff anyone should expect it. AGS is dead fit, and a nice colt. I agree that SS's class gutted out the win for him but I think the race was perfect prep. Galloped along then really ran and tried right at the end.Perfect. Would love to know what he is looking and acting like this morning.

I agree...my question is with 7 weeks out, where/when does Naf run him again? He needs to find a race which won't drain the tank.

Nafzger said yesterday that 'Sense was still on track for the Bluegrass.

Both horses are going in the Bluegrass.....I think SS moves forward and is right now, the goods and I think Any Given Saturday was as good as he is gonna get yesterday.....not sure how many watched it on TVG, but I thought Lyons was right on the money....and then on ESPN Bailey's opinion was total opposite. It will be interesting to see how close they are to being right.....Lyons said Street Sense moves forward and this race will help him, and that Any Given Saturday could be a non factor at this point and Bailey said basically the opposite.....that this race would take much more out of Street Sense than AGS.

Right now, I would consider Street Sense my #1 choice. It's about time someone beat the BC jinx. But Borel scares the bejesus out of me the way he rides....guys got stones as big as they come. in a 20 horse field, he'd better give himself an out or the best horse won't win the roses....

Street Sense did feel the whip quite a bit in the stretch drive though, good return for him and good effort by Any Given Saturday also. Still, Great Hunter's effort look better to me last week.

It's instinct to try and find a reason why Street Sense will not move forward because our nature is to seek value. Certainly he could not run today and be as effective, but Nafzger is no fool.

Consider this: Unbridled entered the KY Derby off a loss in the Blue Grass (to Summer Squall). If Street Sense loses next out, it only helps the price at the track we know he likes!

Honestly, both horses looked great yesterday. A head bob and it could have been Any Given Saturday's race. Street Sense looked really good, though... coat was dappled out and I think that he'll come out of this fine.

I took a stand against Street Sense and lost. Very, very impressive if you believe- as I do- that he wasn't wound up for this one. AGS also showed he's a contender with a very fast time and a dogfight to the finish.

I was watching both SS and AGS in the post parade and came to the conclusion that SS looked a little fat and sweaty. AGS looked perfect. So, I bet AGS on top of SS. So if anyone is wondering how SS gutted out a win.

it was all me. I have the power. Yesterday, I was getting all the horses right just got photoed out for the win EVERY time.

I should offer a service to people that want to win a race.

pay me not to bet your horse.

ayway Borel has a way of being way back and by the time the camera switches for the stretch run he is in front.

Very explosive move by SS. Too bad he doesn't have the required syllable count to win the derby. :rolleyes:

Let's all just take a minute and forget about the Kentucky Derby for a little bit. That was a great, exciting race.
What does this mean for either of them in the future? Who knows. Sometimes we just need to enjoy these 3yo spring races on their own merit.....and not as "preps."
Racing needs more high profile races like yesterday's Tampa Bay Derby. That was fun.

Yeah, it was... great race. :cool:

When they run SS at Keeneland, they really need to go wide even if the rail is wide open, had it too easy so far....

I'll assume you are being sarcastic. The Bluegrass is a G1. If you have a shot to win a G1, I don't think you pass it up just to see how the horse handles going wide. He is going to be in the starting gate for the Derby (if healthy) either way, so why not try to win the Bluegrass?

I'd hate to eat my words aleady. I'm with Scavs. An eight wide parking lot Albarado ride is in the offing.