mallet's Blog

Local colt Hard Spun finally defeated his nemesis Street Sense in the Kentucky Cup Classic today.  It was a perfect race for the Kentucky Derby runner-up.  Mario Pino took Hard Spun right to the front out of the gate on the speed-favoring polytrack surface.  The Kentucky Derby winner, Street Sense, was a stalking second.  But the early fractions were slow, so Hard Spun had a lot of gas in the tank when Street Sense made a run at him at the top of the stretch.  The Delaware Park Colt held off the Kentucky Derby winner. It was an awesome race.  I got an email from Hard Spun's owner, Rick Porter this evening.  Rick was thrilled by the race!  The next race for both talented three-year-olds will be the Breeders Cup Classic.  But neither horse is likely to be favored.  4 year old colt Lawyer Ron will be the likely favorite in the race for the title of Horse of the Year.  Lawyer Ron had an impressive 3 year old season at Oaklawn Park in Arkansas before losing badly to Barbaro in the Kentucky Derby.  But he is a very talented colt who has really come into his own as a 4 year old under the stewardship of leading trainer Todd Pletcher.  I'm not sure either of the top three year olds has a chance against this guy.  But if Hard Spun wins, I think he has to be Horse of the Year.  And, if he beats Curlin and Street Sense in the process, he also has to be considered for Three Year Old Champion.  What a comeback story that would be after his hard-fought losses on the Triple Crown Trail.