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Horse Racing News and Commentary |
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Street Sense and Hard Spun sold to Darley shed |
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Written by Gohorsepower.com
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Sunday, 03 June 2007 |
 Street Sense and Hard Spun are two of this year's best three-year-old racehorses. Now imagine how great they could be at four, because now that each colt's breeding rights have already been sold to Darley, there's a better chance you might not get to see them become the greatest horses of their generation.
Neither horses retirement has been announced, and apparently Rick Porter and James Tafel still own Hard Spun and Street Sense respectively for now, but on Sunday Darley announced they have purchased the breeding rights of both horses.
Daily Racing Form reports that Street Sense's trainer Carl Nafzger says the colt will be under Tafel's ownership and Nafzger's own training at least through the Breeders Cup Championships on October 27, 2007. Nafzger wasn't sure if the sale had any role in owner James Tafel's decision not to run the Kentucky Derby winner in the Belmont Stakes on June 9th, setting up a thrilling rematch against Curlin, who beat Street Sense by a short head in the Preakness. Street Sense is still being pointed towards the Jim Dandy or Haskell, followed by the Travers at Saratoga this Summer, with the Breeders Cup the ultimate goal.
Sheikh Mohammed of Darley also owns Street Sense's sire, Street Cry, and his dam, Bedazzle. Street Sense has never finished worse than third in nine career starts, has four wins and three seconds, and has earned $3,158,200.
Kentucky Derby runner-up and Preakness third-place, Hard Spun will also be retired to stand stud Darley at Lexington, Kentucky when his career concludes. Hard Spun has won five of eight starts, with five wins, one place, one show, and finishing out of the money only once in the Southwest Stakes won by front-runner Teuflesberg.
Last year Darley retired Preakness winner Bernardini after a mere one-year campaign. Bernardini won six of eight races and $3,060,480, and his stud fee is reportedly set at $100,000. Bernardini was retired after the 2006 Breeders Cup Classic, where he finished second to a horse who actually is one of the greatest of this generation, five-year-old Invasor --Uruguayan Triple Crown and Horse of the Year winner, and 2006 US Horse of the year. Invasor is owned by Sheikh Mohammad's older brother, Sheikh Hamdan.
Three-year-old Henny Hughes was also retired by Darley after finishing last as the beaten favorite in the 2006 Breeders Cup Sprint.
Although there seem to be no immediate plans for retirement, and Hard Spun is still confirmed for the Belmont Stakes, Darley's Dan Pride made the exact same kind of remarks about 'Spun and 'Sense today as he did last year when his comments on the retirement of Bernardini and Henny Hughes were, "These are the supreme thoroughbreds of their generation..." On Sunday Pride said "Street Sense and Hard Spun are the two most thrilling horses of their generation..."
We hope they get a chance to prove it.
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