|
|
Street Sense jogs one day after Travers victory; to retire after Breeders' Cup
Nafzger earned his second Travers with Street Sense, as he was also responsible for Unshaded's 2000 victory. He is celebrating a rare double, becoming just the fifth conditioner since 1901 to score an Alabama/Travers double in the same year. Last Saturday, he saddled Lady Joanne (Orientate) to a neck score in Saratoga's featured Grade 1 event for three-year-old fillies. "Unbridled was great; Banshee (Breeze), Vicar, Unshaded were good, unbelievable horses, but I've never had anything like (Street Sense)," he said. The veteran horseman wasn't completely preoccupied with Street Sense's victory on Saturday. He took time to appreciate Kentucky Derby runner-up Hard Spun's (Danzig) game win in the King's Bishop S. (G1), where he reclaimed the lead late after being passed. "This might be equal to the old Round Table/Bold Ruler bunch," he said in reference to this year's three-year-old crop. "Did you see Hard Spun yesterday? It's not only Street Sense, you take Any Given Saturday (Distorted Humor), Hard Spun and Curlin (Smart Strike) and they keep doing it over and over to each other. That's what makes it such a good crop." Street Sense's ultimate goal is the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) on October 27 at Monmouth Park, which will be his career finale, but he'll have one more start prior to the championship test. Races under consideration are the $500,000 Super Derby (G2) at Louisiana Downs on September 22, which would be worth $1 million if Street Sense, Preakness S. (G1) winner Curlin or Belmont S. (G1) queen Rags to Riches (A.P. Indy) lines up; the $500,000 Massachusetts H., which has lost its graded status in its reinstatement at Suffolk Downs; the $500,000 Hawthorne Gold Cup (G2) on September 29; and the $750,000 Jockey Club Gold Cup Invitational (G1) at Belmont Park on September 30. "I always look to a target race," Nafzger explained. "Get a good solid race and come back in a major race. I train to win, but I don't like to be 110 percent and then try to bounce him back. I look to races to take them another step. Whatever race I'm running in, I'm always thinking about the next race." Nafzger began his trip back to Kentucky on Sunday and will be joined by his star pupil in a few days. Trainer Nick Zito was proud of HELSINKI (Distorted Humor), who got up for third by a neck to be best of the rest behind Street Sense and Grasshopper in the Travers. The dark bay colt earned his first black-type credit in the "Mid-Summer Derby" after finishing fifth in the Dwyer S. (G2) and fourth in the Lemon Drop Kid S. "Helsinki ran good," Zito said. "He duplicated his race in the Dwyer and ran a little better. I would probably say the Jockey Club Gold Cup will be his next race." The conditioner's other Travers starter, Jim Dandy S. (G2) runner-up C P WEST (Came Home), also came out of the race well. The sophomore was rated just behind the pacesetting Grasshopper before fading to finish fifth. "He's a hard horse to rate, and I don't know if he's a mile-and-a-quarter horse either," Zito commented. "I think C P would have been better off if (jockey) Cornelio (Velasquez) would have let him go. He showed up, he tried and he finished fifth. Fifth is better than seventh." Zito will probably give C P West more time between his races in the future. "I was afraid of a Belmont repeat," he admitted. "In other words, he ran great in the Preakness (fourth) and then I threw him right into the Belmont (well-beaten fifth). He ran great in the Jim Dandy and then I threw him right in the Travers. He might need more time between races." SIGHTSEEING (Pulpit), who just missed third by a neck in the Travers, exited his run in good shape as well. "He didn't run any good," a disappointed Shug McGaughey said. "That's all I can say. I can't make any excuses for him." The trainer didn't given any indication where the Peter Pan S. (G2) winner would show up next.
 Send this article to a friend
|
|
