Hansen – Champion Two-Year-Old Male

Hansen’s gutsy Breeders’ Cup Juvenile win over Union Rags propelled him to the two-year-old title (Churchill Downs/Reed Palmer Photography) Like his immediate predecessor Uncle Mo, HANSEN ran his way into a juvenile colt championship with an undefeated three-race campaign in 2011, culminated by a victory in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Churchill Downs. However, his route to Louisville was an unconventional one and his manner of victory in the nation’s premier event for two-year-olds left some observers skeptical of his claim to divisional honors. Bred and campaigned by Dr. Kendall Hansen and trained by Mike Maker, the gray son of Tapit debuted over Polytrack at Turfway Park on September 9 in a 5 1/2-furlong maiden special weight. In a sign of things to come, Hansen opened up early on the opposition and won as he pleased by 12 1/4 lengths under Victor Lebron. The catch-me-if-you can attitude was on display again two weeks later in the $95,000 Kentucky Cup Juvenile over 1 1/16 miles. Won in the past by divisional champions Vindication and Boston Harbor and classic winners Point Given and Editor’s Note, the Kentucky Cup Juvenile had seen its status decline with the revoking of its Grade 3 ranking and a two-year period (2009-10) when it was not run. But the race received a shot in the arm due to Hansen’s theatrics. Sent early by Lebron to a wide lead while setting a moderately quick tempo, Hansen toyed with his seven rivals and drew away to an emphatic 13 1/4-length score.

With his prowess on dirt unknown and his running style clearly
one-dimensional, there was much more skepticism among bettors for the Breeders’
Cup Juvenile on November 5. There was also Union Rags, the New York-based colt
who had established divisional leadership with wide-margin victories in the
Grade 2 Saratoga Special Stakes and Grade 1 Champagne Stakes, whom the crowd
backed to even-money favoritism. Hansen, who had won at odds of 4-5 and 1-2 in
his two wins at Turfway, was sent off at 7-1 in the Juvenile.

Now racing for a partnership that included Dr. Hansen and Sky Chai Racing,
the colt was allowed to run the way he wanted under new rider Ramon Dominguez.
Though he again established a comfortable lead, there would be no daylight
gap against a much tougher field. Hansen’s longest lead was two lengths at
the first call and it would progressively decline as the race wore on.

While Hansen attempted to buck a trend that generally saw speed as a
liability over the Churchill main track on Breeders’ Cup weekend, his running
style helped him avoid some of the bad luck experienced by his rivals. Union
Rags, in particular, was forced to race four-wide much of the way after breaking
from post 10. When the Michael Matz trainee finally got within a few feet of
taking over the lead from Hansen in the stretch, he drifted out and lost
momentum. Union Rags came on again at the finish, but Hansen held on by a
desperate head to claim the victory.

While some pundits thought Union Rags best given his record in more
prestigious events and a less-than-ideal Breeders’ Cup trip that arguably cost
him the win, it was difficult for most voters to deny Hansen the title after a
courageous and hard-fought battle to remain undefeated. In addition to the
various hardware accumulated, Hansen also bankrolled a nifty $1,153,305 in less
than two months of work.

Hansen is gearing up for his sophomore campaign in south Florida, with the
Grade 3 Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream Park on January 29 a probable first
outing. The remaining Gulfstream preps — the Grade 2 Fountain of the Youth
Stakes on February 26 and the Grade 1 Florida Derby on March 31 — might also be
long-term goals, though Polytrack preps like the Grade 3 Spiral Stakes at
Turfway on March 24 and the Grade 1 Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland on April 14
are lucrative options.

Bred in Kentucky, Hansen was produced by the winning Sir Cat mare Stormy
Sunday. The juvenile champ has a winning full brother named Tapanna and an
unraced two-year-old half-brother by Corinthian. Hansen is the first stakes
winner reared by any of his first five dams.