Well it looks like we’ll go another year without a Triple Crown Winner… Street Sense just didn’t have enough left to fight back from Curlin’s streach drive… and Hard Spun held on to come in third… but he couldn’t have gone much further… I don’t think he can make it in the Belmont, which is the longest of the three races… The Preakness is the shortest… and for these horse to run just 2 weeks after the Derby… they now have a three week rest… and then on to Belmont & 1 1/2 race…
Will Street Sense make it? Can Curlin thake the third Jewel? or will a new horse become the winner? We’ll have to wait and see…
It was a good race, there is no shame for Street Sense and his connections for coming in second by a nose, their horse tried. He is notorious for stopping when he makes the lead but I watched the slow-motion and he isn’t flicking his ears back and forth which is indicative of a horse looking for competition, but Street Sense still could have been stopping.
Kudos for Curlin for digging in. For a horse to come out of the Derby with the beating he got and to come back two weeks later and run a gutsy finish is saying something. I remember my bosses telling me about their best horse, Sensitive Prince and how when he lost for the first time how much it threw him. They had to send him back to the farm for a few months before he was ready confidence wise to go back to the track.
Will be an interesting Belmont if these two match up again.
I thought all 3 horses (Curlin, Street Sense, and Hard Spun) had an excellent race.
I was amused to hear Gary Stevens commenting “what if”-like about Curlin’s Derby trip. He didn’t have a “bad” trip in the Derby, he just had to deal with the fact that there were 20 horses in the race and he wasn’t miles above them in class. That day, he wasn’t up to the challenge. Today, he was.
I thought Curlin and Street Sense both had excellent races. I had a blast watching both of them swap gears. Halfway down the stretch I told my husband Curlin wasn’t done, but I didn’t think he’d manage to get his nose in front. Ironically, Street Sense’s closing kick was the first time he really looked impressive to me this year.
I think Curlin will stand a pretty good chance in the Belmont, assuming they decide to run him back. I think a good rivalry between him and Street Sense will be good for the sport. Of course, a horse having to be euthanized every other time they show racing probably isn’t helping .
On another note, I thought it was great that Chelokee won the Barbaro Stakes for Matz this year. I hope they’ll send him out in the Belmont so we can see him against more established horses.
i also think it was a good trip for both of the "boys’…I’m still favoring Street Sense in the Belmont. I was watching and he looked real good right up to the very last couple strides.and then it looked like he thought he was done(not used up)and i was listeing to either the jock or the trainer and they also said that SS had a tendancy to loaf if he got the lead too soon after his streach run, which is what it looked to me.hopefully he’ll be on task in the Belmont.and i have nothing but admiration for Curlins jock. To have your horse go down a couple races before the big race and to bounce back and win is awesome.
I was very happy with Curlin’s win. Although I liked Street Sense very much, I thought it was Curlin’s day. However, I don’t think he can repeat his win in the Belmont. I’m rooting for Hard Spun to win it. I also think Street Sense has a very good chance to win it though. He ran a great race but just couldn’t hold out for that last stride. Great race by all three.
Was it a head bob? Curlin on the front of his stride (head forward and feet reaching) and Street Sense on the back of his stride (head up and feet back). I would like to get the YouTube and see.
And poor Mending Fences. He just crumbled. You saw him collapse as if his legs suddenly disappeared.
Didn’t really seem to be a head bob, just seemed like Curlin had his body about 1 foot farther forward than Street Sense. Street Sense is definitely a nice horse, but maybe he just lacks the killer instinct in photo-finish type situations?
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