After Monday's workout at Churchill Downs, Kentucky Derby champion Street Sense's handlers are about as upbeat as they can be for their horse's chances heading into the Oct. 27 Breeders' Cup Classic at Monmouth Park.
The colt, in the running for 2007 Horse of the Year, clocked 1:00.80 over five furlongs, which left jockey Calvin Borel thrilled. Street Sense was clocked in fractions of :13, :25 1/5, :37 and :48 4/5.
"He's fit and he's ready," Borel said. ". The horse is doing so good right now it's unbelievable. He's hitting the ground good, and he's happy. That's the main thing."
Trainer Carl Nafzger agreed.
"We got what we needed," Nafzger said. "We just need to keep him going. He's ready. We need to just go up there to Monmouth and do our thing."
Monday's workout, described as a "maintenance" work by Nafzger, was the second-fastest of 30 at the distance.
Street Sense will leave Louisville on Thursday to Monmouth Park for the Classic, scheduled to be Street Sense's last race before retiring to a stallion career.The three-year-old son of 2002 Dubai World Cup winner Street Cry is a two-time Grade 1 winner at the Classic's 1-1/4 mile distance as he looks to join Sunday Silence (1989) and Unbridled (1990) as winners of the Kentucky Derby and Breeders' Cup Classic in the same season.
Owner James Tafel is hoping a Classic victory will secure Eclipse Awards as 2007 Horse of the Year and top three-year-old.
But the Classic field is loaded, with Street Sense expected to face a group that includes four of his rivals from the Kentucky Derby: Hard Spun (runner-up), Curlin (third), Tiago (seventh), and Any Given Saturday (eighth). Also expected to compete is Lawyer Ron, winner of Saratoga's Whitney and Woodward and America's top older horse.
"He's gorgeous -- on top of his game," Tafel said of Street Sense. "It's bittersweet, but we're looking forward to a great race because I think it is as tough a Classic as I can remember. Our horse is on the top of his game ... I'm very proud as an owner, and particularly proud as the breeder. That's a pretty good combination."
In his last race, Street Sense finished runner-up to Hard Spun in the Kentucky Cup Classic on Sept. 29.
Meanwhile, Curlin, who defeated Street Sense by a head in the Preakness, worked five-eighths of a mile in 1:01 1/5 at Keeneland.
"Just everything has gone really smooth so far," assistant trainer Scott Blasi said. "... He'll breeze again next Monday and ship to Monmouth on Tuesday. The work was exactly what we asked for. Now all he has to do is like the racetrack."
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