Street Sense- should he or shouldn't he?

[miraja2]

Originally Posted by ArlJim78

If Street Sense does go to the Belmont and for whatever reason throws in a clunker, you'd have another ESPN expert writing a column criticizing Nafzger for sending him after having admitted that his primary focus had been on the derby in the first place. I can just see it "Nafzger should have known that his horse needed a break after two hard races..." blah,blah,blah.

King Glorious writes for ESPN?

[Buffymommy]

He worked out this morning...

Street Sense

Date: May 30, 2007
Track: CHURCHILL DOWNS
Distance: Four Furlongs
Time: 49:00 Breezing
Track Condition: Fast
Surface: Dirt
Rank: 14/28

Good enough to go or is he getting tired?

[XIIPointStables]

If he's healthy and happy, run him.

Davidowitz chimes in on the DRF Plus column with the same thoughts.

I don't want to copy and paste the whole thing as it's a pay for read, but I liked this...

"At the bottom line, should all three of the Derby-Preakness stars run in the Belmont, the world would be treated to the most popular three-horse matchup of the television age."

Originally Posted by DaHoss9698

Look, I 'd love to see Street Sense run as it would add that much more to the race, but I still have a problem with the initial article. Finley works for ESPN, the company that pre-empts horse racing for any sport they can, including softball.

They have a stake in the success of horse racing, yet they do very little to bring it to our homes. There were many stakes this weekend, including one of the most prestegious races in country, The Met Mile. Would it have killed ESPN to show the stretch run and results on Sportscenter?

I see the point of the article, racing needs rivalries and it would help the sport. But to call out Nafzger, like he is somehow responsible for doing this is absurd. Where was Finley when so many talented runners in the last few years have been prematurely retired? Where is his article when trainers scratch out of stake races because their horse carries a pound or two more than they think they should carry?

He was writing about baseball.

[ArlJim78]

Originally Posted by DaHoss9698

Look, I 'd love to see Street Sense run as it would add that much more to the race, but I still have a problem with the initial article. Finley works for ESPN, the company that pre-empts horse racing for any sport they can, including softball.

They have a stake in the success of horse racing, yet they do very little to bring it to our homes. There were many stakes this weekend, including one of the most prestegious races in country, The Met Mile. Would it have killed ESPN to show the stretch run and results on Sportscenter?

I see the point of the article, racing needs rivalries and it would help the sport. But to call out Nafzger, like he is somehow responsible for doing this is absurd. Where was Finley when so many talented runners in the last few years have been prematurely retired? Where is his article when trainers scratch out of stake races because their horse carries a pound or two more than they think they should carry?

you make excellent points. if its going to be such a great public benefit for the sport to have Street Sense in the Belmont, wouldn't it also benefit the sport to include a brief one minute racing update as part of the regular sports broadcast? I'm talking on a regular weekly basis and not only on the eve of one of the TC races.
My god, for baseball, basketball and football they beat those stories to death over and over, i can;t even watch it because its so boring.

[Unstable]

Isn't this the same writer who proclaimed, "with relative certainty," that Street Sense would not win the Kentucky Derby.

The argument that Street Sense should run in the Belmont because it is a $1 million race makes no sense to me if his trainer believes that it would take too much out of him for races later in the year. Races with purses totally much, much more.

Everyone seems to believe that Street Sense has no chance in the Breeders' Cup Classic (against a returning champion). Many of the same people believed that he had no chance in the Kentucky Derby. However, there is no guarantee that Invasor will make it to the BC. Or that he will be the same horse that he was last year, or earlier this year in Dubai.

Sure, I'd love to see Street Sense in the Belmont, but not if it means not seeing him later in the year.

Didn't Carl Nafzger win the Derby and the Classic with Unbridled? If he thinks he can do that again with Street Sense, that's what I really want to see.

[slotdirt]

I think it's pretty safe to say that if there was no Breeders Cup Classic, Street Sense's presence in the Belmont would be a no-brainer.

[Antitrust32]

Originally Posted by Cardus

One disgusting sentiment expressed to a reporter after Street Sense lost the Preakness was the joy of some NYRA employees -- I took "employees" to mean concession workers and security types, not the management -- that Street Sense had lost, for the crowd would not be totally overbearing on Belmont Stakes Day.

This was reported in a blurb by New York Daily News racing beat writer Jerry Bossert last Monday.

My uncle owns one of the concessions for the Belmont Stakes, and he was not filled with joy when Street Sense lost the preakness. Maybe some of the kids who serve the food were, but Jerry Bossert was so completely wrong with that statement.

[justindew]

Here are my two cents:

Right after the Preakness, I thought Curlin, Street Sense, and Hard Spun would skip the Belmont for a variety of reasons, and I thought the connections of all three would be correct to pass. I really don't remember why I thought that, but it probably had something to do with the horses needing a rest.

Now, I feel differently. I have no idea at all why Nafgzer would pass, unless he thinks 12 furlongs is too far for Street Sense. He rested the horse all spring, so I don't think he's "over the top", as they say. There aren't many million-dollar races for three-year-olds, so why pass?

I thought Curlin needed a rest after the Derby, but I was clearly wrong. So I'm hesistant to say the same thing now. I think some horses are good enough to do things that most of the current generation can't do. Curlin looks like he is one of those horses.....although my gut tells me he needs a rest.

As for Hard Spun, I just think Curlin and Street Sense are better. After watching the Preakness a few more times, I don't get the feeling that Hard Spun is tired or anything. He had six weeks before the Derby, so I feel he can run his race once more before taking a break.

So, if it were up to me, I would run Street Sense and Hard Spun, and then give them a rest. I would rest Curlin until the Haskell or the Jim Dandy, and then point for the Travers and the other big fall races.

What really surprised me was Nobiz Like Shobiz being withdrawn from Belmont consideration. I wonder if something is wrong with him.

[Buffymommy]

I think if Carl doesn't think he has a shot to win, he won't run. That is the way he seems to be as I don't know the man personally.

I guess I can respect that. Not what I would like to see, but it is their horse.