James Tafel’s 2006 champion juvenile Street Sense and J. Paul Reddam’s Great Hunter, winner of last fall’s Lane’s End Breeders’ Futurity (G1) at Keeneland, will renew their rivalry in Saturday’s $750,000 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (G1) at Keeneland.
The 1 1/8-mile Blue Grass sets up as the rubber match between these two top Triple Crown prospects, who have split the wins between them in their prior two race meetings. The rivalry began last fall at Keeneland, when Great Hunter captured the Breeders’ Futurity while Street Sense finished third. The roles were reversed a month later in the Bessemer Trust Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) at Churchill Downs, with Street Sense posting a record-breaking 10-length win and Great Hunter finishing third.
Both colts come into the Blue Grass off just one other start this year – Street Sense having won a hard-fought battle with Any Given Saturday in the Tampa Bay Derby (G3) on March 17, while Great Hunter proved best in Santa Anita’s Robert B. Lewis (G2) on March 3. The Blue Grass is one of the final major preps for the May 5 Kentucky Derby (G1) presented by Yum! Brands.
“There are several reasons why we chose the Blue Grass,” said Carl Nafzger, trainer of Street Sense, who is attempting to become the first Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner to also win the Kentucky Derby. “First, I’ve never won the Blue Grass and it’s always been on my list of races I’d like to win. I’d love to win it. Second, it’s in our backyard. We can ship over from Churchill and be back home that night. And, third – the Polytrack. Today it’s raining and it (the condition of the track) is not a factor. We can go into the Derby in style. With the Polytrack you don’t have to worry about weather or a hard track. You can eliminate those factors.”
The two colts have been installed by handicapper Mike Battaglia as the favorites among the field of seven in the morning line, with Street Sense getting the early nod at 4-5 and Great Hunter at 9-5. Street Sense, ridden by regular rider Calvin Borel, will break from the number four post, which Nafzger described as “perfect.” Great Hunter, with Corey Nakatani aboard, will be on the outside in post position number seven.
“Not bad to draw the lucky number seven; and to be able to load last is always a positive,” said Great Hunter’s trainer, Doug O’Neill, from his base in California. “With his running style neither Paul (owner J. Paul Reddam) nor I were too worried about post position.”
On meeting Street Sense for the third time, O’Neill added, “It’s very exciting for us and very exciting for the Street Sense camp. This is a very big race for both of us. I hope both horses run dynamite races and we meet each other again in the Kentucky Derby.”
Third-choice at 8-1 is Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC’s Zanjero, who will break from post position one with Garrett Gomez aboard. Trained by Steve Asmussen, Zanjero finished third in his two starts this year – the Risen Star (G3) and Louisiana Derby (G2), both at Fair Grounds.
Zanjero, as well as Teuflesberg and Dominican, both at early odds of 10-1, need graded stakes earnings to be competitive in a prospective Kentucky Derby field of 20 or more entrants.
Teuflesberg has recorded one win in four starts this season, capturing the Southwest Stakes in mid-February and finishing third behind Curlin in last month’s Rebel Stakes (G3), both at Oaklawn Park. He is trained by Jamie Sanders, who co-owns the son of Johannesburg with Gary Logsdon and Donnie Kelly. The colt, ridden in the Blue Grass for the first time by Edgar Prado, will break from the number six post.
Dominican, winner of Turfway Park’s Rushaway Stakes on March 24 in his only start at three, seeks to duplicate his winning form in the Blue Grass. Trained by Darrin Miller, the El Corredor colt finished third to Tiz Wonderful and Any Given Saturday in his final start last year, the Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) at Churchill Downs. Dominican, who races in the colors of Silverton Hill LLC, will start from the number two post with jockey Rafael Bejarano aboard.
Rounding out the field at odds of 30-1 each are Equirace.com LLC’s Love Dubai, last in his only U.S. start, last weekend’s Illinois Derby (G2), and Fab Oak Stable, Richard Giacopelli, Lewis Lakin and Martin Schwartz’s Time Squared. Trainer Patrick Biancone purchased Time Squared for a sale-topping $1.05 million at the 2006 Keeneland April Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale. The colt broke his maiden at Keeneland on opening day of the 2007 Spring Meet.
The complete field in post position order is as follows: Zanjero (Garret Gomez), Dominican (Rafael Bejarano), Love Dubai (Miguel Mena), Street Sense (Calvin Borel), Time Squared (Julien Leparoux), Teuflesberg (Edgar Prado), and Great Hunter (Corey Nakatani). All starters will carry 123 pounds.
***************
ESPN will provide live coverage of the Toyota Blue Grass from 5:00 – 6:00 p.m. ET on Saturday. The broadcast also will include a live broadcast of the Commonwealth Breeders’ Cup (G2), run earlier on the day’s card.
TVG will host a Blue Grass edition of “The Works” on Friday, April 13, from 6:00 – 7:00 p.m.
***************
The Toyota Blue Grass will be part of Saturday’s "Premier Pick 4,” which comprises the Commonwealth Breeders' Cup (G2) at 5:13 p.m. and the Blue Grass at 5:46 p.m. from Keeneland, and the Instant Racing Breeders' Cup at 6:09 p.m. and the Arkansas Derby (G2) at 6:46 p.m., both from Oaklawn. All times are Eastern.