Oaklawn Park: Borel sees similarities between Street Strategy and 2007 Kentucky Derby winner

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Jockey Calvin Borel had some insight into Street Strategy before he ever teamed up with the promising 3-year-old this winter at Oaklawn Park. It was Borel who guided the horse’s sire, Street Sense, to victory in the 2007 Kentucky Derby.

Street Strategy, who is part of the field for Friday’s featured eighth race, a first-level allowance at 1 1/16 miles, shares a number of similarities with his sire, said Borel. The horse enters Friday’s race off a 6 1/2-length maiden special weight win in his two-turn debut Jan. 30.

“He’s just like his daddy,” Borel said of Street Strategy, whom he rides for Iron Horse Racing and trainer Randy Morse. “He’s a playful horse, and very demanding. It’s like he’ll test you and try to get away with stuff, and you more or less kind of talk to him and love on him a lot. He’s just like his daddy, matter of fact. I was telling that to Randy.

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“And he’s got such a pretty stride like his daddy. He’s a very nice colt.”

Morse said Street Strategy is a candidate for next month’s Grade 2, $600,000 Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn. The horse put himself in position for such a race following his explosive maiden win, which came at a mile. Street Strategy showed composure, as he let another horse take the lead in the early stages, then through the stretch he pulled clear for a dominant score under Borel.

“He did everything the right way,” Morse said. “We’re very high on him. He’s a gorgeous horse, big and strong and has a very good way of moving.”

Street Strategy was a $425,000 purchase last April at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co. 2-year-olds in training sale. In his career debut, which came at Oaklawn on Jan. 6, he was second by a nose in a maiden special weight sprint that has since produced three next-out winners at Oaklawn.

Others set to start in Friday’s allowance, which is for 3-year-olds and up, include Tiz Adonis, who was third at a similar level last out at Oaklawn, and Chalybeate Springs, a 5-year-old out of the multiple Grade 1-winning mare Chaposa Springs.

Tesseron enters off a fifth-place finish in a Woodbine first-level allowance that has produced three next-out winners since the 1 1/16-mile race was run Oct. 27.

◗ Song Golden, a 3-year-old half-brother to Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Drosselmeyer, makes his career debut in the seventh race Friday.