Street Sense headed to Turfway

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Trainer Carl Nafzger announced Saturday that Street Sense will have his final prep for the Breeders' Cup next Saturday in the Kentucky Cup Classic at Turfway Park.

Nafzger reasoned that the short ship from his primary base at Churchill Downs to Turfway in Florence, Ky., was a main consideration in choosing the KC Classic over his other two final options, the Hawthorne Gold Cup at Hawthorne in Chicago and the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park in New York. A van ride from Churchill to Turfway typically takes less than two hours.

Nafzger also said that although Street Sense is winless in two starts over Polytrack, which Turfway uses as its racing surface, the colt "has run good races over it" and, more importantly, has subsequently posted two of his greatest victories in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile and Kentucky Derby in races following his Polytrack efforts.

The year-end goal for Street Sense following the KC Classic will come Oct. 27 in the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic at Monmouth Park.LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Street Sense will have his final prep for the Breeders' Cup in the Kentucky Cup Classic at Turfway Park next Saturday, trainer Carl Nafzger announced Saturday.

Nafzger reasoned that the short ship from his primary base at Churchill Downs to Turfway in Florence, Ky., was a main consideration in choosing the KC Classic over his other two final options, the Hawthorne Gold Cup at Hawthorne in Chicago and the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park in New York. A van ride from Churchill to Turfway typically takes less than two hours.

Nafzger also said that although Street Sense is winless in two starts over Polytrack, which Turfway uses as its racing surface, the colt "has run good races over it" and, more importantly, has posted two of his greatest victories - in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile and Kentucky Derby - in races following his Polytrack efforts.

The year-end goal for Street Sense following the KC Classic will come Oct. 27 in the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic at Monmouth Park.

Nafzger said Street Sense will work early this week at Churchill, probably Monday or Tuesday. After the Turfway race, the colt will be returned to Churchill to resume training for the BC Classic, with a date for shipping to Monmouth in New Jersey yet to be determined.

The Grade 2 Kentucky Cup Classic carries a base purse of $350,000, with another $150,000 available to the winner if he or she is a Grade 1 winner in 2006-07. That added incentive was announced earlier this month by Turfway in an attempt to lure Street Sense. Of the base purse, $150,000 is restricted to horses eligible to the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund, which includes Street Sense, but not his main rival in the KC Classic, Hard Spun, a Pennsylvania-bred.

Hard Spun, winner of the Lane's End at Turfway in March and the runner-up to Street Sense in the Kentucky Derby, will ship from the Delaware Park base of trainer Larry Jones for the 1 1/8-mile KC Classic.

In all, 27 horses are nominated to the KC Classic, but with Street Sense and Hard Spun looming large, Turfway officials concede that a short field is highly likely. Four other races are part of the 14th annual Kentucky Cup series: the $175,000 Distaff, $100,000 Sprint, $100,000 Juvenile, and $100,000 Juvenile Fillies. Entries for all five races will be drawn Wednesday.