Triple Crown stars resume routines

LOUISVILLE, Ky. The two colts who staged a thrilling duel in the Preakness last Saturday at Pimlico are slowly getting back to their routines. Curlin and Street Sense got back to Churchill Downs on Sunday morning after early charter flights from Baltimore.

Curlin, the Preakness winner, was the first to return to training when he galloped a mile under regular exercise rider Carmen Rosas early Wednesday over a fast Churchill surface.

Everything looks great, said Scott Blasi, assistant to trainer Steve Asmussen.

Street Sense, the Kentucky Derby winner and Preakness runner-up, was walked around the shed row under the weight of an exercise rider Wednesday. He was likely to return to light training Thursday.

Curlin and Street Sense are both under consideration for the final leg of the Triple Crown, the Belmont Stakes on June 9 at Belmont Park. Asmussen has said that all indications are that Curlin will run in the

1 1/2-mile race, while Carl Nafzger has said he wants to wait to see how Street Sense trains for a few days before making a decision.

Hard Spun, the Derby runner-up and the third-place finisher in the Preakness, is back at Delaware Park with trainer Larry Jones.

I think the one thing that everybody wants out of that race [the Preakness] is for the top three finishers to come out of it as they obviously did out of the Derby, Asmussen said earlier this week. It was so nice to see them all at the Preakness training the way they did.

In Belmont developments elsewhere, Great Hunter, 13th in the Derby, was scheduled to work Thursday or Friday in California, while Nobiz Like Shobiz, 10th in the Derby, was scheduled to work Thursday at Belmont. Trainer Doug ONeill has said Great Hunter is a definite Belmont starter, while trainer Barclay Tagg has said he is on the fence with Nobiz Like Shobiz.

Cristobal will not be coming from France for the Belmont, the New York Racing Association announced Wednesday. That leaves as many as 13 horses under consideration for the race, although some are less certain to run than others.