Bummer

This morning Carl Nafzger announced that Street Sense is passing on next Saturday's Belmont and focusing on the Travers instead. Now that the chance to win the Triple Crown has been squashed, the owner now has a new goal: to try to have Street Sense become the first horse in history to win the Breeders Cup Juvenile, The Kentucky Derby, The Travers Stakes, and The Breeders Cup Classic. A lofty goal which he is already halfway towards completing.


You may see an exciting photo finish next week, but it
won't be between these two emerging rivals

I don't really get it because the Travers is the 3rd weekend in August, so he could run in the Belmont and then still have 2 months between races, but it is what it is, and as I said immediately after the Preakness, Nafzger is a very cautious and conservative trainer who isn't going to go after a big prize just for glory and ego and whatnot.

So no rubber match at the Belmont between Curlin and Street Sense. But hopefully they will meet down the road and both make it to the Breeders Cup Classic in November.

The field won't be set until next week, but Preakness winner Curlin is in, as is Hard Spun, who finished 2nd in the Derby and 3rd in the Preakness.

As an aside, Hard Spun's charismatic trainer Larry Jones is a dead ringer for PGA Tour golfer Davis Love III.


Hard Spun trainer Larry Jones


Davis Love III

Hell, you pretty much need the cowboy hat/golf getup to tell them apart.