Flashback: Hard Spun tops Street Sense in Kentucky Cup Classic

There they were, thundering down the homestretch, vying for victory in the Grade 2, $350,000 Kentucky Cup Classic in 2007 at Turfway Park. Just one furlong remained to be run in the 1 1/8-mile test of speed and stamina. Clinging to a tenuous lead was Hard Spun, trying yet again to stretch his abundant speed over a route of ground. So many times the son of Danzig had led into the stretch of a prestigious race. So many times he had seen victory snatched from his grasp in the final strides.  His race record told a story of talent and frustration. Second in the Kentucky Derby. Third in the Preakness. Fourth in the Belmont, and then second in the Haskell (G1). Always a bridesmaid, never a bride — that was Hard Spun. Always in the mix, but rarely in the winner’s circle. In the Kentucky Cup Classic, Hard Spun appeared destined for yet another game but ultimately losing performance. Looming alongside was the formidable presence of Street Sense, a powerful late runner who had sliced his way through a huge field to defeat Hard Spun in the Kentucky Derby. With summer victories in the Jim Dandy (G2) and Travers (G1) under his belt, Street Sense was favored to trump Hard Spun once again in the Kentucky Cup Classic. RELATED: See more HRN race flashbacks Entering the Turfway Park homestretch, it certainly appeared as though bettors had backed the right horse. Though Hard Spun had escaped with a relatively easy lead, carving out fractions of :24.45, :48.18, and 1:11.46, Street Sense had always been in close pursuit, looming just a length off the pace in second place. And when the real running began, Street Sense was ready to roll, charging to within a half-length of his rival at the eighth pole. But there were a few subtle factors in Hard Spun’s favor. For one, there was his familiarity with the synthetic Polytrack course at Turfway. Whereas Street Sense was 0-for-2 on synthetic tracks, Hard Spun had dominated the Lane’s End Stakes (G2) at Turfway six months prior, showcasing a clear-cut affinity for the tricky surface. Secondly, there was the element of pace dynamics. Just four horses turned out to contest the Kentucky Cup Classic, forcing the normally deep-closing Street Sense to adopt pace-tracking tactics. In short, the Derby winner was out of his comfort zone, while Hard Spun was confident cruising along on the lead. Lastly, there was the intangible aspect of Hard Spun’s heart. Despite his numerous high-profile defeats, Hard Spun never lost his willingness to fight for victory. He wasn’t always the fastest horse in the field, but he always tried his best, and in the heat of the battle at Turfway Park, Hard Spun’s heart won the day. “Going in, we knew it was going to be a match race because it was only a two-horse race on paper,” Hard Spun jockey Mario Pino explained in an Associated Press story. “I got him to relax and I felt him crawling along early. At the three-eighths pole, he dropped his head down, going faster and faster to the wire.” Indeed, it was as though Hard Spun turned to Street Sense and said, “Not today.” The Derby winner had every chance to snatch the victory, but Hard Spun’s resilience knew no boundaries. In that final testing furlong, Hard Spun’s strides never wavered. Slowly, surely, he stemmed off Street Sense’s advance. Then, bit by bit, he widened his advantage, reclaiming lost ground, edging clear with the tenacity of a bulldog until he crossed the finish line 1 1/4 lengths in front, victorious at last over his heralded Derby conqueror. Maybe Hard Spun wasn’t the fastest colt of his generation. But he was a living example of the old saying that perseverance does pay off with his gutsy victory in the Kentucky Cup Classic. J. Keeler Johnson is a writer, videographer, handicapper, and all-around horse racing enthusiast. A great fan of racing history, he considers Dr. Fager to be the greatest racehorse ever produced in America, but counts Zenyatta as his all-time favorite. You can follow him on Twitter at @J_Keelerman.