Wed Sep 26 19:00:41 2007

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Street Sense versus Hard Spun in Kentucky Cup Classic

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Florence, KY (Sports Network) - Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense and Derby runner-up Hard Spun top a field of five for Saturday's $350,000 Kentucky Cup Classic at Turfway Park. The 1 1/8 mile race will be the first start for Street Sense on an all-weather surface.

Street Sense, owned by James Tafel, is the 3-5 morning-line favorite and will be ridden by regular rider Calvin Borel from post three. Both he and Hard Spun are facing older horses for the first time.

Street Sense won both starts at Saratoga this summer, capturing the Jim Dandy and Travers Stakes. Trained by Carl Nafzger, the colt has won six of 11 career starts for more than $4 million.

"He's doing great, and he's ready to run," said Nafzger. "If he wasn't doing great, he wouldn't be running anywhere. I'm not doing anything. The horse is doing it all. I'm just trying not to mess him up, just stay out of his way and let Calvin and him do their thing. Street Sense has two assets. One, he's completely relaxed during the race. He'll wait for Calvin. And second, when you ask him he's got a heck of a turn of foot. You can push that button the first quarter of a mile if you want and he'll go. He and Calvin have a real rapport."

Street Sense would become the first horse to win the Breeders' Cup Juvenile, Kentucky Derby and Breeders' Cup Classic.

Hard Spun has been made the 8-5 second choice for the Kentucky Cup Classic. Owned by Rick Porter, the colt will break from inside post with Mario Pino in the saddle.

Trainer Larry Jones sent out Hard Spun on the Travers undercard to win the King's Bishop Stakes at Saratoga. He was third in the Preakness and fourth in the Belmont Stakes, he then finished second to Any Given Saturday in the Haskell at Monmouth Park. He has earned $1.4 million in 11 lifetime start with six wins.

This is a return engagement for Hard Spun at Turfway Park. In his final start before the Run for the Roses the colt captured the Lane's End Stakes.

"We probably couldn't have imagined what has happened since we were last at Turfway," said Jones. "This is a great thing for the track to have the top two horses from the Derby. It won't be an easy spot for any of the other horses that join the field."

The 4-1 third choice is Stream Cat, who is partially owned by former Duke basketball star Bobby Hurley. The four-year-old gelding will be ridden by Julien Leparoux from post four.

Trained by Patrick Biancone, Stream Cat is coming off a fourth place finish on the turf in the Arlington Million. He has a win on the all-weather track at Keeneland earlier this year and has earnings of $423,810 in 13 career starts.

Completing the field are Cat Shaker and Muqbil.

The Kentucky Cup Classic has a scheduled post-time of 5:42 p.m. (et).