Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Hard Spun: Proven and Contested?



There's a new face on the Kentucky Derby picture.

Well, not so much as new as different.

Hard Spun, trained by Larry Jones, made a big improvement on his previous starts to win the Lane's End Stakes on March 24 at Turfway Park. Bred in Pennsylvania, this colt regained his winning ways, showing that he had matured a bit since his last starts.

Though some commentators would suggest that he still has a lot of growing up to do - noticeable in the way that he acts when he gets on the lead - he has managed to get himself on Steve Haskin's (of Bloodhorse.com) Derby Dozen. The colt's pedigre is one that sounds familiar to me. He was produced from Danzig and the Turkoman daughter Turkish Tryst.

"This horse will do anything you want him to do," Larry Jones, the colt's trainer, said to reporters. "I could tell he was wanting to run but he listened for Mario to ask him. He makes more money than Mario [Pino] and I, but he'll still listen to us. He's very coachable. My only concern with the Blue Grass is that it could be suicide with so many good horses going in the race. You know me. I worry about everything. I wouldn't be overly confident going into that race, but it's a good feeling to know our horse could compete with those horses."

Jones also added that he would like to have at least one more race under the colt's belt before going into the Kentucky Derby.

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