Street Sense became an instant front-runner for the Kentucky Derby with his surprising 10-length romp over the best field of 2-year-olds assembled in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile over the same track as the Run for the Roses.
It was the best performance in that prestigious event since Arazi’s memorable 5-length victory in that event over the same track 15 years prior. He earned a gaudy 108 Beyer speed figure for the performance, and it is important to note that the average Kentucky Derby-winning Beyer speed figure from the last 15 renewals is around 109.
Street Sense trained all summer at the Louisville oval for Kentucky Derby-winning conditioner Carl Nafzger, and he should enjoy the Kentucky Derby distance and surface as much as any 3-year-old to make the gate the first Saturday in May, as his sire Street Cry turned in one of the more impressive races run at Churchill Downs in recent history when cruising in the Grade 1 Stephen Foster in 2002 [...]