Street Sense pleases Nafzger with work

Kentucky Derby (G1) hero STREET SENSE (Street Sense), recording his first

workout since winning the August 25 Travers S. (G1) by a half-length,

breezed five furlongs in 1:02 4/5 on a fast track at Churchill Downs on

Tuesday. The Jim Tafel homebred colt is expected

to receive one more prep race before the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) at Monmouth Park

on October 27.

With exercise rider Tracey Wilkes in the saddle, Street Sense clocked splits

of :27 1/5, :39 3/5 and :51 1/5. The champion galloped out six furlongs in 1:16

1/5. His work ranked 13th out of 20 at the distance.

Trainer Carl Nafzger was beaming after the work, the colt's first serious

training move since a five-furlong pre-Travers work at Saratoga on August 21.

"It was just to get him started back, that's all," Nafzger said. "That was

perfect. All we wanted him to do was stretch his legs. Then he did it -- we

never asked him, he just did that on his own. But that's what we wanted. It was

a perfect work -- Tracey worked him perfect."

Winner of the Jim Dandy S. (G2) two back, Street Sense pulled away in the

final yards to defeat GRASSHOPPER (Dixie Union) by a half-length in the 1

1/4-mile Travers. Nafzger said he has not decided on the next start for Street

Sense, but said it would come in one of three races scheduled for the final

weekend in September: the $350,000 Kentucky Cup Classic (G2) at Turfway Park on

September 29; the $500,000 Hawthorne Gold Cup (G2) on the same afternoon; or the

$750,000 Jockey Club Gold Cup Invitational (G1) on September 30 at Belmont Park.

The conditioner said he would not make his final choice of that prep race

until the "24th or 25th."

"That gives me time to get anywhere I want to go," Nafzger explained. "It has

to be one of those races, or either train up to it (the Classic)."

The victory in the Travers lifted Street Sense's career mark to 6-3-2 in 11

races and boosted his earnings to $4,058,200.

Grasshopper, who finished an excellent second when

making his stakes debut in the Travers, also breezed five furlongs at Churchill

on Tuesday, stopping the watch in 1:01 3/5. The move was the second fastest of

20 at the distance.

It was the second work for Grasshopper since his runner-up finish in the

Travers, but his first since returning to trainer Neil Howard's home base at

Churchill Downs.

Grasshopper is expected to make his next start in the $500,000 Super Derby

(G2) at Louisiana Downs on September 22.