Street Sense to skip Belmont

Street Sense will stay in the barn on June 9 (Michael J. Marten/Horsephotos.com) Kentucky Derby (G1) winner STREET SENSE (Street Cry [Ire]) will not run in the Belmont S. (G1), trainer Carl Nafzger announced Thursday morning at a press conference at Churchill Downs. Nafzger said owner-breeder James Tafel made the decision Wednesday night after the dark bay colt breezed an easy half-mile at Churchill Downs. Tafel had been contemplating whether or not to run Street Sense in the Belmont ever since the colt was nipped at the finish by CURLIN (Smart Strike) in the Preakness S. (G1). That loss ended Tafel's dream that Street Sense would become the first horse since Affirmed in 1978 to complete a sweep of the Triple Crown. Nafzger said that Tafel decided during a Wednesday evening telephone conversation to skip the Belmont and point toward a fall campaign that includes the $1 million Travers S. (G1) on August 25 at Saratoga and the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) on October 27 at Monmouth Park. "I gave Mr. Tafel all of my reasons for going, and all my reasons for not going," Nafzger said. "The Triple Crown is out -- Curlin took us out. We're not going to the Belmont. We have set goals for this horse -- we want the Travers and we want the Breeders' Cup Classic. If we can be the first horse to win the (Breeders' Cup) Juvenile (G1), the Derby, the Travers and the Classic, then Mr. Tafel said these are worthy goals, let's go after it." Nafzger said that Tafel wanted Street Sense to win the Triple Crown "like you can't believe" and that the entire Street Sense camp was "really deflated" after Curlin rallied to edge Street Sense in a memorable Preakness finish. He said that both he and Tafel wanted another shot at Curlin in the Belmont, but with no Triple Crown on the line, the option of a fall campaign became more attractive.

"Let's don't chase spilled water," Nafzger said. "We spilled water in the

Preakness -- we spilled it. We got beat and we got outran. So that's behind us

and our decision now is to regroup."

Nafzger said Street Sense would remain in "light training" at Churchill Downs

before he gears up for the $1 million Haskell Invitational H. (G1) on August 5

at Monmouth Park or the $500,000 Jim Dandy S. (G2) on July 29 at Saratoga.

Either of those nine-furlong races would be used as a prep for the Travers.

There would be one more prep for the Classic, but Nafzger said "there's a

million races for us to choose from."

Street Sense breezed four furlongs in :49 on

Wednesday at Churchill Downs and went back to the track on Thursday for a

one-mile jog under exercise rider Mark Cutler.

Curlin and HARD SPUN (Danzig), who finished second in the Derby and third in

the Preakness, remain on course for the final leg of the Triple Crown. Others

under consideration for the 1 1/2-mile classic include SLEW'S TIZZY (Tiznow),

TIAGO (Pleasant Tap) and IMAWILDANDCRAZYGUY (Wild Event).

Curlin had a routine morning at Churchill Downs as the chestnut stood in

the starting gate -- a regular Thursday activity -- and galloped a mile under

exercise rider Carmen Rosas.

The Steve Asmussen trainee is scheduled to work on Monday and catch a flight to New York on

Tuesday.

"My position is be careful what you wish for," Asmussen said Thursday

afternoon during an NTRA conference call. "Right now is the first I heard

(Street Sense)

wasn't coming. I was fully prepared to run against him and Hard Spun. With

Street Sense being as good a horse as he is, Belmont Park would have been the place to

meet him."

Hard Spun is scheduled to ship from Delaware Park to Belmont Park on

Saturday.

"We figure to leave here around 11:30 on Saturday morning," trainer Larry

Jones said. "Right now, I have a work planned for him up there on Monday

morning."