Street Sense turns in strong work for Preakness

Street Sense takes his final spin around Churchill before heading to Baltimore for the Preakness  (Photo furnished by Churchill Downs/Reed Photography) Kentucky Derby (G1) hero STREET SENSE (Street Cry [Ire]), the probable favorite for Saturday's Preakness S. (G1), breezed five furlongs in 1:00 on a fast track at Churchill Downs on Tuesday. The workout ranked seventh among 22 at the distance. Street Sense was timed in fractions of :12 3/5, :25, :37 and :48 3/5 under regular rider Calvin Borel. As a result, the dark bay colt completed his last two furlongs in :11 3/5 and :11 2/5. He galloped out six furlongs in 1:12 3/5. "He worked super good," Borel said. "The horse is going forward every trip. Work-wise he's still going forward -- he's not going backwards. It's unbelievable." Trainer Carl Nafzger said the work was a bit faster than anticipated -- much like the colt's last work prior to his dazzling 2 1/4-length victory in the 133rd running of the Kentucky Derby. The conditioner said Street Sense was comfortable throughout the move and did everything perfectly.

"He wanted to go faster than he did, but he just listened to Calvin,"

Nafzger said. "They asked me before the work why we went five-eighths, and

that's because I didn't think the horse would get into stride enough going a

half-mile -- it might frustrate him because he just likes to stride along.

Actually he worked a lot faster than we thought (he would), but that's what

he had to do. He did it the right way and it didn't hurt him."

Nafzger is extremely pleased with how Street Sense has rebounded from his Derby effort (Michael J. Marten/Horsephotos.com) Street Sense worked five furlongs in 1:01, with a final quarter-mile in :23, on May 1. Nafzger said Street Sense has moved forward since that effort and his victory in the Run for the Roses on May 5. "He's a fitter horse now and he's a happy horse," Nafzger said. "He was a very happy horse when he walked off the track this morning. I don't think he was even taking a deep breath. His sides were just normal -- it was time to go home." Street Sense was accompanied on his walk to the track by a crowd that included media types and several other friends and admirers. The inquisitive colt stopped several times to take in his surroundings and the flurry of activity generated by his every move. "He knows he's the man," Borel said. "The more cameras and stuff and people that he has around him, he stops more. On a normal day when he goes out there by himself, he might stop once or twice. But the more people you get around him, the more cameras, he does stop a lot more, like he did this morning. But he's a happy camper and we let him do it -- what are you going to do? Like I said, he's the man, you know? He's in demand and he knows he's the man." Street Sense is scheduled to fly from Louisville to Baltimore on the second of two Tex Sutton equine transport flights on Wednesday. Borel will travel to Pimlico on Thursday evening. He plans to ride at Pimlico for the first time on Friday.

Earlier in the morning at Churchill Downs, Hall of Fame trainer and five-time

Preakness winner D. Wayne Lukas looked on as his Preakness hope -- FLYING FIRST

CLASS (Perfect Mandate) -- breezed four furlongs in :49 4/5 in his final workout

prior to the second leg of the Triple Crown. The breeze, under exercise rider

Stacy Prior, ranked 19th out of 30 at the distance.

"He went very well," Lukas said. "We didn't want to do a lot, but we got it

right on the money...We didn't want to break :49, and we're pretty close to the

race. We're tight and fit, so it was good -- very good. I was very pleased."

Flying First Class set torrid early fractions before winning the 7

1/2-furlong Derby Trial S. by 3 3/4 lengths on April 28. Two weeks earlier, he

was bothered at the start before finishing sixth in the Arkansas Derby (G2).

"The Derby Trial validated what I thought all along," Lukas said. "The horse

is a very talented horse. You don't run :44 here and 1:08 and not have some

talent. I got back to where I thought I should have been on Arkansas Derby day,

when we got such a horrendous trip. But I felt comfortable that after the Derby

Trial we were back where we needed to be. We're going to have a little bit of an

advantage in that we're coming back in three weeks, and time is your ally if

you're a horse trainer. So we've got some things going for us that might serve

us very well."

Flying First Class is scheduled to travel to Pimlico on Wednesday, and Lukas

believes that he is heading to the Preakness with a potential major player.

Curlin is seeking to make amends for his first career setback (Michael J. Marten/Horsephotos.com) "We're not going for the crab cakes," Lukas said. "We're going there with high expectations. I think we're gonna raise hell. I really do. I think Carl (Nafzger) and all of those guys know it, too. We're not going over there because we like Baltimore. No, that won't be the case." Veteran jockey Mark Guidry, who plans to retire from the saddle in August, rode Flying First Class in the Derby Trial and will retain the mount for the Preakness. The only other Preakness candidate at Churchill Downs -- CURLIN (Smart Strike) -- walked under trainer Steve Asmussen's shedrow, one day after breezing four furlongs in :51 on Monday. Arkansas Derby (G2) winner Curlin suffered his first loss in four career starts when finishing third in the Kentucky Derby. Assistant trainer Scott Blasi said the handsome chestnut was "doing great" on the day after his final pre-race work for the Preakness. Curlin will travel to Baltimore on the first of the two equine flights scheduled to depart Louisville on Wednesday.

In other Preakness news:

Grade 1 juvenile winner CIRCULAR QUAY (Thunder Gulch), who finished

sixth in the Kentucky Derby, will run in the Preakness, according to the

Pimlico horsemen's relations office. Circular Quay's owners, Michael and

Doreen Tabor, and bloodstock agent Demi O'Byrne have made arrangements

to attend the 132nd running of the Preakness.

Trainer Todd Pletcher, who has had only one horse in the

Preakness (Impeachment, third in 2000), will saddle Circular Quay and

Hutcheson S. (G2) winner KING OF THE ROXY (Littleexpectations) in

Preakness 132.

Jockey John Velazquez is expected to retain the mount on Circular

Quay, allowing Garrett Gomez to pick up the mount on King of the Roxy.

"I'm on one of them," said Ron Anderson, Gomez's agent. "I'm assuming

it is King of the Roxy because we worked him over the weekend, but I

haven't been given the final word."

Circular Quay made a sweeping move to win the Louisiana Derby (G2),

eight weeks before running in the Kentucky Derby. The flashy chestnut

breezed four furlongs in :48 2/5 at Belmont Park on Monday.

King of the Roxy comes off a runner-up effort in the Santa Anita

Derby (G1) on April 7.

Post positions for the Preakness will be drawn Wednesday

at the ESPN Zone in Baltimore's Inner Harbor. The event

will be broadcast live on ESPN2 from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. (EDT).