Street Sense works in advance of Kentucky Cup Classic

Hard Spun returns to the spot of his Lanes End victory (Michael J. Marten/Horsephotos.com)

Kentucky Derby (G1) hero STREET SENSE (Street Cry [Ire]), a half-length

winner of the Travers S. (G1) at Saratoga in his most recent appearance, worked

five furlongs on a fast track at Churchill Downs on Tuesday in preparation for

Saturday's $350,000 Kentucky Cup Classic (G2) at Turfway Park.

With jockey Calvin Borel astride, the dark bay colt was timed in 1:01 4/5.

The move was the seventh-fastest of 29 at the distance.

The Carl Nafzger trainee was clocked in fractions of :13 4/5, :26, :38 1/5

and :49 1/5. Street Sense galloped out six furlongs in 1:14 1/5.

Both Borel and Nafzger were happy with the work, which was the Kentucky Derby

winner's final major training move prior to Saturday's Kentucky Cup Classic on

the Polytrack surface at Turfway Park. The 1 1/8-mile event will serve as his

final "prep race" for the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) on October 27 at

Monmouth Park.

"He worked good," Borel said. "That's what Carl wanted -- 1:01 and change. He

settled down right, galloped out good and he's sharp. He's ready to roll. Come

Saturday, he'll be ready.

"He's matured a lot," Borel added. "He's just blossoming out and is more

focused. He's doing it the right way -- he's doing it like I want him to. Carl

has kept him sound and kept him happy, and that's the main thing. If you look at

him, he's biting and everything, and this morning he was kicking and bucking. We

got a good work in him the other day and just wanted something (this morning) to

put a little air in him. So we did, and he's ready."

The Kentucky Cup Classic will provide a rare post-Triple Crown match of the

top two finishers from this year's Kentucky Derby as Street Sense will again

tackle Derby runner-up HARD SPUN (Danzig), winner of the King's Bishop S. (G1)

at Saratoga in his most recent start. The Larry Jones-trained colt captured the Lane's End S.

(G2) on Turfway Park's Polytrack oval in late March, and figures to be the horse

to catch in a prospective field that could include as few as four starters. Both

Nafzger and Borel acknowledge the threat posed by a horse with such talent and

speed -- and know that the Kentucky Derby winner could be forced to change his

usual late-running tactics in Saturday's meeting with Hard Spun.