In equestrian contests, the winning distance is typically stated in “lengths,” a unit that may initially appear vague but has evolved into a standard representation of a horse’s complete body length, roughly eight feet. Consequently, ten lengths equates to about eighty feet, slightly surpassing the dimensions of a tennis court. During 2006, an eighty-foot winning margin distinguished a remarkable two-year-old male horse destined to achieve a historic milestone in early May of the subsequent year.
Street Sense holds the distinction as the initial thoroughbred to triumph in both the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and subsequently the Kentucky Derby, a racing journey further enhanced by a victory in a separate classic race for three-year-olds and a breeding career that mirrors his competitive prowess.
Homebred Hope
James Tafel embarked on thoroughbred ownership at a more advanced stage of his life, although his familiarity with equines began considerably earlier. During his youth, he worked with polo ponies for a relative prior to his military service in England amidst World War II. Following this, he enrolled at the University of Pittsburgh for business education, subsequently securing a sales position at the Technical Publishing Company, a firm known for producing diverse specialized periodicals. He concluded his tenure as the organization’s president and CEO in 1983, transitioning to investment in horse racing that year through Cot Campbell’s Dogwood Stables.
Through his association with Dogwood, Tafel participated in the ownership syndicate for Nassipour, a horse that secured multiple graded stakes victories, notably the Grade 1 Rothmans International Handicap at Woodbine, and subsequently achieved prominence as a top stallion in Australia. After several periods with Dogwood, he ventured independently, allocating resources to fillies intended for both racing and eventual breeding
“It’s common for individuals to engage in the competitive aspect of the sport, leading to ownership of promising fillies or mares whose worth is elevated for reproductive purposes compared to offering them as non-pregnant broodmares,” Tafel remarked in 1998. “One somewhat drifts into the breeding sector, as occurred in my case, quite serendipitously. I’ve had ownership in approximately a dozen stakes champions, with some of the most accomplished being those I bred myself.”
Noteworthy among these was the female horse Banshee Breeze, a co-owned venture with Jayeff B Stables, under the tutelage of Carl Nafzger, the same trainer who guided her sire, Unbridled, to triumph in the 1990 Kentucky Derby. This filly achieved a second-place finish behind Keeper Hill in the 1998 Kentucky Oaks, subsequently securing three Grade 1 victories, culminating in the Eclipse Award for outstanding three-year-old filly.
Another horse bred by Tafel, campaigned under his racing silks, was a filly called Bedazzle. While she did not achieve a stakes win, she was the progeny of Pennsylvania Derby victor Dixieland Band, making her paternal grandsire Northern Dancer, which represented a superb upper lineage in her ancestry. For her initial breeding, Tafel selected an unproven stallion in his debut season, Street Cry, who would subsequently produce legendary champions like Zenyatta and Winx. This offspring of Machiavellian, owned by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum’s Godolphin, had claimed the 2002 Dubai World Cup in addition to the Grade 1 Stephen Foster Handicap. Despite his status as a nascent sire, his bloodline rendered him perfectly compatible with the unbred mare.
On February 23, 2004, Bedazzle gave birth to a striking dark bay male foal, distinguished by a small white marking on his brow. Tafel would bestow upon him the name Street Sense.
Always a Runner
Nafzger and Tafel had cultivated a professional partnership spanning two decades by the time Bedazzle’s inaugural male offspring arrived. This duo had collaborated not just on Banshee Breeze, but also with Vicar, the victor of the 1999 Florida Derby, and Unshaded, who clinched the 2000 Travers Stakes. They possessed an keen eye for quality equines, and the premier foal from his privately bred mare, sired by a first-season stallion, emphatically confirmed their expertise.
Upon the initial visit of the owner and trainer to Bedazzle’s Street Cry son at Chesapeake Farm in Kentucky, the location where Tafel maintained his breeding horses, Drew Nardiello of the farm conveyed to them: “The sole flaw with this young horse is his excessive perfection. His trajectory can only be one of decline.”
Street Sense exhibited remarkable talent right from the outset. He secured a second-place finish in his inaugural race at Churchill Downs, then achieved his maiden victory in his subsequent outing at Arlington Park. In his initial two attempts at stakes races, the Arlington-Washington Breeders’ Cup Futurity and the Lane’s End Breeders’ Futurity, he placed third on both occasions, yet still earned a spot in the Bessemer Trust Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Churchill Downs. At this event, he confronted some of the year’s premier two-year-olds, including Scat Daddy, Circular Quay, and Great Hunter. With his accustomed jockey Calvin Borel aboard, Street Sense occupied the 13th position among 14 competitors early in the race before initiating his charge on the far turn. As the front-runners veered wide exiting the turn, Borel identified an open path along the rail, urging Street Sense forward to seize the lead and ultimately dominate with that commanding ten-length victory.
The 2006 running of the Juvenile marked its 23rd iteration, and until that moment, no previous victor had successfully coupled it with a Kentucky Derby triumph on their record. Neither Chief’s Crown (who finished 3rd in 1985), Arazi (8th in 1992), nor Timber Country (3rd in 1995, despite subsequently winning the Preakness Stakes) had managed to claim the “run for the roses.” Street Sense, however, had demonstrated a clear affinity for the Churchill Downs dirt track, and Nafzger was already well-versed in the requirements for securing victory in the prestigious event. Furthermore, the Breeders’ Cup success garnered the gifted Street Cry progeny the Eclipse Award as the top two-year-old male. Prospects appeared highly favorable for the Street Sense team.
Derby Fever and an Elusive Double
The male horse owned by Tafel commenced his 2007 campaign at Tampa Bay Downs, securing a narrow win by a nose against Any Given Saturday in the Tampa Bay Derby. He then proceeded to Keeneland for the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes, where he achieved a second-place finish in a tightly contested race on the synthetic track. On the day of the Derby, Street Sense competed against a maximum field of 20, once more with Borel riding him on the dirt surface he so favored.
Positioned towards the rear of the main group early in the mile-and-a-quarter classic, Borel maintained a patient strategy, trailing Hard Spun, who held the front position. At the six-furlong mark, he was in 17th place with half a mile remaining in the race.
Nearing the final bend, Borel maneuvered through competitors, moving three horses wide to forge an unobstructed route to the forefront. Street Sense surged with immense force, effortlessly overtaking Hard Spun, and triumphed by two and one-quarter lengths. The offspring of Street Cry thus became the inaugural contender to achieve the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile-Kentucky Derby sweep, an accomplishment later matched by Nyquist during the 2015-’16 season.
Finishing third in the Derby was Curlin, who subsequently reversed the outcome against both Street Sense and Hard Spun in the Preakness, narrowly catching Street Sense in the final stages to secure victory by a minimal margin.
Tafel and Nafzger opted to bypass the Belmont Stakes, instead targeting the Jim Dandy, succeeded by the Travers, both significant late-summer contests for three-year-olds. In the Jim Dandy, he effortlessly regained winning form, conserving energy near the rear of the field before unleashing a powerful drive in the homestretch to triumph by one and a half lengths. During the mile-and-a-quarter Travers, Borel positioned Street Sense in the middle of the field for the initial half of the event, then launched his bid on the final turn, accelerating into the straight and surging past Grasshopper in the closing strides to win by a half-length.
He competed on two additional occasions, placing second to his recurring rival Hard Spun in the Kentucky Cup Classic Stakes at Turfway Park, and subsequently finishing fourth amidst torrential rain behind the eventual Horse of the Year, Curlin, in the Breeders’ Cup Classic held on a heavily saturated Monmouth Park course.
On June 2, 2007, Tafel divested the reproductive rights of his Derby champion to Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum’s Darley Stud. Following his racing retirement, Bedazzle’s male progeny, her initial offspring, commenced his stallion career at Darley’s Jonabell Farm. As of June 4, 2026, he has produced fifty group or graded stakes victors, among them McKinzie, First Mission, Maxfield, La Cara, Sweet Reason, Wedding Toast, Speaker’s Corner, and others.
In conclusion, Street Sense solidified his standing as an undeniable champion by being the first horse to accomplish the rare and sought-after Breeders’ Cup Juvenile-Kentucky Derby pairing. His thrilling, rail-hugging burst of speed beneath the Twin Spires, coupled with his impressive performance in the Travers, stands as a pivotal achievement in equestrian history and underscores his lasting eminence.
