Curlin’s stellar qualities would have ensured his fame irrespective of his birth year.
His talent was truly exceptional.
The Smart Strike progeny from Stonestreet Stables achieved two Horse of the Year titles, concluding his racing career as North America’s highest-earning equine and subsequently gaining induction into the Hall of Fame. His accolades included a Preakness win in only his fifth outing, followed by triumphs in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, Dubai World Cup, and a pair of Jockey Club Gold Cup victories.
This champion generally held sway in the sport… apart from specific spring events in 2007, when he encountered two other outstanding contenders from his generation: Street Sense and Hard Spun.
Throughout a significant portion of that year, Curlin, Street Sense, and Hard Spun were virtually inseparable in skill, participating in numerous unforgettable encounters and establishing themselves as one of the finest groups of three-year-olds in racing history.
“That year proved quite challenging for other three-year-olds,” commented Larry Jones, Hard Spun’s trainer, in 2017. “In 2007, it was widely suggested that Hard Spun, Street Sense, and Curlin constituted the strongest group of three-year-olds since the 1957 cohort of Bold Ruler, Round Table, and Gallant Man. All three subsequently became successful sires and continue to perform well at stud. It’s gratifying to observe that a decade later, this particular class remains so highly esteemed.
“It was an exceptional group, and I haven’t witnessed such profound talent since. While great horses have appeared, none have matched the sheer numbers of 2007. I am certain that if Hard Spun had arrived a year later, he would have clinched the Triple Crown. Big Brown would have found Hard Spun a formidable rival.”
Ultimately, Curlin received the titles of champion three-year-old male and Horse of the Year in 2007, but this was the outcome of a fiercely contested championship battle that remained unresolved until the final moments, fueling extensive discussion throughout the year regarding which of the formidable trio stood supreme.
The key contenders included:
- Curlin, who secured six victories from nine races in 2007 and concluded his racing tenure with eleven wins in sixteen outings, amassing $10,501,800 under the guidance of trainer Steve Asmussen.
- Street Sense, the two-year-old champion and 2006 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile victor, also triumphing in the Kentucky Derby and Travers Stakes, and narrowly missing the Preakness by a head, trained by Carl Nafzger.
- Hard Spun, a three-year-old who claimed the King’s Bishop, Kentucky Cup Classic, Lane’s End, and Lecomte Stakes, while also finishing second in the Kentucky Derby, Haskell Invitational, and Breeders’ Cup Classic, trained by Jones.
Following the 2007 Breeders’ Cup Classic, Street Sense and Hard Spun concluded their careers; nevertheless, the recollections of the three horses’ six encounters—with three of those involving all of them—during their three-year-old season are sure to endure for many years.
“These were three of the most exceptional colts to ever contend against one another in the Triple Crown series. They consistently performed in every race, alternating between victories and second-place finishes,” remarked Barbara Banke, whose deceased husband, Jess Jackson, was Curlin’s owner. “It was truly magnificent. I cherish those moments.”
Despite the intense competition on the track, the teams behind the horses maintained a strong sense of respect and admiration for each other as their charges vied in the year’s premier events.
Jones mentioned that his mother considered Nafzger “her preferred trainer,” and Asmussen stated that if he could have trained any other horse that year, it would have been Hard Spun.
“My regard for Carl, Larry, and their equine athletes was profound,” Asmussen expressed. “I commend them all.”
The initial confrontation among the three competitors occurred on a remarkably appropriate platform.
On the inaugural Saturday of May, they commanded the spotlight as the main participants in the Kentucky Derby.
Jim Tafel’s horse, Street Sense, was the favored contender at 4.90-to-1 odds at Churchill Downs that day, though a degree of concern arose after his second-place performance on an all-weather surface in the Blue Grass Stakes.
Nonetheless, that defeat failed to diminish the assurance of Street Sense’s trainer, Nafzger.
“Our assessment was that our horse was prepared,” stated Nafzger, who had previously claimed the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Churchill Downs with his Derby favorite a year prior. “We believed victory was attainable, provided the race unfolded favorably.”
Curlin, under Steve Asmussen’s training, was the next favored option, with negligible difference in odds at 5-1. He entered the Derby undefeated, with three wins in three starts, having previously secured the Arkansas Derby by a margin of 10 ½ lengths and the Rebel Stakes.
Hard Spun, belonging to Rick Porter’s Fox Hill Farm, was the fourth preference at 10-1. Without a Grade 1 victory, his ultimate Derby preparation occurred when he claimed the Grade 2 Lane’s End Stakes on a synthetic track at Turfway Park.
“We acknowledged that Street Sense and Curlin were considered more likely to win than us,” Jones remarked. “I witnessed Curlin’s maiden victory and was deeply impressed. Street Sense held the title of two-year-old champion, so our aspiration was simply for our horse’s continuous improvement to persist.”
Upon the opening of the starting gates, jockey Mario Pino promptly positioned Hard Spun at the lead, where the Danzig colt, bred in Pennsylvania, set rapid initial splits of 22.96 and 46.26 seconds, closely trailed by longshots Cowtown Cat, Teuflesberg, and Stormello.
Concurrently, Street Sense and Curlin remained towards the rear of the twenty-horse lineup. After an early check, Curlin occupied thirteenth position at the half-mile mark, while jockey Calvin Borel navigated Street Sense from gate seven to the inside lane soon after the start, deliberately holding the Eclipse Award recipient in nineteenth place during the initial phase.
As they rounded the bend, Hard Spun extended his lead, establishing a three-length advantage at the quarter pole, which instilled in Jones the conviction that an extraordinary event was imminent.
“When Hard Spun surged forward in the stretch, I exclaimed, ‘Oh my goodness.’ My legs felt unsteady,” Jones recounted.
However, despite Hard Spun’s powerful appearance in front, Street Sense was rapidly accelerating along the rail, closing the gap with each stride.
Nearing the eighth pole, Street Sense caught Hard Spun and subsequently pulled away to achieve a 2 ¼-length win.
Farther back, Curlin discovered his optimal pace belatedly, rallying to secure third place, 5 ¾ lengths adrift of Hard Spun.
“Calvin executed the ideal journey we had envisioned,” stated Nafzger, who registered his second Kentucky Derby success, building on Unbridled’s victory in 1990.
A fortnight subsequently, the three contenders proceeded to the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico, where Street Sense entered as a strong 6-5 favorite, aiming to preserve his aspirations for the Triple Crown.
Unexpectedly, Hard Spun started sluggishly and failed to take the initial lead, instead tracking Xchanger and Flying First Class from third position. Curlin and Street Sense again positioned themselves towards the rear, falling behind by 13 and 15 lengths, respectively, after the first half-mile.
Nearing the concluding turn, Pino initiated his maneuver while riding Hard Spun, seizing a two-length advantage after covering six furlongs in a rapid 1:09.80.
Rounding the bend, Curlin initiated a powerful, wide advance, placing him in third position behind Hard Spun and CP West as they entered the stretch. However, behind him, Street Sense was executing an even more potent surge. Drifting off the rail, the Derby champion burst through a gap among the three horses ahead, rapidly establishing a length and a half lead at the eighth pole.
A Triple Crown attempt in the Belmont Stakes appeared certain, but then an event occurred that captivates horse racing enthusiasts. The exact cause remains a subject of discussion even now. Was it Curlin’s sheer determination prevailing? Did Street Sense ease up after securing the lead? Did Borel exhibit excessive confidence? Or was it a confluence of these factors?
Regardless of the underlying cause, propelled by jockey Robby Albarado’s encouragement, Curlin steadily eroded Street Sense’s lead over the last sixteenth of a mile, culminating in a thrilling stretch battle vividly described by NBC announcer Tom Durkin’s energetic commentary.
“Hard Spun trying to gut it out. Here comes Street Sense into the breach and on through to the lead. And Curlin’s to his outside. Street Sense in front at the eighth pole. Curlin giving his all a length and a half behind … Coming to the finish, Street Sense. Here comes Curlin. Curlin surging. Street Sense in deep water. Too close to call! Too close to call!”
At the wire, Curlin’s head emerged ahead, with the finish line appearing mere yards too late for Street Sense.
Hard Spun trailed by an additional four lengths, settling for third.
“Curlin possessed immense strength. I cannot liken him to any other horse I’ve encountered, particularly concerning his recovery post-race,” Asmussen remarked. “This instilled confidence in me for the Preakness following the two-week break, and his capability to complete the mile and three-sixteenths in 1:53.46 while fiercely battling in the stretch truly demonstrated his exceptional talent.”
In subsequent years, Nafzger expressed regret over a lost chance to pursue a Triple Crown clean sweep.
“We executed our move and surged into the lead, and I believed victory was secured,” Nafzger recounted. “However, if you recall the Breeders’ Futurity [at two], once he gained the lead, he began to idle. He didn’t yield, but he lost that drive, that impetus. I hadn’t anticipated Curlin’s surge, but he came on incredibly fast. They adapted to him for the Preakness, and he wasn’t straightforward to understand. It was a fine ride by Calvin, yet we initiated our move too soon.”
With their Triple Crown aspirations thwarted, Nafzger and Tafel chose to bypass the Belmont Stakes, instead designating the Travers Stakes at Saratoga as Street Sense’s primary summer target.
“Mr. Tafel favored the Travers, and it had always been my preferred race, so we opted to go there. Participating in the Belmont offered no advantages. There was potential for loss, but no upside,” Nafzger explained.
Curlin and Hard Spun progressed to Belmont Park for the challenging 1 ½-mile “Test of the Champion,” but with only two of the prominent trio present, trainer Todd Pletcher took a calculated risk by entering Kentucky Oaks victor Rags to Riches in the Belmont.
Pletcher’s strategic choice yielded substantial rewards.
Curlin was dispatched as the 6-5 favorite in the Belmont, while Rags to Riches held the position of second choice at 4-1. Hard Spun, the 9-2 third choice, featured a different jockey in the Belmont, as Jones selected Garrett Gomez to replace Pino.
Jones recalled instructing Gomez to position Hard Spun at the forefront, but similar to the Preakness, Hard Spun was held in third during the initial phases, this time running wide through six furlongs at a leisurely 1:15 1/5, eventually fading in the stretch.
This transformed the Belmont into an extended dash to the finish, where Rags to Riches possessed a strategic advantage on the exterior. Curlin was momentarily confined inside the pacesetting C P West, but at the five-sixteenths pole, he burst through an opening to confront Rags to Riches, who had already gained a narrow lead.
The pair engaged in a fierce struggle down Belmont’s stretch, with the filly consistently preventing Curlin from overtaking her. Despite Curlin once again demonstrating his tenacity in the closing yards, Rags to Riches maintained her lead, winning by a head as Durkin declared, “A filly will win the Belmont!”
Rags to Riches marked the first filly to claim the Belmont since Tanya in 1905, simultaneously delivering Pletcher his inaugural Triple Crown victory.
Hard Spun ultimately finished in fourth place.
“The events of that Belmont race were entirely perplexing to us,” Jones stated.
As Street Sense capitalized on his break from Triple Crown rivals to triumph in the Jim Dandy and subsequently the Travers, Curlin and Hard Spun faced off once more in the $1 million Haskell Stakes at Monmouth Park.
Spectators once more favored Curlin, making him the 4-5 favorite, while Hard Spun, with Pino back in the saddle, was the 9-2 third choice.
Nevertheless, it was Any Given Saturday, the 9-5 second choice, who had won the Grade 2 Dwyer and finished eighth in the Kentucky Derby, that seized the opportunity on a day when neither of the Triple Crown main figures delivered their peak performance. Piloted by Gomez, Any Given Saturday surged clear in the stretch to secure a 4 ½-length win for Pletcher.
Hard Spun narrowly beat Curlin for second place by a head, thereby becoming the first—and eventually sole—horse to finish ahead of Curlin on two separate occasions.
Following the Haskell, Curlin was given a break to prepare for a fall season, but Jones took advantage of a chance to secure a coveted Grade 1 victory for his horse. He entered Hard Spun on Travers Day at Saratoga, though not in the “Mid-Summer Derby.” Instead, the Fox Hill Farms colt competed in the Grade 1 King’s Bishop (now known as the H. Allen Jerkens Stakes), achieving a length and a half victory, which further underscored the distinction and caliber of the prominent trio.
“Our goal was a Grade 1 win, and I informed Rick that if we could avoid Street Sense or Curlin, we would achieve it,” Jones stated. “Therefore, we opted for the King’s Bishop. Many argued he couldn’t revert to seven furlongs, but it proved to be effortless. He performed magnificently in the King’s Bishop.”
While the triumphs in the King’s Bishop and Travers added significant prestige to the records of the top three, their collective stature was elevated further during the concluding weekend of September.
Street Sense and Hard Spun engaged in an uncommon non-Triple Crown encounter between the Kentucky Derby’s top two finishers, competing in the Grade 2 Kentucky Cup Classic at Turfway Park. Raced on Turfway’s synthetic Polytrack surface, Hard Spun maintained the lead at every point of call, securing a comfortable 1 ¼-length victory over Street Sense.
However, the following day, Curlin represented the three-year-old class in a contest against more experienced horses in the Grade 1, $750,000 Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park, thereby shifting the competitive advantage towards the younger generation.
Lawyer Ron, fresh from consecutive victories in the Whitney and Woodward Stakes totaling 13 lengths, was the overwhelming 3-5 favorite, with Curlin positioned as the 2-1 second choice. While the wagering public correctly identified the two most capable horses in the lineup, they did not anticipate the ultimate victor.
Between the Haskell and the Gold Cup, Curlin reached his full maturity. In what was one of his most impressive displays, Curlin battled Lawyer Ron fiercely in the concluding furlong, clinching a neck victory in a swift 2:01.20 for the mile and a quarter distance.
“The Gold Cup represented the pinnacle of his upward progression,” Asmussen stated. “This particular horse had begun his racing career in February of that year, and the Gold Cup elevated him to an entirely new echelon. It unequivocally demonstrated the significant improvement he achieved with maturity by the close of 2007.”
Subsequently, the Breeders’ Cup Classic was widely regarded as the decisive race for Horse of the Year honors. A win in this event appeared sufficient to tip the scales for Curlin, Street Sense, or Hard Spun, with Lawyer Ron and Any Given Saturday also being considered contenders.
All three prominent horses prepared intensely for their ultimate confrontation.
“I did not anticipate Street Sense would be defeated in the Breeders’ Cup,” Nafzger commented.
No apparent justifications for defeat existed, until the weather intervened.
The Breeders’ Cup’s two-day residency at Monmouth Park was characterized by incessant rainfall. Although the sun briefly pierced the clouds during the Classic, the track had already been compromised. It presented a muddy, viscous expanse that appeared certain to significantly influence the race’s result.
Competing on the dirt again, Street Sense held the favorite status at 5-2. Any Given Saturday and Lawyer Ron were each 7-2, while Curlin was 4-1 and Hard Spun was an underestimated 8-1.
Pino positioned Hard Spun directly into the lead, establishing a significant advantage on the backstretch. Rounding the turn, both Street Sense and Curlin challenged Hard Spun, setting up what appeared to be a monumental stretch battle, yet only one of them managed to sustain their drive.
“When racing in muddy conditions, the outcome is always uncertain,” Nafzger remarked. “We initiated our surge, but by the quarter pole, we weren’t making any progress. We had a fantastic career with Street Sense, and it would have been wonderful to conclude with a Classic victory, but such is the nature of horse racing.”
While Street Sense failed to accelerate, Curlin burst forward at Hard Spun, overtaking him prior to the eighth pole and drawing off to a conclusive 4 ½-length triumph that rendered the Eclipse Award balloting a formality and secured him two victories in the trio’s three head-to-head encounters.
“My confidence heading into the Classic was absolute,” Asmussen stated. “I believe there was no doubt as to the extent of his development by that stage.”
Hard Spun managed to retain second place, finishing 4 ¾ lengths clear of Awesome Gem. Street Sense concluded the race in fourth.
In the subsequent year, Hard Spun and Street Sense commenced their careers at stud; Street Sense boasting six victories from thirteen starts and accumulating $4.3 million, while Hard Spun recorded seven wins in thirteen outings and earnings of $2.6 million. Curlin, meanwhile, extended his Hall of Fame-worthy career for an additional season, magnificently embodying the distinguished three-year-old Class of 2007.
In retrospect, the formidable trio not only commanded attention in the Triple Crown events but collectively elevated their performances further, shining brilliantly as the year progressed, establishing themselves as enduring equine luminaries.
“Had Street Sense secured third place in the Breeders’ Cup, it would have marked the inaugural instance of horses finishing 1-2-3 in the Derby, 1-2-3 in the Preakness, and 1-2-3 in the Breeders’ Cup. Larry and Steve playfully teased me about disrupting that possibility,” Nafzger recounted. “This illustrates the extraordinary nature of having several three-year-olds of such caliber and consistent competitiveness throughout the entire year.
“It was an impressive rivalry, though I wouldn’t have objected if Curlin and Hard Spun had emerged a year later,” he further remarked with a chuckle. “One can only speculate what each might have achieved without the presence of the other two. Every one of them was extraordinary.”
Extraordinary horses, they gifted the sport unforgettable moments. This fact is beyond dispute.
Remark: This narrative, initially released in June 2017, has since undergone revisions.
