Hard Spun
Encyclopedia
Hard Spun is an American
Thoroughbred
racehorse
that finished second in the 2007 Kentucky Derby
. He is from one of the last crops of three-time leading sire in North America
Danzig
. Hard Spun is owned by Wilmington, Delaware
automobile dealer
Richard C. Porter, who races under the Fox Hill Farms banner.
Bred for endurance, at age two Hard Spun made his debut on October 22, 2006, at Delaware Park Racetrack, winning by an 8 ¾-length margin. He then showed he could handle sloppy tracks when he won the Port Penn Stakes on the same track by five lengths on November 14. In December, he won the 2006 Pennsylvania Nursery Stakes at Philadelphia Park Racetrack
, a race won in 2003 by Smarty Jones
.
Entering the three-year-old racing season in 2007, jockey
Mario Pino
rode Hard Spun to his fourth straight win, capturing January's Lecomte Stakes
at the Fair Grounds Race Course
in New Orleans, Louisiana
. In his next start on February 19 in the Southwest Stakes
at Oaklawn Park
in Hot Springs, Arkansas
, he was sent off as the 2-5 betting
favorite. However, the colt
finished an uninspired fourth to winner Teuflesberg
, who was ridden by Stewart Elliott
. Trainer Larry Jones
said that Hard Spun had a difficult time with his footing on Oaklawn's dirt surface and decided to skip the racetrack's Rebel Stakes
and Arkansas Derby
. Instead, Hard Spun was sent to compete in the Lane's End Stakes
on the Polytrack
at Turfway Park
in Northern Kentucky
. On March 24, Hard Spun scored his fifth win in six starts with an impressive 3¼-length victory in the Lane's End Stakes in a strong time of 1:49 2/5 for the 1⅛-mile event.
Hard Spun was expected to next start in the Blue Grass Stakes
on the Polytrack at Keeneland Race Course, but Jones instead decided to go directly to Churchill Downs
to see if the colt could handle its dirt surface. Hard Spun passed his test and finished 2nd at the Kentucky Derby
on May 5t against the top three-year-olds in the country. For Hard Spun's owner, trainer, and veteran jockey, it marked their first entry in America's most prestigious horse race. Hard Spun finished third in the Preakness Stakes
and fourth in the Belmont Stakes
.
On June 2, 2007, owner Richard Porter sold Hard Spun's breeding rights to Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum's
Darley Stud
.
Hard Spun ran second by 4½ lengths to Any Given Saturday
in the $1 million Grade I
Haskell Invitational Handicap
at Monmouth Park on August 5, 2007. Third place went to the betting
favorite, Curlin.
On August 25, 2007, Hard Spun got his first Grade I
win in the King's Bishop Stakes
at Saratoga Race Course
in a time of 1:22:34 over a fast track.
On September 29, 2007, he won the 1 1/8 mile Grade II
Kentucky Cup Classic Stakes on Polytrack
at Turfway Park
, beating Kentucky Derby
winner Street Sense
and earning not only the base purse of $130,000 but a bonus of $150,000 offered by the track to any starter of a Grade I
winner for 2006 or 2007. Hard Spun finished second in the Breeders' Cup Classic
.
Retired from racing, he will now stand at Darley Stud
with an initial stud fee of $50,000.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Thoroughbred
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
racehorse
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
that finished second in the 2007 Kentucky Derby
Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter mile at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry...
. He is from one of the last crops of three-time leading sire in North America
Leading sire in North America
The list below shows the leading sire of Thoroughbred racehorses in North America for each year since 1830. This is determined by the amount of prizemoney won by the sire's progeny during the year...
Danzig
Danzig (horse)
Danzig was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who is best known as a leading sire. He was purchased for $310,000 by Henryk de Kwiatkowski at the 1978 Saratoga Yearling Sale...
. Hard Spun is owned by Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington is the largest city in the state of Delaware, United States, and is located at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine Creek, near where the Christina flows into the Delaware River. It is the county seat of New Castle County and one of the major cities in the Delaware Valley...
automobile dealer
Car dealership
A car dealership or vehicle local distribution is a business that sells new or used cars at the retail level, based on a dealership contract with an automaker or its sales subsidiary. It employs automobile salespeople to do the selling...
Richard C. Porter, who races under the Fox Hill Farms banner.
Bred for endurance, at age two Hard Spun made his debut on October 22, 2006, at Delaware Park Racetrack, winning by an 8 ¾-length margin. He then showed he could handle sloppy tracks when he won the Port Penn Stakes on the same track by five lengths on November 14. In December, he won the 2006 Pennsylvania Nursery Stakes at Philadelphia Park Racetrack
Philadelphia Park Racetrack
Parx Racing and Casino is a thoroughbred horse racetrack and racino in Bensalem, Pennsylvania. It currently houses 3,300 slot machines.-History:...
, a race won in 2003 by Smarty Jones
Smarty Jones
Smarty Jones is a thoroughbred race horse, and winner of the 2004 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes. He finished second in the Belmont Stakes that took place on June 5th, 2004....
.
Entering the three-year-old racing season in 2007, jockey
Jockey
A jockey is an athlete who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing.-Etymology:...
Mario Pino
Mario G. Pino
Mario G. Pino is a jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing. Raised on a farm, he began his riding career in 1978 at Delaware Park in Wilmington...
rode Hard Spun to his fourth straight win, capturing January's Lecomte Stakes
Lecomte Stakes
The Lecomte Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held at the Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is a Grade III Stakes race for three-year old horses willing to run 1 mile and 40 yards on the dirt. It has also been raced at 8 furlongs and 8.5 furlongs. It offers a...
at the Fair Grounds Race Course
Fair Grounds Race Course
Fair Grounds Race Course, often known as New Orleans Fair Grounds, is a thoroughbred racetrack and racino in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is operated by Churchill Downs Louisiana Horseracing Company, LLC....
in New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
. In his next start on February 19 in the Southwest Stakes
Southwest Stakes
The Southwest Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held at Oaklawn Park Race Track in Hot Springs, Arkansas in mid February during the President's Day weekend. The race is open to three-year-old horses willing to race one mile on the dirt and currently offers a purse of $250,000...
at Oaklawn Park
Oaklawn Park
Oaklawn Park is an American thoroughbred racetrack in Hot Springs, Arkansas. It is the home to The Racing Festival of the South.In 2009, the Horseplayers Association of North America introduced a rating system for 65 Thoroughbred racetracks in North America. Of the top Ten, Oaklawn was ranked...
in Hot Springs, Arkansas
Hot Springs, Arkansas
Hot Springs is the 10th most populous city in the U.S. state of Arkansas, the county seat of Garland County, and the principal city of the Hot Springs Metropolitan Statistical Area encompassing all of Garland County...
, he was sent off as the 2-5 betting
Gambling
Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods...
favorite. However, the colt
Colt (horse)
A colt is a young male horse, under the age of four. The term "colt" is often confused with foal, which refers to a horse of either sex under one year of age....
finished an uninspired fourth to winner Teuflesberg
Teuflesberg (horse)
Teuflesberg is an American thoroughbred stallion racehorse. He was sired by 2001 United States Champion 2-Yr-Old Colt Johannesburg, and was out of the Devil's Bag mare St. Michelle...
, who was ridden by Stewart Elliott
Stewart Elliott
Stewart Elliott is an American thoroughbred jockey.Elliott grew up in horse racing; his father was a jockey for many years, his mother rode show horses and was a riding instructor, and his uncle owns a racing stable in Canada...
. Trainer Larry Jones
J. Larry Jones
J. Larry Jones is an American Thoroughbred horse racing trainer. A former commercial farmer, he embarked on a career as a professional trainer in 1982....
said that Hard Spun had a difficult time with his footing on Oaklawn's dirt surface and decided to skip the racetrack's Rebel Stakes
Rebel Stakes
The Rebel Stakes is an American Grade II Thoroughbred horse race held annually in March at Oaklawn Park racetrack in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Open to three-year-old horses, it is raced on dirt over a distance of 11/16 miles...
and Arkansas Derby
Arkansas Derby
The Arkansas Derby is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held annually at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Arkansas. It is currently a Grade I race run over a distance of 9 furlongs on dirt....
. Instead, Hard Spun was sent to compete in the Lane's End Stakes
Lane's End Stakes
The Spiral Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race held in late March at Turfway Park in Florence, Kentucky in the Cincinnati area. The race is open to three-year-olds willing to race one and one-eighth miles on the main track, which is now a synethic surface at Turfway...
on the Polytrack
Polytrack
A synthetic racetrack surface is any kind of surface substance that replaces grass, dirt or sand as the racing surface on a horse racing track. Synthetic surfaces may be desirable over traditional surfaces for several reasons, most prominently the reduction of injuries and possible deaths to horses...
at Turfway Park
Turfway Park
Turfway Park is an American horse racing track located just outside the city limits to the north of Florence, Kentucky, about 10 miles south of the Ohio River at Cincinnati...
in Northern Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
. On March 24, Hard Spun scored his fifth win in six starts with an impressive 3¼-length victory in the Lane's End Stakes in a strong time of 1:49 2/5 for the 1⅛-mile event.
Hard Spun was expected to next start in the Blue Grass Stakes
Blue Grass Stakes
The Toyota Blue Grass Stakes, currently sponsored by the Toyota Motor Corporation, is an American Grade 1 horse race for 3-year-old Thoroughbreds held annually in mid April at Keeneland Racecourse in Lexington, Kentucky....
on the Polytrack at Keeneland Race Course, but Jones instead decided to go directly to Churchill Downs
Churchill Downs
Churchill Downs, located in Central Avenue in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States, is a Thoroughbred racetrack most famous for hosting the Kentucky Derby annually. It officially opened in 1875, and held the first Kentucky Derby and the first Kentucky Oaks in the same year. Churchill Downs...
to see if the colt could handle its dirt surface. Hard Spun passed his test and finished 2nd at the Kentucky Derby
Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter mile at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry...
on May 5t against the top three-year-olds in the country. For Hard Spun's owner, trainer, and veteran jockey, it marked their first entry in America's most prestigious horse race. Hard Spun finished third in the Preakness Stakes
Preakness Stakes
The Preakness Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held on the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade I race run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs on dirt. Colts and geldings carry 126 pounds ; fillies 121 lb...
and fourth in the Belmont Stakes
Belmont Stakes
The Belmont Stakes is an American Grade I stakes Thoroughbred horse race held every June at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is a 1.5-mile horse race, open to three year old Thoroughbreds. Colts and geldings carry a weight of 126 pounds ; fillies carry 121 pounds...
.
On June 2, 2007, owner Richard Porter sold Hard Spun's breeding rights to Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum's
Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum , also Sheikh Mohammed, , is the Prime Minister and Vice President of the United Arab Emirates , and absolute monarch of Dubai.-Personal life and education:...
Darley Stud
Darley Stud
Darley Stud is a Thoroughbred breeding operation owned by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, ruler of Dubai and vice-president of the United Arab Emirates. Darley breeds horses in the United Kingdom, Ireland, the United States, Dubai, Japan and Australia....
.
Hard Spun ran second by 4½ lengths to Any Given Saturday
Any Given Saturday
Any Given Saturday is an American Thoroughbred racehorse.-Background:From the mare Weekend in Indy, a daughter of the 1992 U.S. Horse of the Year and U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee, A.P...
in the $1 million Grade I
Graded stakes race
A graded stakes race is a term applied since 1973 by the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association to thoroughbred horse races in the United States and Canada to describe races that derive their name from the stake, or entry fee, owners must pay...
Haskell Invitational Handicap
Haskell Invitational Handicap
The Resorts Casino & Hotel Haskell Invitational is an American Grade I race for thoroughbred horses. In 1968, the Board of Directors of Monmouth Park Racetrack in Oceanport, New Jersey honored its former President and Chairman Amory L. Haskell with the Amory L. Haskell Handicap, a race for older...
at Monmouth Park on August 5, 2007. Third place went to the betting
Parimutuel betting
Parimutuel betting is a betting system in which all bets of a particular type are placed together in a pool; taxes and the "house-take" or "vig" is removed, and payoff odds are calculated by sharing the pool among all winning bets...
favorite, Curlin.
On August 25, 2007, Hard Spun got his first Grade I
Graded stakes race
A graded stakes race is a term applied since 1973 by the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association to thoroughbred horse races in the United States and Canada to describe races that derive their name from the stake, or entry fee, owners must pay...
win in the King's Bishop Stakes
King's Bishop Stakes
The King's Bishop Stakes is a Thoroughbred horse race run annually at the Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. The race is open to three-year-olds willing to sprint seven furlongs on dirt. The race is a Grade I event and carries a purse of $250,000...
at Saratoga Race Course
Saratoga Race Course
Saratoga Race Course is a Thoroughbred horse racing track in Saratoga Springs, New York, United States. It opened on August 3, 1863, and is the oldest organized sporting venue of any kind in the United States. It is typically open for racing from late July through early September.-History:John...
in a time of 1:22:34 over a fast track.
On September 29, 2007, he won the 1 1/8 mile Grade II
Graded stakes race
A graded stakes race is a term applied since 1973 by the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association to thoroughbred horse races in the United States and Canada to describe races that derive their name from the stake, or entry fee, owners must pay...
Kentucky Cup Classic Stakes on Polytrack
Polytrack
A synthetic racetrack surface is any kind of surface substance that replaces grass, dirt or sand as the racing surface on a horse racing track. Synthetic surfaces may be desirable over traditional surfaces for several reasons, most prominently the reduction of injuries and possible deaths to horses...
at Turfway Park
Turfway Park
Turfway Park is an American horse racing track located just outside the city limits to the north of Florence, Kentucky, about 10 miles south of the Ohio River at Cincinnati...
, beating Kentucky Derby
Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter mile at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry...
winner Street Sense
Street Sense (horse)
Street Sense is an American Thoroughbred racehorse, U.S. Champion 2-Yr-Old Colt and winner of the 2007 Kentucky Derby, the 2007 Travers Stakes and runner up in the 2007 Preakness Stakes by a head. Owned and bred by James B...
and earning not only the base purse of $130,000 but a bonus of $150,000 offered by the track to any starter of a Grade I
Graded stakes race
A graded stakes race is a term applied since 1973 by the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association to thoroughbred horse races in the United States and Canada to describe races that derive their name from the stake, or entry fee, owners must pay...
winner for 2006 or 2007. Hard Spun finished second in the Breeders' Cup Classic
Breeders' Cup Classic
The Breeders' Cup Classic is a Grade I Weight for Age thoroughbred horse race for 3 year olds and older run at a distance of 1¼ miles on dirt. It is held annually at a different racetrack as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships...
.
Retired from racing, he will now stand at Darley Stud
Darley Stud
Darley Stud is a Thoroughbred breeding operation owned by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, ruler of Dubai and vice-president of the United Arab Emirates. Darley breeds horses in the United Kingdom, Ireland, the United States, Dubai, Japan and Australia....
with an initial stud fee of $50,000.