BackTrack: Hard Spun Lands Grade 1 King's Bishop

Despite going off the 13-10 favorite, Hard Spun  was no cinch in the $250,000 King's Bishop Stakes, the "other" grade I race on Travers Day Aug. 25 at Saratoga Race Course. 

The Fox Hill Farms colt was trying a one-turn race for the first time since last December, and had been through a grueling 3-year-old campaign, running in all three Triple Crown races—placing in both the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) and Preakness Stakes (gr. I)--and making Any Given Saturday work to win the Haskell Invitational Handicap (gr. I) Aug. 5 at Monmouth Park.

In addition, while this year's King's Bishop field wasn't the strongest in the race's 23-year history, it did include the promising sophomore sprinters E Z Warrior, Most Distinguished, and First Defence, as well as grade 2 winners Teuflesberg  and King of the Roxy.

As it turned out, Hard Spun was up to the task, turning back a spirited challenge from Juddmonte Farms' First Defence to win the seven-furlong test for 3-year-olds by 1 1/2 lengths. The running time was 1:22.34 over a fast main track.

"I was a little worried because sometimes he does loaf a little bit," said winning jockey Mario Pino, who has been aboard Hard Spun for all but one of his 11 starts. "But once he switched to his right lead, his class came out. He would never let (First Defence) past."

Hard Spun did most of the early running, leading after a half-mile in :44.20, with First Defence a length back in third. Those two began separating themselves from the field on the turn, with Hard Spun maintaining a short lead. First Defence moved up to challenge in mid-stretch, sticking a head in front at the eighth pole. But Hard Spun dug in and shook off his rival, and was pulling away at the finish.

Asked if Hard Spun's considerable class edge played a role in the victory, winning trainer Larry Jones said, "I think that's probably a whole lot of it. He was just bound and determined. He's a fast horse, but he's just as game as he is fast."

The win took some of the pressure off the versatile Danzig—Turkish Tryst, by Turkoman, colt, who will stand at Darley Stud near Lexington upon retirement.

"Now that the grade 1 monkey is off our back, we can go anywhere," said Jones. "We're still looking at the Breeders' Cup Classic (Powered by Dodge, G1). We'll look for an eight- or nine-furlong race and ease into it that way."