Hard Spun

Thoroughbred racehorse infobox
horsename = Hard Spun


caption =
sire = Danzig
grandsire = Northern Dancer
dam = Turkish Tryst
damsire = Turkoman
sex = Stallion
foaled = 2004
country = United States flagicon|USA
colour = Dark Bay
breeder = Michael Moran & Brushwood Stable
owner = Fox Hill Farms
trainer = J. Larry Jones
record = 13: 7-3-1
earnings = $2,673,470
race =
Port Penn Stakes 2006
Pennsylvania Nursery Stakes (2006)
Lecomte Stakes (2007)
Lane's End Stakes (2007)
King's Bishop Stakes (2007)
Kentucky Cup Classic Stakes (2007)

awards= World Champion 3-year-old Sprinter on dirt (2007)
honours =
updated= Octember, 30 2007

Hard Spun (foaled May 10, 2004 near Malvern, Pennsylvania) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse that finished second in the 2007 Kentucky Derby. The son of three-time Leading sire in North America, Danzig. He is from one of the last crops by 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, winning by an 8 ¾-length margin. He then showed he can handle sloppy tracks when he won the Port Penn Stakes on the same track by five-lengths on November 14th. 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 19th 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 jockey 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 24th, 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.

Expected to start in the Blue Grass Stakes on the Polytrack at Keeneland Race Course, Hard Spun's trainer 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 in the May 5th 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 in the race 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 an additional 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.

References

* [http://www.pedigreequery.com/hard+spun Hard Spun's pedigree and partial racing stats]
* [http://www.ntra.com/stats_bios.aspx?id=22731 NTRA Stats & Bio]
* [http://sports.si.cnn.com/default.asp?c=cnnsi&page=horse/news/BJN4095342.htm SI Haskell Win]
* [http://news.bloodhorse.com/viewstory.asp?id=41755 Bloodhorse.com article on Hard Spun's retirement]
* [http://www.thoroughbredtimes.com/triple-crown/contender-detail.aspx?contenderno=81 Thoroughbred Times Belmont Contender Article - Hard Spun]