Hard Spun's Stall

The Southwest Stakes

2007-02-18T08:47:00.000-08:00

Oaklawn Park - February 19th, 2007 - Race 9
Southwest S. - Grade:
Estimated Local Post Time: 4:48 PM
Race Type: Stakes
Breed: Thoroughbred
Age Restriction: Three Year Old
Purse: $250,000
Distance:One Mile
Surface: Dirt
Post Horse Name Age Sex Weight Jockey Name
1 Xchanger (FL) 3 Colt 117 Joe Bravo
2 I Got a Dream (IL) 3 Gelding 119 Eusebio Razo, Jr.
3 Going Ballistic (FL) 3 Colt 119 M. Clifton Berry
4 Teuflesberg (KY) 3 Colt 119 Stewart Elliott
5 Officer Rocket (GB) 3 Colt 119 Calvin H. Borel
6 Forty Grams (KY) 3 Colt 117 Donnie J. Meche
7 Our Sacred Honor (KY) 3 Colt 117 John R. Velazquez
8 Starbase (FL) 3 Colt 115 Corey J. Lanerie
9 Hard Spun (PA) 3 Colt 122 Mario G. Pino

Let's go Hard Spun!!

KY Derby Future Wager

2007-02-11T10:09:00.000-08:00

Pgm#
Wagering Interest
ML odds
1 Adore the Gold 20-1
2 Any Given Saturday 20-1
3 Belgravia 20-1
4 Buffalo Man 30-1
5 Circular Quay 15-1
6 Day Pass 15-1
7 Dreaming of Anna (f) 15-1
8 Drums of Thunder 30-1
9 E Z Warrior 15-1
10 Exhale 20-1
11 Forefathers 30-1
12 Great Hunter 30-1
13 Hard Spun 20-1
14 Lawrence the Roman 30-1
15 Liquidity 20-1
16 Nobiz Like Shobiz 8-1
17 Notional 15-1
18 Out of Gwedda 30-1
19 Ravel 15-1
20 Scat Daddy 30-1
21 Stormello 20-1
22 Street Sense 12-1
23 Zanjero 30-1
24 All Other 3YO’s 7-2

'Spun Bul-let Work

2007-02-11T10:08:00.000-08:00

Hard Spun
Your Comment: Sammy's favorite...FHF

Date: February 7, 2007
Track: OAKLAWN PARK
Distance: Five Furlongs
Time: 1.00:60 Breezing
Track Condition: Fast
Surface: Dirt
Rank: 1/50

I think he's ready... ;-)

Tribute to a Legend

2007-02-06T14:30:00.000-08:00

As most of you know, tragedy hit the racing world when Barbaro was euthanized on January 29th, 2007. My condolences to the Jackson's, Edgar Prado, Michael Matz, Dr. Dean Richardson and all who worked with the amazing bay.
A few months ago I made a video when 'Bobby' was on the road to recovery.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCdenqI7ZBA

May he rest in peace.

Slight Setback for 'Spun

2007-02-06T14:28:00.000-08:00

From owner Rick Porter:

"Larry and I have decided to skip the Risen Star at the Fairgrounds on February 10th. Hard Spun came down with the equivalent of a human cold after returning from New Orleans. Most of the younger horses in Larry's barn had coughs and runny nostrils. We could still probably have him ready for the Risen Star but we had options that we could take now or after the Risen Star."

Get well soon, boy!

Also: Hard Spun is scheduled for a workout tomorrow @ Oaklawn.

Hard Spun starting to get attention nationally

2007-01-18T20:17:00.000-08:00

Grizzly is currently #8 on Steve Haskin's "Derby Dozen" and will appear on the cover of this week's(Jan. 20) Blood-Horse magazine!

Grizzly takes the LeComte with ease!

2007-01-18T20:15:00.000-08:00

Grizzly won the LeComte Stakes @ the Fair Grounds on Jaunary 13th impressively.

http://www.nola.com/sports/t-p/index.ssf?/base/sports-28/1168757479276990.xml&coll=1

LeComte Stakes

2007-01-09T15:55:00.000-08:00

Grizzly is set to go as the M/L favorite...

No. Horse Trainer Jockey Weight Odds

1 Makeithapencaptain Bret Calhoun Corey Lanerie 116 5-1
2 Citi Smoke James McMullen Ramsey Zimmerman 116 8-1
3 Hard Spun Larry Jones Mario Pino 122 2-1
4 Izzie’s Halo Tom Amoss Jesse Campbell 116 8-1
5 Beta Capo Scott Blasi Donnie Meche 120 8-1
6 Tony Terrific Michael Stidham Jesus Castanon 118 6-1
7 Teuflesberg Jamie Sanders Robby Albarado 122 5-2

GO BABY GO!

Workout

2007-01-04T18:21:00.000-08:00

Hard Spun
Your Comment: SAmmy's favorite, FHF; Grizzly!

Date: January 3, 2007
Track: OAKLAWN PARK
Distance: Three Furlongs
Time: 37:00 Breezing
Track Condition: Fast
Surface: Dirt
Rank: 2/6

Nice work. I think he'll be ready for the Lemcomte.

Also, a note from owner Rick Porter:

"Larry felt Hard Spun was getting a little tough to handle so he let him do a little something yesterday. His serious work will still take place this weekend before Larry takes him to New Orleans. "

Happy New Year, everyone! :-)

Grizzly @ Oaklawn

2006-12-23T15:11:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to report that Grizzly has arrived at Oaklawn and both he and Larry look "good and well-rested."

King of Philly

2006-12-23T15:06:00.000-08:00

http://www.bloodhorse.com/articleindex/article.asp?id=36780

Hard Spun won the Pennsylvania Nursery on Monday by 7 3/4 lengths. He stopped the teletimer in 1:23.87, getting an 82 Beyer. Not very impressive, but I was never one to pay much attention to Beyer Speed Figures.

Can't wait to see what this guy can do next year. Derby '07...here we come!
Happy holidays, y'all.

GO GRIZZLY GO

PA Nursery

2006-12-15T14:07:00.000-08:00

Good article: http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/sports/16225827.htm

Monday's the big day, and big Grizzly's all set.

Philadelphia Park - December 18th, 2006 - Race 9
Pennsylvania Nursery S. - Grade:
Estimated Local Post Time: 3:50 PM
Race Type: Stakes
Breed: Thoroughbred
Age Restriction: Two Year Old
Restriction: State Bred Purse: $50,000
Distance:Seven Furlongs
Surface: Dirt
Post Horse Name Age Sex Weight Jockey Name
1 Legacy Reserve (PA) 2 Colt 117 Kendrick Carmouche
2 Favorite Valay (PA) 2 Colt 117 Maria Charles
3 All Sails Flying (PA) 2 Gelding 117 Steve D. Hamilton
4 Mr. Boxcar (PA) 2 Colt 117 Victor H. Molina
5 Road to Richmond (PA) 2 Colt 117 Harry Vega
6 Saltie Springs (PA) 2 Colt 115 Josiah Francis Hampshire, Jr.
7 Hard Spun (PA) 2 Colt 122 Mario G. Pino
8 Bound to Be Smart (PA) 2 Gelding 115 Nick Santagata
9 Chase for the Gold (PA) 2 Gelding 120 David Mello
10 Ren Noc (PA) 2 Gelding 115 Dane Kobiskie

Let's go baby!

Final PA Nursery Tune-Up

2006-12-13T15:14:00.000-08:00

Hard Spun
Your Comment: Sammy's man; The Grizzly

Date: December 11, 2006
Track: FAIR HILL
Distance: Five Furlongs
Time: 1.01:00 Breezing
Track Condition: Fast
Surface: All Weather Training
Rank: 1/1

I think he'll be ready for the PA Nursery. Remember, it's Dec. 18th-a Monday!

GO GRUZZLY GO

Hard Spun...Super Horse?

2006-12-02T20:38:00.000-08:00

Of course I believe Grizzly could be a super horse. It's a little to early to tell, but he's got potential. And a hell of a lot of it. Chuck Zacney, one of the owners of 2005 dual classic winner Afleet Alex had this to say of Grizz:
"I got your Super Horse - I raced against him," Chuck Zacney, managing partner of the group that owned Afleet Alex, said this week, talking about a 2-year-old named Hard Spun who debuted at Delaware Park on Oct. 22, winning by 8 1/2 lengths. "I saw him in the paddock. He looked like a 3-year-old or a 4-year-old, not a 2-year-old. He was intimidating, and he showed it on the track."

Intimidating. That he is.

Hard Spun has been getting lots of attention lately. Fans are so impressed with him, he's been ranked #1 on the TCT blog:
http://2007triplecrowntrail.blogspot.com/
Keep in mind, the early #1 on that list last year was Barbaro...
__________________________________________________________
Can't get enough of that handsome devil Grizzly? Well neither can I. Check out these wonderful pictures of him:
http://www.finalturngallery.com/album937
http://theshedrow.com/gallery/All-Things-Considered

Thanks for reading-
Sammy

Chillin' At Fair Hill

2006-12-02T15:34:00.001-08:00

Grizzly is currently at Fair Hill(yes, the same place Barbaro trained at) preparing for the Pennsylvania Nursery Stakes on December 18th. The PA Nursery is well known for producing 2004 Kentucky Derby and Preakness champion Smarty Jones. How about giving us another in '07?

Rick Porter's(owner of Hard Spun) Fox Hill Farm update from Nov. 30th:
http://rockportharbor.com/forum/index.php?topic=4806.0

In other news:
Jockey Russell Baze, 48, won his 9,531st race yesterday in the 4th race @ Bay Meadows, becoming the all time winningest jockey.(passing Laffit Pincay Jr. who has 9,530 career wins) He piloted 9/5 favorite Butterfly Belle to victory. I asked Russell on The BloodHorse's "Talkin' Horses", "Who is the greatest horse you've ever ridden?" Russ replied, "Lost in the Fog."
Lost in the Fog was the brilliant sprinter, breaking 2 track records and nearly equalling a world record @ 6.5 furlongs as a 2 year old, and winning his first 10 races before finishing a dismal 7th in the 2005 Breeders' Cup Sprint. However, Foggy was named '05 Champion Sprinter. This year, his lone win of the season came in the Aristrides Breeders' Cup Handicap.
In mid-August, cancer was found in Foggy, and it was said that it had been there for months...perhaps even before the 2005 Breeders' Cup. So when fans around the country found out that Lost in the Fog had won with a tumor growing inside him, it occured to us just how tough he was. However, on September 17th, 2006, the Fog was euthanized. A necropsy done in October showed that Foggy's cancer was more widespread than first thought.

In an article from the BloodHorse website I found:
"It went all the way from his pelvis to invade and erode his diaphragm and chest cavity," said Dr. David Wilson, director of UCD's large animal clinic, who was part of a large team of veterinarians and specialists who worked with the horse. "It also involved his arteries, kidneys and intestinal organs. It actually invaded one kidney and compressed both.

"It came right up against his aorta," Wilson added. "He had experienced swelling in his hind legs and that was no doubt caused by the tumors pressing on blood vessels."

What a tough horse he was...and what a great jockey who rode him.

Congrats, Russell Baze!!

Lost in the Fog^^

About Hard Spun

2006-12-01T07:25:00.000-08:00

Name: Hard Spun
Owner: Fox Hill Farm
Trainer: Larry Jones
Jockey: Mario G. Pino
Breeder: Michael Moran and Brushwood Stable
State Bred: PA
Foaled on: 5/10/04

WON Maiden @ Delaware Park by 8 lengths
WON Port Penn Stakes at Delaware Park by 4 lengths

Pedigree:

Danzig x Turkish Tryst(Turkoman)

Hard Spun has earned himself nicknames like "Grizzly" or "Spin."
Grizzly came from his original nickname(Bear). We(the members of RockportHarbor) called him Bear(I came up with that nickname) because he's a big, imposing, intimidating colt. Eventually Bear became Grizzly. (Thank you Carly K. for coming up with the nickname "Grizzly.")
Spin came from, well, his name. Some call him Spin because it simply has a nice ring to it.(And thank you, Steph for coming up with the nickname "Spin.")