'Spinning' towards the Derby

It’s time to get excited about a "local" horse in the Triple Crown races again.

Following in the hoofprints of local heroes Smarty Jones, Afleet Alex and Barbaro, Hard Spun, a Pennsylvania-bred 3-year-old colt, thrust himself squarely into the Kentucky Derby picture by capturing the $500,000 Lane’s End Stakes at Turfway Park Saturday for owner Fox Hill Farm (Rick Porter), trainer J. Larry Jones and jockey Mario Pino. Porter, Jones and Pino are based part of the year at Delaware Park, and Porter has some horses stabled at Philadelphia Park with trainer Steve Mick.

It appeared to be a very easy victory for Hard Spun, a son of Danzig foaled in Chester County, Pa. Pino settled the bay right off the early pacesetters, and when he unleashed him, he took over like a seasoned pro. If you liked Hard Spun in this spot, you were generously rewarded with a $7.20 payout.

Like many in this area, I’ve been following Hard Spun since he made his smashing debut at Delaware Park. After he was defeated in the Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn last month, I thought that maybe he wasn’t quite Derby material. When Jones, whom I greatly admire, said the colt didn’t like the Oaklawn surface and shipped him to Turfway for the Lane’s End, I wondered whether he was just trying to make excuses for him. Obviously, I was wrong and he was right ... and once again Jones proves he’s one of the sharpest conditioners in the country. Members of the media covering the Derby are in for a treat — Jones is a gregarious, colorful talker who loves to interject his country-boy humor into every conversation. Prepare to be entertained by the man in the cowboy hat in the days leading up to the first Saturday in May!

If Hard Spun makes it to the Derby, he’ll be the second horse to use the Pennsylvania Nursey Stakes as a springboard to fame and fortune. You’ll remember Smarty Jones also whistled in the mid-December event for Pennsylvania-breds en route to capturing the nation’s attention the following spring.

Hard Spun already has a big fan club, thanks to the web site that Porter runs — www.rockportharbor.com. It’s named after Rockport Harbor, who was a Derby contender two years ago. By clicking the "Forum" link, you can read what Porter has to say about all his horses ... sometimes quite frankly! Porter is committed to sharing information about his stable with fans in order to get new people interested in the game. Too often owners and trainers take the attitude that what happens with their horses is nobody’s business but their own, and the public be damned. They forget that it’s the wagering dollar that helps drive purses, and without people in the stands, racing would soon die ... slot machine revenue or not.

One last point before I wrap this up — Philadelphia Park has announced that it soon will be barring children 18 and under from all areas of the track except the fifth floor restaurant and outdoor picnic area. The reason? Most of the grandstand is now a casino. Not a good way to cultivate the fans of the future, but the interior of Philly Park’s grandstand is way too smoky for kids, anyway. You’re better off waiting until the weather gets warmer and then turn them loose in the picnic area. And if you really want kids to get enthusiastic about racing, take them to Monmouth Park or Delaware Park, where the horse is still king and the ambiance is beautiful.