It had been three months since the nearly white, newly crowned Juvenile Champion, Hansen stole the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. Before this past Sunday’s Holy Bull Stakes questions were raised regarding the champion’s readiness for his three year old debut. Was he vulnerable enough for an up and comer to challenge his dominance? The answer was a definitive yes.

 

The world watched as Hansen broke, awkwardly, from the gate, then rush up to open a lead of nearly five lengths on his opponents. The 23 and change opening quarter was quick, but after a 22 second quarter, it became apparent that Hansen was not relaxing like his connections were hoping. Turning for home Algorithms began to mount a sweeping rally, and for the first time in his career Hansen was headed. Down the stretch Hansen could find no more, and was left 5 lengths behind the winner.

 

Was it distance limitations? Was it the track? Was it panic? Cases can be made for all three, but one will really not know until Hansen’s next start, the Fountain of Youth. The most likely reason for Hansen’s disappointing loss is the layoff. Trainer Mike Maker wants to get his colt ready for the Kentucky Derby, which is not until the first Saturday of May, and we are just only entering February. So, it is quite possible that Hansen was nowhere near fully cranked and ready to deliver his best.

 

Other factors to consider is the surface and stumble at the gate. Hansen’s jockey, Ramon Dominguez stated that he felt the stumble may have panicked his mount, causing the already amped up frontrunner to become even less unsettled. A rank and scared horse cannot conserve his energy, and considering the layoff, it is no surprise that when Algorithms came to his throat, Hansen could offer nothing more in response. Also Hansen has never run over a muddy surface, meaning that this was his first start over a track that was less than fast. Depending upon the horse, the surface could hinder or heighten a horses’ performance. While it didn’t look like Hansen was moving badly over the surface, the stickier surface could have taken more out of him than your typical dry, fast surface.

 

Overall, I do not feel this was a bad race. The connections of the champion were still pleased with the colt’s effort and he reportedly was not exhausted after his effort. He cleaned up his feed and was nipping and biting after the race. With that in mind I would say that this race served as a perfect tightener for Hansen. His next race will be against better and much sharper horses over a distance 1/16 of a mile longer. This race was a good learning lesson and a good conditioner, and should serve as a good stepping-stone for Hansen going into the Fountain of Youth Stakes.

 

We all have heard the saying that we learn more from our failures than our successes. I believe that will hold true here. Hansen may have suffered his first loss, but better it be here than five, six weeks before Derby Day. Hansen will undergo some changes for his next starts, and I believe that he will come back better and stronger than ever.