Hansen to run in Iowa Derby at Prairie Meadows
The 2011 Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner, Hansen, is returning to action this Saturday. The 3-year-old had entries both for Red Legend and the Grade 3 Iowa Derby, but the connections preferred the Prairie Meadows challenge for Hansen’s comeback.
He will be showing his class for the first time since finishing ninth in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby at the start of last month. He was terrible in the early stages of the event, but recovered quickly to make himself prominent. However, an early trouble made
the situation so difficult for him that it was almost impossible for him to challenge the leading runners.
He made a fine workout over five furlongs last weekend. Considering Hansen's excellent progress over the past few days, the connections decided to bring him back to the track. The talented runner could have pursued a far bigger prize worth $400,000 in the
Red Legend Stakes at Charles Town, but would have had to cut back to seven furlongs.
“We thought it was a good time to freshen up and look forward to a summer campaign. We didn’t want to turn all the way back to a sprint distance,” said the trainer, Michael J. Maker.
Hansen was super impressive at the start of his career. After clinching two back-to-back triumphs at Turfway Park, the juvenile kept raising his game and won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Churchill Downs last November.
He was runner-up behind Algorithms in the Grade 3 Holy Bull at Gulfstream Park ahead of his comprehensive success in the Grade 3 Gotham at Aqueduct in March this year. Luck twisted against his favour, when he narrowly missed the top rank in the Grade 1 Blue
Grass at Keeneland.
Hansen’s regular pilot, Ramon Dominguez, has returned from New York to retain the ride. On the other hand, Hero of Order is determined to make things tricky for Hansen.
The Louisiana Derby winner will look to end a three-race losing streak. Similar is the case with Alsvid, who has been struggling with his form since winning the Kip Deville Remington Park in October last year. Others in the line-up are: Macho Bull and Truetap.
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