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Hansen -2012 Derby Contender

     

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Hansen

 
 

Pedigree: TAPIT - STORMY SUNDAY (SIR CAT)

Owner: Hansen, Kendall, M.D. and Sky Chai Racing

Trainer: MIKE MAKER

 

side: Silks

 

 

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$20.95

 

HANSEN 2YR OLD COLT NAMED HORSE OF THE YEAR AFTER WINNING BC JUVENILE, has stayed in form winning the Gotham Stakes placing 2nd in the Bluegrass Stakes..

HANSEN ROMPS IN THE GOTHAM!
Easily handling a full field in the $400,000 Gotham (gr. III) ) was only part of the good news for the connections of champion Hansen March 3 at Aqueduct. Just as important was seeing the son of Tapit relax in the early going before using his brilliant speed en route to his first victory of the season.

Hansen rebounded from his first career defeat in the Jan. 29 Holy Bull (gr. III) by destroying a dozen rivals in the 1 1/16-mile Gotham. He scored by three lengths under Ramon Dominguez and reaffirmed his status as one of the top contenders for the May 5 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I). Making his first start in New York, the gray/roan colt won for the fourth time in five starts, covering the distance on the good inner track in 1:43.84 as the 4-5 favorite.
The winning colt is owned Dr. Kendall Hansen, who bred him in Kentucky, and Harvey Diamond. Mike Maker is the trainer.

HANSEN WINS THE BREEDERS CUP JUVENILE 2011!

Even the world’s best 2-year-olds couldn’t catch Hansen this time.

The gray son of Tapit followed his career script by taking the lead out of the gate and then held off the more highly regarded duo of Union Rags and Creative Cause to capture Saturday’s $2 million Grey Goose Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Churchill Downs.
Hansen had won his two previous races at Turfway Park by a combined 25½ lengths — including the Kentucky Cup Juvenile on Sept. 24 — and had earned $73,305.
Saturday’s victory was worth $1.08 million and stamped Hansen as a 2012 Kentucky Derby front-runner — at least as much as one can be six months out.
“You dream about it your whole life, and when it happens it’s hard to take in all at once,” said Louisville-based trainer Mike Maker, who picked up his second Breeders’ Cup victory after winning with Furthest Land in the 2009 Dirt Mile. “It’s a great feeling.”
Hansen, with Ramon Dominguez riding, covered the 1 1/16 miles on a fast surface in 1:44.44 and paid $16.20 as the 7-1 third betting choice. Favorite Union Rags was a head back in second place, with second betting choice Creative Cause another length back in third.
Union Rags trainer Michael Matz said a wide trip cost his horse, who had the No. 10 post in the field of 13.
“One jump after the wire, I was in front,” Union Rags jockey Javier Castellano said. “But that’s horse racing. I’m disappointed in the result, but I’m not disappointed in my horse.”
Creative Cause trainer Mike Harrington said he was concerned about Hansen running away with the race.
“But who was going to go with him?” Harrington said. “I think it would have been a mistake if we had gone with him. (Creative Cause) ran well. I was happy.”
Hansen set fractions of 23.26 seconds for the quarter mile and 47.39 for the half, with Speightscity stalking him 1 to 2 lengths behind.
Hansen increased his lead entering the stretch and then held off the late charge.
“Going into the first turn, he was a little aggressive; that made me a little concerned,” Dominguez said. “When we got to the backside, he switched to his right (lead) and he came back to me and relaxed beautiful.”

Maker said he wasn’t surprised by the way Hansen dug in after being challenged. “Even though he won the races pretty handily, he’s always been a fighter,” Maker said. “He’s a very tough horse to handle on a daily basis, and he did what he does.”
Hansen was named for the family of breeder and co-owner Dr. Kendall Hansen, who recently sold minority interest of the horse to Louisville-based Skychai Racing.
Hansen said he had several suitors wanting to buy the horse after the Kentucky Cup Juvenile victory.
“I got calls from as far away as Ireland,” said Kendall Hansen, who kissed the ground in the winner’s circle after the win. “But they also told me that the offer I got from Skychai was a really reasonable, nice offer. I’m very happy about it.”
Maker said he’ll likely send Hansen to Florida for the winter and plan out a 2012 campaign.
Turns out Kendall Hansen was thinking about 2012 when he named the horse.
“When I looked up and saw that the name was available, I saw that the last time it was used was 1978, the last Triple Crown (Affirmed),” Hansen said. “I hope he can have a nice 3-year-old campaign.”