NEWS
Champion two-year-old male: Hansen
Posted: Monday, January 16, 2012 8:17 PM
CHAMPION TWO-YEAR-OLD MALE: HANSEN
PhotosByZ.com/Thoroughbred Times
by Mark Simon
Hansen won the Grey Goose Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) and a championship. It was as simple—or hard—as that. The winner of the Juvenile has been voted champion juvenile male 22 times in the 28-year history of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships.
But winning the Juvenile is no mean feat. It is part planning and part luck, mixed with equal parts talent, and the formula changes for every horse.
For Hansen, his main strength was his raw talent, and he got his championship through some long-term planning, with a dash of luck.
The tall, leggy gray or roan son of Tapit showed his breeder and co-owner, Kendall Hansen, M.D., so much promise early that he named the horse in honor of his family.
Hansen, an owner for 20 years, dealt primarily with claiming horses, but he liked the colt’s dam, Stormy Sunday, enough to keep her and breed her to a stallion, Tapit, whose stud fee ($12,500) in 2008 was higher than the price he had claimed her for ($5,000). But Hansen, the doctor, beat the odds when the mare produced Hansen, the horse.
The colt was turned over to trainer Mike Maker after he was broken at Annice Johnston’s Land o’ Goshen Farm in Louisville. Land o’ Goshen!, the phrase, means “my goodness gracious,” and that is what most of the people who handled Hansen thought when around the colt.
For Maker, Hansen showed tremendous speed and heart in the mornings, clearly the best horse his owner ever had. “He’s a natural,” Maker said after the Breeders’ Cup. “It’s just that natural ability. He’s got a lot of speed. He’s also got a lot of fight; a bunch of good characteristics.”
Before Hansen made his first start, Maker had set his sights on the Breeders’ Cup, telling the owner of his dreams. Hansen immediately bought in, because Hansen never thinks small.
Hansen is presently at Gulfstream Park preparing for his sophomore debut, which is expected to come in the one-mile Holy Bull Stakes (G3) on January 29 at Gulfstream.
For all winners of 2011 Eclipse Awards, click here.
Mark Simon is editor of THOROUGHBRED TIMES
READER COMMENTS
|
|
|
Posted by: Philip, Oklahoma City, OK on January 17, 2012 at 06:54 AM
I'm also pretty fond of this young gray horse. He won me a nice chunk of money in the BC Juvenile.
We know Hansen has the stamina for 1-1/16 mi; it will be interesting to see if he has enough for 1-1/8mi & beyond. Maker may have to try & change Hansen's running style from a front-runner to a stalker for that though.
It's going to be an interesting road to the Triple Crown this year for sure!
Report Abuse 
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted by: Hansenlover!, H, IL on January 16, 2012 at 10:34 PM
The whole year of 2011 he was the horse i enjoyed the most!! what an outstanding horse! He amazed me! Totally deserved this award!
Report Abuse
|
|
|
|
|
|
