FROM A SPIRITED teenage rider fighting it out on Louisiana's bush tracks, to a steady, successful rider at such tracks as Churchill Downs and Oaklawn Park, Calvin Borel has built an impressive foundation for what has become a season in the spotlight.

The spotlight illuminated Borel after he guided Street Sense to a record ten-length victory in the Bessemer Trust Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) on November 4 at Churchill Downs, rallying the Street Cry (Ire) colt from back-of-the-pack anonymity to Thoroughbred racing's de facto early favorite for the Kentucky Derby presented by Yum! Brands (G1).

"It's just an unbelievable feeling drawing off like that, amazing," Borel said. "One thing I know is time, and going that last quarter in [:22.60] after the first seven-eighths was just so impressive."

Borel's rail move aboard Street Sense was captured in dramatic fashion by an overhead camera, which showed Borel squeezing his horse between rivals and the rail on the far turn.

The finish line did not stop Borel's momentum. With a jolt of added confidence and support from horsemen who witnessed the spectacular victory, the 40-year-old rider went on to finish in a tie atop the Churchill rider standings for the fall meeting.

"I've had some very good horses with all of my people here at the meet in Carl Nafzger, Bobby Barnett, and Tom Amoss," said Borel. "The riders here are so good; it's just been a super meet."

Borel finished with 23 wins, same as Shaun Bridgmohan, but Borel may have won his second outright jockey title had he not fractured his wrist in a spill at Churchill two days before the meet ended.

When Borel dedicates himself to a meet, however, he is in it for both the afternoon and the mornings. While plenty of Churchill fans spent the Sunday after the Breeders' Cup counting days to the first Saturday in May, Borel returned to his routine working horses at Churchill.

"I've seen guys have a hard time handling a win like that but you have to keep in mind what got you there. It's the hard work you put in each day, each morning," Borel said. "The next day it was important I show up and keep working."

Team approach

Part of the reason Borel commits to working hard each morning is that he believes a team approach can pay dividends in racing. Throughout the Churchill meeting, he assisted his brother, trainer Cecil Borel, and over the years he has picked out horses at sales--a skill he might use when he retires from riding. Borel said working with Street Sense's trainer, Carl Nafzger, also feels like working with family.

"Carl is just the best guy in the world to work for. He has that reputation in racing for a reason," Borel said. "He allows people to do their job, and he listens to the assistants and the exercise riders. He calls the shots, but he listens to everyone. It's very much a family; we get on each other some and have some fun. I love working with him."

Since November 2002, Borel and Nafzger have teamed to win five graded stakes--three with filly Lead Story and one each with My Boston Gal and Street Sense. Borel's confidence in Street Sense helped convince Nafzger to start the colt in the Juvenile after a third-place finish in the Lane's End Breeders' Futurity (G1) over Polytrack at Keeneland Race Course.

"After a workout before the Juvenile, I knew that I'd never been on a better two-year-old," Borel said. "I told Carl, 'You could not have this horse any better than he is right now. He's ready.' "

Nafzger credited Borel with helping Street Sense improve in each start, and Borel is committed to future starts. Prior to his wrist injury, the veteran of nearly 25 years of riding and 4,258 official wins through November 25 planned to take a few weeks off after the Churchill meet before returning for the start of the Oaklawn Park meeting on January 19, and had planned to travel as needed to work or ride Street Sense. Nafzger, who saddled Unbridled to victory in the 1990 Kentucky Derby, has not yet offered any words of advice to Borel on the potential of building attention around their Derby contender.

"He has ridden in plenty of big races. I mean there's a lot of pressure in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile, and you see how he handled that," Nafzger said. "We're all only as good as our last race, but pressure will not be a problem for Calvin. He is so familiar with every horse he rides, that's a real asset."

As if Borel's career was not enough to make Nafzger feel comfortable, a trip to the Derby with Borel would be familiar. Craig Perret was 39 when he guided Unbridled to Derby glory for Nafzger, a win that came after Perret began his riding career at age ten on Quarter Horses in Louisiana.

"I don't know what it is about Louisiana, there are just so many good riders there," Borel said. "So many of the best ones never leave ... that's probably a big part of it. They let the young guys know how it needs to be done. Some of those guys could ride anywhere, but they love Louisiana and stay there."

Frank Angst is a senior staff writer of Thoroughbred Times.