He couldn’t quite get it done on the Triple Crown trail. Will the Breeders’ Cup Classic be any different?

Hard Spun established himself as one of the “Big Three” horses on the trail, alongside Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense and Preakness winner Curlin. But the dark bay came up a bit short in all three races. It wasn’t until last month’s King’s Bishop at Saratoga that Hard Spun finally earned the first Grade I stakes victory of his career.

The win lifted Hard Spun to 4-0 lifetime in sprint events – ironic because he was ostensibly bred for endurance. He was one of the front runners at the Kentucky Derby despite favoring a stalking style; he also went ahead a little too early at the Preakness, taking the lead after six furlongs before falling behind both Street Sense and Curlin.

Assuming Hard Spun appears at the Classic, he’ll need a different game plan to beat his rivals.

Curlin has had an up-and-down year as a three year old, but Curlin is 4-1-2 in seven starts and will certainly contend in the Classic.

The favorite going into the Kentucky Derby was only able to win one jewel of the Triple Crown (the Preakness Stakes), and finished third in the Derby and second at the Belmont Stakes. Curlin will get one more chance at glory in the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Monmouth Park in New Jersey on October 27.

He’s not the favorite for the race at 8-1, with Any Given Sunday at 7-1, Street Sense at 5-1 and Lawyer Ron the 4-1 favorite. Curlin was the favorite in his last race at the Monmouth Park’s Haskell Invitational, but he finished a disappointing third. He’s set to run in the $750,000 Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont on September 30, and a win there could change his odds in the Breeders’ Cup Classic come gate time.

As usual, there has been a bit of a lull in horse racing coverage since the end of the Triple Crown trail. But now that the Breeders’ Cup is looming on the horizon, Street Sense is once again drawing his share of attention.

And no wonder. The Kentucky Derby winner is without a doubt one of the finest-looking horses ever born. The dark bay finished first at the Travers Stakes to record his fourth victory in six races as a three-year-old; Street Sense finished second at the other two events – including to Curlin at the Preakness.

Street Sense has yet to win a Breeders’ Cup Challenge event to qualify for automatic entry into the Classic, but it’s inevitable that he will appear at the Oct. 27 race. Whether he’ll be favored depends in part on his schedule; trainer Carl Nafzger has yet to decide where his prize thoroughbred will race next.

Lawyer Ron has passed the bar. The chestnut colt had already qualified for October’s Breeders’ Cup Classic with a convincing win at the Whitney Handicap; now he’s on a serious roll after dominating the field at Saturday’s Woodward Stakes.

Those two victories at Saratoga extend Lawyer Ron’s record as a 4-year-old to 4-1-1 (four wins, one place, one show) in six races. They also vaulted the Todd Pletcher-trained thoroughbred to the top of the list of Classic contenders, even ahead of Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense in the eyes of some observers.

Let’s temper that enthusiasm for a moment. The fields at both the Whitney and the Woodward left something to be desired; the most notable horses Lawyer Ron left in the dust were Sun King and Corinthian. Let’s see how he performs at the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont on Sept. 30, where he may face Preakness winner Curlin.

Thoroughbreds will get one last chance for glory in the 2007 season with the running of the Breeders’ Cup Championships in October. Three races are run on the 26th and the remaining eight the next day. Here’s the lowdown:

Oct 26, 2007

• Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile for 3+ year olds
• Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (6 furlongs) for 3+ Fillies and Mares
• Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (1 mile) for 2 year olds

Oct 27, 2007

• Bessemer Trust Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (1 1/6 miles) 2yr Colts and Geldings
• Breeders’ Cup Classic, Powered by Dodge (1 ¼ miles) for 3+
• Emirates Airline Breeders’ Cup Distaff (1 1/8 miles) 3+ Fillies and Mares
• Emirates Airline Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf (1 3/8 miles) 3+ Fillies and Mares.
• Grey Goose Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (1 1/6 miles) 2yr Fillies
• John Deere Breeders’ Cup Turf (1 ½ miles) for 3+
• NetJets Breeders’ Cup Mile 3+
• TVG Breeders’ Cup Sprint (6 furlongs) 3+