Group 1 winners Street Sense and Hard Spun went head-to-head at the track and it seems that rivalry will continue during their stud careers.

The Darley shuttlers were back in the news again on Saturday with milestone results in Japan and England.

Street Sense opened his winning account when Street Hunter broke through by 8 lengths in a 1200m juvenile event at Kyoto.  

Street Hunter (2c Street Sense – Quick Little Miss by Freud) is trained by Katsuhiko Sumii and is a homebred for Shadai Stud’s Sunday Racing.  Shadai owner Katsumi Yoshida purchased Quick Little Miss in foal to Street Sense for $1.20 million at the 2008 Keeneland November Sale.

A few hours later, Hard Spun registered his first Group winner when Red Duke scored by a neck in the G2 Superlative Stakes at Newmarket.

Red Duke (2c Hard Spun – Saudia by Gone West) was coming off an impressive victory in a Redcar maiden.  “We knew we had a good horse,” trainer John Quinn said.  “He’s well bred and, hopefully, he’s a Guineas horse.”

The Hard Spun colt changed hands twice before arriving at Quinn’s stables.  He was a $15,000 yearling at Keeneland and his value increased to 140,000 pounds at the Doncaster 2YO Sale earlier this year.

Street Sense defeated Hard Spun by two lengths in the 2007 Kentucky Derby and they both chased home Curlin in the Preakness Stakes.

Hard Spun got one back on Street Sense in the G2 Kentucky Cup Classic and then beat the best colts of his generation in the G1 King’s Bishop at Saratoga.

Street Sense (Street Cry) stands at Darley Kelvinside for $38,500 (inc gst).  Hard Spun (Danzig) is based at Darley’s Northwood Park base in Victoria for a $16,500 fee(inc gst).