LEXINGTON, Ky. — Dr. Kendall Hansen sees signs all around of his horse’s surging popularity. It’s become a heady experience for the owner and the colt he named for himself.
“It’s a dream of a lifetime, but I didn’t even dream this far, I’m just trying to take it all in,” he said after Hansen was made the 6-5 morning-line favorite in a field of 13 3-year-olds for tomorrow’s Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland.
“I’m a little bit (nervous) with the responsibility that comes with it,” added the owner, who operates a pain management clinic in Crestview Hills, Ky. “I don’t want to make mistakes or embarrass the horse. He’s doing just fine on his own. I try to stay back, out of the way.”
Hansen, trained by Michael Maker and ridden by Ramon Dominguez, drew the No. 4 post for the 1 1/8-mile race over Polytrack.