Street Sense might be Nafzger's final entry

The 65-year-old trainer won the 1990 Derby with Unbridled.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) -- Carl Nafzger created one of the most memorable moments in Kentucky Derby history with his stride-by-stride account of the 1990 race to 92-year-old owner Frances Genter.
Faltering eyesight prevented her from clearly following Unbridled's run that began with the colt near the back of the 15-horse field. He was 12th after a half-mile, moved up to sixth, then second before pulling away to a 31/2-length victory.
"He's taking the lead. He's gonna win. He's gonna win. He's gonna win," Nafzger informed her. "He's a winner! He's a winner! He's a winner, Mrs. Genter! You've won the Kentucky Derby, Mrs. Genter! I love you."
Nafzger hopes he's shouting the same thing Saturday when Street Sense runs in the 133rd Derby. It will be the third and possibly last Derby starter of his 39-year career.
At 65, the ex-bull rider has turned over the day-to-day grind at his Churchill Downs barn to an assistant and winnowed his client list to James Tafel, who owns Street Sense, and Bentley Smith, Genter's son-in-law.
"Retirement is never the word. I'll never ease out," said Nafzger, who manages about 12 horses for the two owners. "I'll probably keep one horse in my name until the day I die."
Almost had the favorite
He likely would have had the Derby favorite if Street Sense had won this month's Blue Grass Stakes. Instead, the colt got nosed out at the finish line by Dominican. A nose was also the difference in Street Sense's only other prep, a victory in the Tampa Bay Derby.
"He's got ability, soundness, a great mind and he's not been sick," Nafzger said.
Street Sense won last year's Breeders' Cup Juvenile and the Eclipse Award as 2-year-old male horse of the year. But no Juvenile winner has gone on to take the Derby (0-for-23) and the last 2-year-old champion to win was Spectacular Bid in 1979.
Street Sense will try to defy convention by winning with just two prep races when most trainers want three on a young colt's resume. The last Derby winner with two preps as a 3-year-old was Sunny's Halo in 1983; before that it was Jet Pilot in 1947.
Won on first try
In 1990, Nafzger won the Derby on his first try with Unbridled. Making it more special was the presence of Genter, a genteel lady whom Nafzger described as "everybody's mother or grandmother." She is the oldest winning owner in the race's 132-year history.
That day, Nafzger and Genter stood together in the owner's box, with him leaning over to deliver his race call in her ear. Her smile widened, and Nafzger put his arms around her and gave her a big kiss when Unbridled crossed the finish line, making for a poignant scene between two Derby rookies.
Nafzger recalled it was the first year a TV network wired the owner's box for sound and pictures, which is standard nowadays.
"We didn't have any idea the camera was there," he said. "Everything said and done in that box that day was true feelings. It really wasn't for the world. That was the true enjoyment of winning the Kentucky Derby."
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