Duck, Duck
– I think we all knew it was an unlikely August meeting, but a Blood-Horse report confirms. Big Brown will not race against Curlin at Saratoga:
The Jockey Club Gold Cup isn’t in their thinking either, but Pompa did say they hoped to meet Curlin in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, the race Jess Jackson hedged on while talking to the media in the Tuesday NTRA teleconference. “We’d like to go there but that’s an untested surface and I’m very uncertain about it,” he said, when asked about bringing Curlin to Santa Anita. “We’ve been invited to race in Japan, Hong Kong and other venues in the U.S. We’re keeping all those options open.” Yeah, these two are never going to race against each other, although I do agree with Jackson that it is up to Big Brown’s connections to make any such meeting happen. Curlin is burnishing his reputation this year, and has nothing to prove chasing the 3-year-old …
– Speaking of Curlin, here he is, hanging out and enjoying some hay in his Oklahoma stall, looking content and a little bit curious about all the attention he was attracting (I was not alone in stopping by Asmussen’s barn this morning to admire the handsome Horse of the Year, under the watchful eyes of his personal guard):
– Met Mile winner Divine Park, bravely being pointed to the Woodward despite Curlin’s plans, worked four furlongs in :47.36 over the Saratoga main track. “I’m looking forward to the opportunity to meet the champ,” said trainer Kiaran McLaughlin. “It would be great for Divine Park if he happens to beat him, and if we finish second or third it’s still a positive” (DRF). Nick Zito also plans to be sportsmanlike and enter freshly-minted millionaire Wanderin Boy in the race.
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