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Curlin’s Next Start

… will be the Woodward at Saratoga on August 30, owner Jess Jackson announced this afternoon. After the turf experiment that resulted in a second-place finish in the Man o’ War last month, the colt is returning to dirt, “where he’s a champion,” said Jackson, who didn’t rule out another attempt at running Curlin over grass or taking a shot at the Arc next year (noting though that there’s only a “slim” chance that Curlin will race as a 5-year-old). The move is terrific news for NYRA, which historically has struggled to attract a crowd during the final weekend of the meet. Now, if only Dutrow and IEAH could be enticed into sending Big Brown — at that point, four weeks off his Haskell win — to meet Curlin at the Spa, we’d really have an exciting entry on the calendar.
As for what happens after the Woodward, Jackson indicated the Breeders’ Cup Classic was a possibility, “but it’s an untested surface,” referring to the Pro-Ride track being installed at Santa Anita, and said several several other races were under consideration, including the MassCap, Jockey Club Gold Cup, and the Japan Cup. “We’re going to keep all those options open,” said Jackson. “We certainly want to show Curlin off at his best.”
Aside: How great is it for Suffolk Downs that Commentator, Big Brown, and Curlin have all been mentioned as possible starters for the Massachusetts Handicap on September 20? That the race is being considered as a Breeders’ Cup Classic prep for horses of that caliber after being forced into hiatus in 2005 and losing its G2 status in 2007 speaks to the excellent work that the track, under owner Richard Fields, has done to revive New England’s signature race.

Posted in Horses on August 5, 2008

Final Prep

Big Brown breezed three furlongs in :38.66 over the Aqueduct turf course this morning in a final prep for the Haskell on Sunday. Asked why the surface change, trainer Rick Dutrow told DRF, “just felt like doing it; no reasoning to it.” Michael Iavarone gave Blood-Horse more:

“The dogs were way out off the rail, and it was just what we wanted; no gallop-out. It was just a lung opener. Rick decided to work on the turf just to protect his feet. God forbid if anything went wrong, like if he stepped on a rock or something like that. Rick said he had a nightmare with Rising Moon, and he didn’t want to have anything like that happen again.”

Rising Moon was vanned off following the Whitney last week with an injury that turned out to be a bruise in his left front foot, and he’s not the only horse Dutrow is having bad dreams about in the run-up to the Haskell:

“When we had Sis City and ran a sub-par race in the Oaks, she never ran another step again, even though she trained great,” Dutrow said. “I pointed her toward big races and she never showed up in any of them again. When something like that happens where horses just doesn’t run their race, and you don’t know why, then you’re concerned that it might happen again.”

What a change. Big Brown is training sharply and 1-2 on the Haskell morning line, but there are no hints of the “unbridled audacity” the trainer displayed through the Triple Crown season. The tension around the barn and the pressure Dutrow must feel to get a win on Sunday after the Belmont debacle has to be enormous. I don’t envy him.

Posted in Horses on August 1, 2008

Curlin’s Options Open

… said trainer Steve Asmussen after the champion finished second in the Man o’ War. Why not help owner Jess Jackson decide what comes next? Via the Paulick Report:

He’s not quite Uncle Sam looking for a few good men and women to sign up for the U.S. Army, but Jess Jackson does want something from the public: their opinion…. the California winemaker and Thoroughbred horseman is seeking input from both fans and horsemen in an online poll on where 2007 Horse of the Year Curlin should race next.

Cast your vote here, any time before July 30. So far, returning to dirt or adventuring synthetic trail continuing on turf, which is what I’d love to see, with a fall campaign culminating in a tilt at the Breeders’ Cup. Dana has a similar poll up on Green but Game; there, turf is a runaway.

Posted in Horses on July 16, 2008

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