Several days ago owner Jess Jackson announced to the world that he believed the sport of horse racing needed more heroes. Jackson, of Kendall Jackson winery fame is the majority owner of Eclipse Award winner Curlin, who was recently voted Horse of the Year for 2007. Jackson indicated that he felt the sport needed to give back to fans, and that they need their heroes to cheer for. With this in mind they moved forward with the idea to return the super-colt to action in 2008, rather than follow all of his famous rivals from the 2007 campaign into his stud career.
The feeling I had when I heard this was one of absolute pride. As I’ve posted continually on this blog, Curlin is quite simply my favorite horse of all time. The euphoria I experienced watching his triumph in the Preakness this past year ranks as one of the all-time greatest moments in my life. Likewise, the disappointment of his defeats in the Belmont, Derby, and Haskell were things you might say I took rather personally. I can’t help it…..this horse just sparks something in me that I can’t describe. Nothing brings me more joy than watching him compete. Some people have a favorite player in baseball or football, and for many of my formative years I was no different. Now, however, my emotions are firmly invested in Curlin, and I long for the day when I can cheer him on again.
Usually an aspiring horseplayer is best avoiding such emotional attachment to a horse, but every once in a while a competitor comes along that makes you throw caution to the wind. You can’t help but admire them, and it seems beyond your ability to control the desire to see them prevail. I’m half-crazy enough to actually believe that somehow my cheering for Curlin helps will him home.
Recently I’ve been completing my “Curlin mural” in our family room. I’ll post a photo of it once I’m done. After the Preakness, I purchased a 20×17 photo from the Baltimore Sun showing Curlin hitting the wire just in front of Street Sense. The photo I purchased is the same one displayed at the top of this post. Somewhere in the background just off Curlin’s hind legs are my wife and I. We’re indistinguishable, but we know we’re there. The picture has special meaning to us considering we were there that day to cheer for him. Another friend of mine had sold us his very posh tickets to the event and the experience was literally life changing.
This past Christmas my wife surprised me with another 20×17, this time an image of Curlin, mud-covered and with a look of sheer determination on his face, running away in the Breeder’s Cup Classic. It was this race after all that had finally established my beloved Curlin as the top horse in the country, and cemented his “Horse of the Year” award. You can see the photo we purchased from the Daily Racing form store below.
Sifting through my old Daily Racing Form’s, we recently came up with a final addition to the mural. The cover of the DRF from the day after the Classic shows the same photo, and has an accompanying praise worthy article. My wife has been busy getting the article and cover framed in a poster style so that we can effectively hang all 3 side by side to create the ultimate “wall of Curlin.” Sounds funny, I know, but it totally rocks.
As many know, Curlin has officially returned to the training track under the watchful eye of trainer Steve Asmussen. In a rather interesting turn of events, Asmussen has had him training with a Derby hopeful for this year, Pyro. On Wednesday the duo ran together over the track at Fair Grounds breezing 6 furlongs in 1:13 flat. Prior to this Curlin had been doing 4 furlong freshenings and “licks” (unofficial workouts).
Still, no decision has yet been made as to which race to point Curlin towards. I know some are concerned about rust, but after the job Asmussen did taking this colt from unraced to Horse of the Year, I’m willing to patiently wait and follow the plan. After the Haskell last year, in which Curlin never looked himself and lost to rival Any Given Saturday (whom he returned to defeat over the same track in the Classic), I seriously doubted some of the moves that Asmussen had made. However, this my friends is why I am but the amateur and he (Asmussen) the professional. Whatever he did worked, and the colt returned from that defeat to triumph in the Jockey Club Gold Cup and the aforementioned Classic.
Hopefully in the not so distant future we’ll get an indication on where they plan to enter Curlin for his first race or 2008. I have a feeling that if managed correctly, his 2008 campaign could be the stuff of legends. He’s got the goods to win every race he runs, and I’m hoping we’ll still have some sensational memories left to be formed. Curlin sure does have a habit of making his races exciting, as evidenced by the thrillers he ran in the Preakness, Belmont, and Jockey Club Gold Cup.
“Sounds funny, I know, but it totally rocks.”
Not to me. My husband and I are currently trying to find the perfect picture of the Rags to Riches-Curlin Belmont to put above the mantel. And if we’re lucky, we’ll find one where we too are “indistinguisable” — but we know we were there, somewhere in the crowd, when history was made. I’m looking forward to seeing the wall of Curlin when it’s complete.
QQ – thank for the reply. If you’re looking for a good Rags to Riches image to hang up on your wall, this one has always been my favorite. I made it somewhat of a feature in my “2007 Triple Crown” video in the “custom videos” tab.
http://www.horsesmarts.net/store/images/products/fs350.jpg
You’ve probably seen it before, but it’s a nice painting of Rags nosing out Curlin, with a profile of Rags up in the sky above.
My 3 year old LOVES that picture and constantly begs me to show him the “horse in the sky” picture.
The only thing I’d change about it if I were the artist would be to have Ruffian looking down from heaven upon Rags at Belmont.
Yes, Curlin is also my favorite horse of all time. I traditionally bet $100 on each of the triple crown races and the Breeder’s Cup Classic. I told everybody I knew that he would win the triple crown and be a household name. I was surprised at how green he was in the Derby and how far back he finished. After watching the replay about twenty times I concluded that he was blocked on the turn while Street Sense rallied miraculously unimpeded on the rail. Curlin wasn’t running up on horses’ heels or anything, but Robby still wan’t able to ask him for run until it was too late. I gave him another shot in the Preakness and that was the greatest race ever. Curlin again raced greenly but showed his stuff when passed by Street Sense. When that happened Curlin looked like he pinned his ears and tried to lean over to bite him. Maybe he just took a bad step, but that’s how I saw it. Whatever, that was the greatest stretch run ever.
The Belmont was very dissapointing. Rags to Riches pulled off a great upset. The Belmont often gets screwed up with Jockeys slowing the pace down to a crawl in effect turning it into a sprint to the wire. I was shocked that Curlin was out sprinted, but I tell ya a quarter horse could have won that race! They WALKED for the first 10 furlongs. Had there been an honest pace, Curlin would have turned in a final time that Rags couldn’t have matched. I would have been curious to see how close he could have gotten to Secretariat’s track record.
In the Haskell, Curlin encountered a speed bias and an impressive colt, Any Given Saturday. Considering that and the layoff, I made a $50 exacta box with those two. I couldn’t believe he couldn’t pass Hard Spun to get second! That race cast a little doubt on how good Curlin actually was. I watched the Jockey Club Gold Cup with my family and friends from home and didn’t bet. I wanted him to win but couldn’t bet him against the best 4 year old in the land after what happened in the last race. When they came around the turn and Curlin made his rally I cheered him home like a little kid. One guy asked me how much money I won, and I said none. I just wanted to see him win because I feel like he’s my horse. The guy looked bewildered and said, “You didn’t bet him?”
In the Classic, I knew Curlin was the great horse I thought he was from the beginning. I had only won about a hundred on him total and though it would likely be his last race. I was very concerned about the sloppy track, because that often creates a speed bias and Monmouth has a speed bias as it is. Well I was at my local track to bet the Classic, still unsure of what I would bet. I saw my father there and he had just bet a speed horse in one of the undercard races. I watched his horse get the lead as expected, then spit the bit at the top of the stretch. My dad said speed didn’t seem to be holding. I promptly rushed to the window and bet $1000 on Curlin. It was by far the most I had ever bet on a horse, but at the time he was 6-1 and that seemed like a super investment opportunity on the greatest horse of all time even if he dropped to 4-1, his eventual post time odds. I encouraged many of my friends and family to wager also and the rest is grand history…
I am so glad he is running this year! If he stays sound he’ll be able to prove he deserves to be talked about in the same breath as the greats of the sport. He won’t provide any betting opportunities unless he loses and we don’t want that to happen. I just want him to show he’s one of the best the sport has ever seen. Here’s to kicking ass in Dubai!
Jerry, I totally agree and it sounds like our following of Curlin is eerily similar. My thoughts at the time echo many of your sentiments. I’ve got a few Curlin article here on this blog, as well as a video I did of him that you should check out. Great minds think alike!
Did you see his 7 furlong workout the other day? He actually went 9 from what I read in the DRF. It sounds like he’s back on track. He’ll probably need that first race for the Dubai World Cup, but it will still take a heck of a horse to beat him.
$1000 is a large amount to bet – you’ve got bigger kahunas than me. I think my wife would run me out of town if I tried something like that. I usually take about $100 – $200 to the track for my plays and I seldom spend all of it. My main plays on simulcast/home watching days are the pick 4′s, and on live racing days it’s the pick 6. I do some spot win/trifecta/exacta/pick 3/ and daily double wagering along the way as action bets.
I’m with you though – my mind is focused 100% on Curlin winning the Dubai World Cup! It’s time to be a world champion, baby!
Yeah, it sounds like Curlin worked out really well! I hope he stays healthy!
That $1000 bet seemed crazy I know. I had planned to put that money in my IRA, but hearing talk of a coming recession, and seeing the huge overlay on Curlin, I thought it was a better investment, despite the risk of losing it all. He should have been around 8-5, not 4-1. I can’t believe they made Street Sense the favorite!!!!
Oh man, don’t even get me started on Street Sense. Something that has bugged me to no end was that even in the Classic when Curlin blew past him and left him in the dust, the whole post-race interview focus was about Street Sense. I’ve got about 10 minutes or so of the TV coverage after Curlin won, and all you hear is about the jail sentencing of Curlin’s minority owners and then a long interview with Calvin Borrell? WTF?????
That was Curlin’s moment in the sun! How dare they steal it like that. It reminds me of when Curlin lost the Belmont and Gary “Seabiscuit” Stevens could only mutter “well, no excuses for Curlin.”
Really? No excuses? Sure, Gary…..running your 3rd race in 5 weeks and losing to a horse that was as fresh as newly baked bread by a nose, after a crawlling opening pace where no one would give him a target to run at, and that’s the best analysis you can offer? Oh it made me so mad. I went up to my bedroom and didn’t come downstairs again for hours after that defeat. I read that Asmussen had “visions” at night that Curlin got his nose down in front of Rags. I think we were sharing dreams, as I had the same ones, over and over and over again.
I missed the Haskell as I had to travel for work that day. I had a feeling he was going to win though and was meditating a bit on the plane hoping and praying he would prevail.
On Breeder’s Cup day we were running around doing errands, and like you I was very worrired about the mud. When I saw how well the Awesome Again horses were doing, I got a bit worried about Awesome Gem becoming a thief. I knew Curlin was better than the others but Monmouth was about the last track I wanted to see him run on again due to it’s front running bias. I thought Hard Spun might run away with the Classic, but thankfully that didn’t happen.
A week from tomorrow he ships for Dubai. I’m getting excited just thinking about it. If I’m not mistaken his handicap prep race is the 28th, which would be 3 weeks from today.
Listen to the announcer calling the Classic. He’s steady talking about Street Sense the whole time even though Curlin was rallying faster! Pretty funny!
Poor Calvin Borel after the Preakness having to hear some crap about making his move too early when he simply got beat by a better horse! Calvin gave Street Sense the best ground saving trips you’ll ever see!
As far as the Belmont goes, the pace was a joke. Everybody was so worried about the distance that they slowed the pace down to a crawl. The brilliant Edgar Prado was the only sensible one having CP West in front in that :50 pace. That mule simply couldn’t compete. How about Gomez holding a pulling Hard Spun back in third when he would have been more comfortable on the lead in 47 and change? That horse simply can’t rate! Curlin was wanting to go on the turn but was blocked behind the wall of walking horses. Robby had to force his way between horses at the top of the stretch but he couldn’t outsprint Rags to the wire. Had Hard Spun been put on top where he should have been, the pace would have been honest, the field would have been spread out, and Curlin would have been able to rally to victory in a lightning fast time. Notice how Edgar Prado has upset in the Belmont on a couple of occasions with longshots. He makes sure his horse runs his best pace to give him his best final time. Curlin should have been going :48 for the half. That would have been fast enough but comfortable enough to give him his best final time, a time that Rags couldn’t have handled. Trainers usually instruct their jockeys to be in a certain spot relative to the other horses. This is foolish. Keep an eye on Edgar Prado… he never gets fooled by a bogus pace.
As for the Classic, that’s why I bet so much on Curlin -the speed bias was non-existent that day due to the slop. For some reason speed horses couldn’t hang on. When I handicap an off track I simply judge what kind of bias it creates. I don’t care about a horse’s record on an off track or whether he’s run on an off track before. Betting $1000 on Curlin illustrates this point. He had never run on an off track, but all I cared about was the lack of a speed bias. When I was sure there wasn’t a speed bias, I knew Curlin would be able to run his race. If the slop had enhanced Monmouth’s typical speed bias, they would have said Curlin couldn’t handle the slop when in fact it would have been the speed bias he couldn’t handle. My views on the way horses run on off tracks is against conventional thinking I know. I’ve never even considered a horse’s off track pedigree. Interesting.
As far as Dubai goes, can we bet their races? I’m not interested in betting Curlin at 2-5, I just thought I heard that they don’t bet over there.
That’s rather interesting. I’ve always used off-track record (even though I know it’s rather subjective and no two “off-tracks” quite play the same) and pedigree to help sort out contenders in such races.
I know Phil J over at horseracingtalk (he’s in my blogroll towards the bottom of the right hand menu) is a very astute pace setup handicapper, and I think you may be on to something there.
Regarding Street Sense in the classic, I know exactly what you mean. Right when the announcer was bellowing “Street Sense is threatening to run a big one!” I was already in celebration mode as I could tell Curlin was moving beautifully. I turned to my wife and said “here he goes – it’s his to win!”
In looking back, I think I may have been bit too harsh on them for featuring Street Sense and Calvin in the post-race interview, as I’m remembering something about Robbie Albarado’s microphone malfunctioning. Still, it just gets under my skin that even today, most non-fans of the sport are aware of Street Sense and yet somehow unaware of Curlin. It boggles my mind, but what can you do?
I don’t think we can bet on Dubai either. I wager through ebetusa here in PA and I doubt it will be available. It doesn’t matter to me. Wager or no wager I”ll be as pumped as can be just to see him run again.
I’ll be blogging my picks for Saturday late tomorrow night after I get home and get a chance to handicap (usually after my 3 year old goes to bed).
I just read that Curlin worked 7f in 1:23:60. He’s ready to take Dubai by storm!
I saw that too. He should ship on Friday and get a workout in before running the $200k Handicap prep race, then he’ll be ready for the World Cup! I can’t wait. It’s been so long since I’ve seen him run. October feels like a lifetime ago.
I’m such a dork. I downloaded all of Curlin’s races off youtube and extracted the audio to mp3 files so I can listen to the calls of the races in my car on cd. BTW: Dave Johnson’s call of the Preakness never gets old… “Curlin’s courageous!!!!”
Nothing dorkified about that, Jerry!
That’s my favorite Curlin race call moment (far better than the error filled “in the red white and blue corner the undefeated champion” from the DWC – despite the fact he already had 3 losses).
My seat that afternoon was literrally right at the eigth pole. It felt like slow motion watching him cock his head to the inside (I like to think he uttered a few equine 4-letter-words at Street Sense like “oh no, &%&$&#@ No, not today, you don’t!” ) and then began the greatest 20 seconds or so in my life.
Oh yes, and I consider myself an authoritative source on all thinks dorkified.