THE ASPIRING HORSEPLAYER

Curlin destroys the competition in the G1 Stephen Foster at Churchill Downs on Saturday

Curlin. You cannot stop him.  You can only hope to contain him.

On Saturday at Churchill Downs, that’s exactly what a field of 9 competitors was hoping to do in the Grade 1 Stephen Foster Handicap.  Curlin’s connections had entered him into the Stephen Foster despite being assigned a daunting 128 pounds for the race  – 10 more pounds than the 2nd choice, Einstein, and as many as 15 pounds more than some of the other rivals. Adding even more intrigue was the fact that Curlin was breaking from the rail – a post position that did not seem to be his most comfortable. 

None of that mattered to the 4-year-old son of Smart Strike as the field turned for home.  Curlin kicked into high gear and blew away the competition, reaching the line a clear 4 1/4 lengths in front of Einstein and Barcola.  Curlin completed the 1 1/8 mile distance of the Stephen Foster in 1:49.68 after soft early fractions of 25.01 and 49.28 were set by pace setter Barcola.

Curlin was bumped by Delightful Kiss after breaking from the starting gate, but was able to settle into 4th in the early running while Barcola grabbed the early lead.  Eventually Sam P. came after Barcola, and as the field entered the far turn it appeared for a moment that Curlin was in a difficult position.  The consummate cool customer under pressure, Curlin waited until an opening appeared to angle wide around Barcola and then made his dash for the finish line with but a tap of the whip from jockey Robby Albarado followed by a handride through the lane.

Einstein, thought to perhaps be a turf specialist, was sent off as the 2nd choice and rallied to nip Barcola right at the wire for 2nd place.  Amazingly, despite being sent off at odds of 1-5, Curlin sat atop a $97.80 trifecta with Einstein and Barcola underneath.

Hats off to Jess Jackson, Steve Asmussen and company for having the guts to run the colt at such a weight disadvantage.  Asking a colt to carry 128  pounds after returning from Dubai is no small challenge.  Curlin, as he has done since the Breeder’s Cup Classic last fall, made it look like he was winning for fun. 

If there’s anyone left out there that doubts this colt’s greatness, I simply don’t know what to say.  In my admittedly short life (compared to some other horseplayers), this is clearly the best horse I’ve had the pleasure of seeing. What challenge could possibly be next?   Jess Jackson and Steve Asmussen have been nominating him for every major stakes race imaginable from here to France and all the way to Japan (and back again).  God knows what kind of weight they’d need to assign him to give anyone else a prayer of a chance. 

With the win in the Stephen Foster, Curlin boosts his all-time winnings to $9,396,800, or just $603,015 away from Cigar’s all-time earnings record.  As of right now, Curlin ranks 3rd all time, just behind Skip Away who currently resides in 2nd place with $9,616,630 in lifetime earnings.  If they can catch the right purse, Curlin’s next run might well be for the all-time lead.  He’s all but assured a place in the hall-of-fame when his racing days are over, and the stud fee he’ll one day command is unimaginable. 

For now, let’s continue to enjoy him while we can.  Horses like this come around maybe once in a lifetime.  He’s that special.  He’s that magnificent.  I’ve believed he was the best since his run in the Arkansas Derby, and every time he steps onto the track from here on out, history is written.  Enjoy him while you can.   With any luck his U.S. debut won’t be his last race in the states this year.  Overseas purses beckon, including a potential run on the turf (going clockwise) in the Arc de Triomphe on October 5, and the Japan Cup in Tokyo on November 30th.

Wherever he goes, and whenever he runs, the next one will be a historic moment that sport needs to hype as much as humanly possible.  You want superstars?  We’ve got one – and when all is said and done he should be firmly entrenched among the list of all-time greats.