Horse of Year Curlin shines in 1st turf workout
4-year-old could be pointed toward Arc de Triomphe if he handles surface
 | Curlin won the Breeders Cup Classic last year. |
Rob Carr / AP file |
 | Slide show |
 | Week in Sports Pictures Golfing from the rough, college football openers, net gain for tennis, and more more photos |
 | Slide show |
 | No crown for Big Brown Big Brown fails to capture Triple Crown as long shot Da' Tara goes on to win the 140th running of the Belmont Stakes more photos |
 | Special feature |
 | Triple Crown winners Only 11 horses have won the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes in the same year. NBCSports.com |
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Jockey Robby Albarado admits he was a little nervous as he guided reigning Horse of the Year Curlin out to the turf course at Churchill Downs on Tuesday morning for arguably the most important training session of the 4-year-old colt’s career.
If Curlin had jitters running over the grass for the first time, it didn’t show. Zipping along crisply under Albarado, Curlin covered seven furlongs in 1:31.20, easily passing the first test as he attempts to make the transition from dirt to turf.
“He’s as fluid as always,” Albarado said. “His initial steps on the turf were like he knew where he was the whole time.”
Running alongside stablemate Hawaii Calls, Curlin hardly seemed taxed as he galloped out, his tail swishing playfully as Albarado led him back to trainer Steve Asmussen’s barn.
“For all the things that could have jeopardized what we were thinking, it went perfectly and he did his part as well,” Asmussen said.
Curlin, the winner of the 2007 Preakness and Breeders’ Cup Classic, is coming off an easy victory in the Stephen Foster Handicap on June 14 at Churchill — his first start since winning the Dubai World Cup in March.
All those races were on dirt. Tuesday’s workout was the initial step in making Curlin the top turf horse in the world too. The plan includes running a prep race in either New York or Illinois on July 12. If all goes well, Asmussen hopes to race Curlin in the Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp in Paris on Oct. 5.
“If he can compete at his level on the turf, then if we get him in the race we expect, we will map out how to win the Arc,” Asmussen said.
Curlin has nine wins in 12 career starts, with earnings over $9.3 million, third on the all-time list behind Cigar and Skip Away. A solid summer and fall would make him the first $10 million horse in history, a welcome development for racing following a Triple Crown season that saw the death of Eight Belles and controversy surrounding Big Brown and trainer Rick Dutrow.
“I think he’s a breath of fresh air for everyone in horse racing,” Albarado said.
Curlin could run in the $500,000 Man o’War Stakes at Belmont Park or the $200,000 Arlington Handicap at Arlington Park on July 12. Those plans, however, depend on whether the minority owners of the horse — Midnight Cry Stable — are able to obtain a racing license in each state.
Lawyers William Gallion and Shirley Cunningham Jr., the owners of the stable, are currently on trial in northern Kentucky after being accused of conspiring to defraud clients out of $65 million in a settlement involving the diet drug fen-phen.
A third lawyer named in the suit, Melbourne Mills, was cleared Tuesday morning while a judge ordered the jury to continue to deliberate the fates of Gallion and Cunningham.
If Gallion and Cunningham are convicted, it could be problematic for Curlin’s future. Under Illinois Racing Board regulations, the board may refuse to grant a license to anyone convicted of a crime.
“It’s frustrating, but it’s an issue I think we can resolve,” said Barbara Banke, wife of Stonestreet Stable owner Jess Jackson. “He deserves to run and the fans deserve to get a chance to see him, so I hope it will work out.”
As if racing on the turf wasn’t enough, running in Europe would present other challenges as well. The Arc is run clockwise around the track, as opposed to counterclockwise races in North America. The last dirt star to attempt the Arc was 1961 Kentucky Derby winner Carry Back, who finished 10th in a field of 24. Albarado, however, thinks Curlin will be up to the task.
“A lot of obstacles have been thrown at him, but he’s bulletproof,” Albarado said. “He’s doing everything that we’ve asked from him. In a year-and-a-half we’ve thrown so much at him and he’s accepted it and proven himself.”
ALSO ON THIS STORY |
- Discuss Story On Newsvine
- Rate Story:
LowHigh - Instant Message
MORE FROM HORSE RACING |
 Horse racing Section Front |
| Add Horse racing headlines to your news reader: |
Sponsored links