by Larry Stewart
Horse of the Year Curlin took another step toward running in the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1), breezing a half-mile on Monday in a rather pedestrian time of :52.80 on Santa Anita’s Pro-Ride synthetic surface.
The breeze was Curlin’s first official move at the Arcadia, California, track since arriving eight days earlier, only a day after capturing the $750,000 Jockey Gold Cup Stakes (G1) at Belmont Park.
Following the move, which came at about 6:45 a.m. PDT, trainer Steve Asmussen remained noncommital about when an official decision would be made regarding Curlin’s possible entry into the Classic.
“We want to show Curlin the patience he deserves,” Asmussen said. “We’re not pressed for time. It’s one step at a time.”
The fractions for Curlin’s half-mile under regular exercise rider Carlos Rosas were :13.40, :26.40, and :39.40.
“He’s getting acclimated,” Asmussen said. “He sort of looked around quite a bit. We just breezed him. It was good, crisp morning. The temperature was ideal.”
Asmussen commented that Curlin’s coat looked good after the move but mostly sidestepped questions about the four-year-old Smart Strike colt's status for the Classic on October 25 during the Oak Tree meeting.
“There will be no decision today,” he told reporters.
Asmussen said he planned to return home to Arlington, Texas, on Tuesday.
“I’ve got a ten-year-old’s Pop Warner football game to attend and a five-year-old’s soccer game,” the father of three young sons said.
Asmussen plans to return to Southern California next weekend for Curlin’s second official workout, scheduled for next Monday. Curlin will breeze alongside a stablemate that day.
“We’ll have a better indication then where we stand,” Asmussen said.
Curlin’s final breeze is scheduled for October 20, the day before final entries for the Classic must be submitted.
Asmussen is not an advocate of synthetic tracks but said the only thing that is important to him about Santa Anita’s overhauled surface is “if Curlin likes it.”
Flying down from Northern California for Monday’s workout was Barbara Banke, the wife of majority owner Jess Jackson. Banke was accompanied by her sister and two of the couple’s three children.
Curlin’s move drew a crowd of about 100 more people than usual at Clocker’s Corner, the area where horsemen and fans gather to watch morning workouts at Santa Anita.
About a half-dozen members of the media also attended the session, as did Santa Anita Park President Ron Charles and Sherwood Chillingworth, the head of the Oak Tree Racing Association.
Asmussen did not meet with the media until after Student Council, another Classic hopeful, breezed six furlongs in 1:15.60.
Curlin won last year’s Classic at Monmouth Park and would square off against dual classic winner Big Brown if he runs in this year’s $5-million race.
Asked if the Classic might be Curlin’s final start, Asmussen said Jackson and Banke had not yet discussed that with him.
“Maybe they don’t want to watch me openly cry,” he said.
Larry Stewart is a California-based Thoroughbred Times correspondent