by Jeff Lowe and Larry Stewart
Horse of the Year Curlin received the go-ahead on Tuesday to seek a repeat victory in the $5-million Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1).
Majority owner Jess Jackson and trainer Steve Asmussen finalized their plan a day after Curlin breezed for the second time on Santa Anita Park’s Pro-Ride surface. Curlin has never raced on a synthetic surface.
“Everything is a go,” Jackson said. “I’m very pleased that he is going to run, and we’ll love to see the competition. I hope that everybody will come and we’ll have a full field.”
Tiznow is the only two-time Classic winner, scoring in 2000 at Churchill Downs and in ’01 at Belmont Park. He also was the last three-year-old to win the Classic until Curlin ran away with last year’s edition on a sloppy track at Monmouth Park.
Curlin finished second in the Man o’ War Stakes (G1) on the turf at Belmont on July 12 in his only start on something other than conventional dirt. Whether he will be at his best on Pro-Ride in the Classic remains a question, Jackson said.
“That’s totally uncertain at this point,” Jackson said. “It’s a bit faster than any surface we have run on, and I worry a bit about that because that shortens the distance, in effect, which gives more horses with less durability a chance to compete well against him.”
Jackson and Asmussen had been reluctant all year to point Curlin to another start in the Classic. Jackson said, “Been there, done that,” at one point, but he also openly voiced his preference for the Classic to be run on a conventional dirt track.
The Man o’ War was a test run for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (Fr-G1), and Jackson and Asmussen were forced to shift gears after Curlin came up short in his turf debut.
Jackson held out the Japan Cup Dirt (Jpn-G1) on December 7 as a possible alternative target before they settled on the Breeders’ Cup.
“I think I owe it to the horse,” Jackson said. “Curlin tells us he’s fit. He loves to compete and when a top athlete is ready, they want to play, and Curlin has indicated every sign shows that he’s ready. I do want to help enlarge the fan base and give the hardcore race fans one more opportunity to see him, but that’s secondary.
“Part of it is that I’m a Californian, I was born a few miles from the track, and I’d love to see him race at Santa Anita.”
Earlier on Tuesday, Asmussen said Curlin came out of Monday’s workout in good order.
“He looks great,” Asmussen said shortly after 7 a.m. PDT, adding that Curlin walked in the stable area early Tuesday morning.
Jackson said Curlin’s status beyond the Breeders’ Cup has not been decided. The Japan Cup Dirt remains an option, although perhaps a diminishing one.
Jackson said he has not entered into any serious negotiations with farms interested in standing Curlin.
For more stories on Curlin's road to the Breeders' Cup, click here.
Jeff Lowe is a Thoroughbred Times staff writer
Larry Stewart is a Southern California-based Thoroughbred Times correspondent