The Handicappers Edge: Curlin posts final work for Gold Cup

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In a workout described by assistant trainer Scott Blasi as "perfect," reigning Horse of the Year CURLIN (Smart Strike) turned in his final move Monday morning before attempting to become North America's all-time leading money-winning Thoroughbred in Saturday's $750,000 Jockey Club Gold Cup Invitational (G1) at Belmont Park.

Under regular exercise rider Carlos Rosas, the four-year-old colt covered a half-mile in :51 4/5 on the fast Oklahoma training track at Saratoga. Curlin went in fractions of :13 and :25 3/5 while galloping out five furlongs in 1:06.

"It was his normal work before he runs," said Blasi, assistant to trainer Steve Asmussen. "He got over the ground really well and we are all excited about Saturday."

Curlin, who enters the 1 1/4-mile Jockey Club Gold Cup with earnings of $9,796,800, is on the verge of breaking Cigar's money-earning record of $9,999,815, which has stood for 12 years. The winner's purse of $450,000 would vault him past Cigar with a total bankroll of $10,246,800.

http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/editorial/news/article.cgi?id=12817

In other news, Cowboy Jones has quit with Proud Spell and sent her to owner Brereton Jones' farm for a little rest with the possibility of running her next year. I doubt we'll see her on the track again. Dick Mandella has announced the retirement of Perfect Drift. The 9YO gelding won 11 races in his career and over $4.7 million in purse money.

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1. Owner: Curlin might run in Breeders' Cup Classic

Before the first Breeders' Cup in 1984, the 1¼-mile Jockey Club Gold Cup crowned champions. Jess Jackson, 78, is an Old School guy, and on Saturday at Belmont Park his superstar Curlin will try to break Cigar's all-time earnings record in the 90th Gold Cup.

Cigar's $9,999,815 mark has stood since 1996, and Curlin has made $9,796,800 for Jackson's Stonestreet Stables LLC and partners. The $450,000 winner's share of the $750,000 purse would give Curlin $10,246,800. "It's really not about money," Jackson said Tuesday on a conference call. "He's a champion. No horse has done what he's done -- not racing as a 2-year-old and competing well in the classics and winning , then winning the Gold Cup, Breeders' Cup Classic, Horse of the Year and the Dubai World Cup.

"I think he's already proven he's among the best horses of the past half-century, if not the past century."

Jackson wouldn't commit to the Classic Oct. 25 but sounded more open to running over Santa Anita's new Pro-Ride surface. He said he has checked out the synthetic track, which will stage its first races Wednesday.

http://www.newsday.com/sports/horseracing/ny-spcurlin0924,0,6759630.story

[aaronbees]

3. Interesting interview

I think he'll go.

[two gun sid]

2. Cowboy Jones hanging up his hat by end of 2009

Trainer Larry Jones, who earlier this year saddled Proud Spell to win the Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) and the following day had ill-fated Eight Belles finish second in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I), said he plans to retire by the end of 2009.

“It is just time to quit,” Jones said Sept. 23. “We have been very blessed. We have reached a level that 25 years ago I never knew we could ever reach, in the caliber of horses we have and the races we won. I had the best year of my career this year. Lots of very good things have happened and lots of bad things have happened.”

Jones, who is assisted in his stable by his wife, Cindy, cited a number of reasons for retiring, but acknowledged that the huge media coverage surrounding the death of Eight Belles was a “wakeup call.” Eight Belles broke down and died after her impressive second-place finish behind Big Brown in this year’s Derby, one day after Jones won the Oaks with Proud Spell. In addition to Proud Spell and Eight Belles, Jones’ other most prominent trainee was Hard Spun, the 2006 Derby runner-up who ran third in that year’s Preakness Stakes (gr. I).

“It definitely took a lot of the fun out of it,” Jones said of the toll that the filly’s death had on him, his wife, and the stable. “This was a hard thing to get over. Every day something reminds us of what happened."

http://www.bloodhorse.com/article/47197.htm

It will be a real loss for racing. This was a guy who cared about his horses, didn't train with a needle and was honest. I'd rather see a guy like Frankel leave the business.

[bread_and_roses]

4. I am sad not to have Perfect Drift to follow, though I suppose it's time....

His Derby was the first year I followed racing, and he was my "pick" that year - and I followed him ever since. I was lucky enough to see him run in the Whitney against Roses in May - what a stretch run! I was right up against the fence near the finish line, and the two horses were like something out of myth, absolutely flying, thundering hooves, the whole bit (Roses in May looked stunning that day in the saddling area, too). Though I was really sorry that PD did not get the win, nothing could diminish the pleasure of that race - still the best one I've seen in person.

At least, his owners will give him a good home and no one has to worry about what will happen to him now.

[two gun sid]

5. Drifty was your horse, huh?...

You know, it is about the horses. I'm glad you got to see him in person. The sound of a race being run still gets me even after all these years. Nothing as exciting in the world of sports, IMO. Thanks for sharing your memory of his Whitney.

[two gun sid]

6. Curlin draws the 5 hole for the Gold Cup. Nine horses entered.

GI races being held at Belmont on Saturday. Lot's of good horses entered. Ginger Punch, Mauralakana, Grand Couturier (GB), Proudinsky (GER), Lemon Drop Mom....should be exciting. See ya at the track.

[two gun sid]

7. Must see race of the weekend...

Not the JC Gold Cup but the the Lady's Secret at the Oak Tree at Santa Anita meet. Hystericalady vs Zenyatta. 5 horses entered so it's practically a match race.

6 GI's are going to be run this Saturday over the Santa Anita track so it should be a good preview of the upcoming Breeder's Cup.

I'll post some PP's when I get them.

[aaronbees]

8. Great racing all around

Don't think I'll get to see any of it. Vacation time. :D Go Zenyatta! Wonder how the new Santa Anita track is playing out ... it will be a big story running up to BC time.

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9. Past Performances for this weekends stakes races.

Belmont Park

Beldame: http://www.brisnet.com/bris_link/pdfs/darley_125678.pdf

Jockey Club Gold Cup: http://www.brisnet.com/bris_link/pdfs/winstar_farm_llc_125667.pdf

Oak Tree at Santa Anita

Lady's Secret: http://www.brisnet.com/bris_link/pdfs/darley_125601.pdf

Goodwood: http://www.brisnet.com/bris_link/pdfs/eoinharty_125617.pdf

Video Link: http://www.calracing.com/video.php# or http://horseracing.sportsline.com/cbs/liveracing/

If anyone needs any other PP's for races this weekend just ask.

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10. Belmont's surface looks like there is still a lot of water on it...

you might wanna look for a mudder in today's races. I hope Ginger Punch doesn't get beat by Lemon Drop Mom on this kind of track.

Belmont conditions/scratches/changes: http://www.equibase.com/premium/changes/BEL-changes.asp

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11. Cocoa Beach by a head over Ginger Punch in the Beldame

Lemon Drop Mom put the pressure on in the early going then Cocoa Beach took a run at Ginger at the turn and just got up. Damn.

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12. Dynaforce wins the Flower Bowl Invitational

on the inner turf at Belmont. Mauralakana(FR) 2nd. Communique 3rd.

WTF. My day is going badly.

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13. Black Seventeen upsets the Vosburgh

WOW. What a race. Fast fractions and a head bob at the wire defeat Fabulous Strike with Kodiak Kowboy 3rd.

Winner pays 49.60 14.00 7.10

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14. Grand Couturier(GB) wins by 8 in the Joe Hirsch

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15. Zenyatta wins again!

Hystericalady 2nd.

[Awsi Dooger]

20. Zenyatta looks like a different species

I was watching the race today and it almost looked unfair. Hysterical Lady was chugging along but she wasn't opening up, and when I looked at the difference in dimensions it wasn't hard to predict what would happen down the stretch.

Zenyatta is one of those rare athletes who gobbles up ground while not appearing to give maximum effort. I'm thinking of Eric Dickerson but Zenyatta isn't as smooth as he was. She runs awkwardly but very fast.

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23. She's looks funny as hell coming down the lane

I can't imagine how fast she'd be if she ever smoothed out her stroke. She's actually the most talented horse out there today. DUer aaronbees has been all over her and has been watching her workouts online. He kept telling me how good she was and he was right. Hystericalady is no cheap mare.

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16. Curlin wins his second JC Gold Cup!

under the wire and beyond Cigar. Curlin is now America's richest racehorse.

See ya at the Breeder's Cup Big Brown.

[TZ]

17. Hey Sid...

Where do you rank Curlin among the great racehorses you have followed? He's gotta be up there. He almost never blew out the competition but certainly is one of the grittiest competitors I have ever seen...

[two gun sid]

18. OK. You asked for it.....

Curlin should be rank as one of the 100 best of all time. He's a wonderfully made individual and is very correct conformation wise. I look at him and think, "Powerful". Yet, he never seems to just smother his competition like a Seattle Slew or a Lost In The Fog. Some of that has to do with his running style. Slew and Foggy would break from the gate and just leave everyone else in the dust.

Curlin is a gritty horse who knows how to win and never quits trying. He has heart. Not very many horses have heart.

I'd rank him about 15th to 20th on my all-time list. Most of the horses ahead of him raced during the '70's.

[bread_and_roses]

19. And right you are - he's going, according to the BloodHorse

http://racing.bloodhorse.com/article/47285.htm

Less than an hour after the race, Curlin’s owner, Jess Jackson of Stonestreet Stable, said the reigning Horse of the Year would go to Santa Anita to prepare for the $5-million Breeders’ Cup Classic (gr. I) Oct. 25, and a much-anticipated matchup with Big Brown, the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr.I) and Preakness Stakes (gr. I) winner. In another surprising announcement that followed the first, the Curlin camp said the colt was to leave Sept. 28 for California.

[Awsi Dooger]

21. That's terrific

That race will be the most hyped Breeders Cup matchup in decades, probably since Easy Goer/Sunday Silence in '89.

Some of the racing message boards will go nuts. The Curlin/Big Brown threads already drift for page after page.

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22. Well Armed wins the Goodwood

on the same track the BC Classic will be ran. Well Armed finished 3rd to Curlin earlier this year in the Dubai World Cup. Since then he's raced 3x with 2 wins and 1 place. He's a dangerous horse and could upset the Curlin-Big Brown party at the Cup.

[two gun sid]

24. Evening Attire retired

The old warrior, Evening Attire, a stakes winner at age 10 and earner of nearly $3 million, has been retired due to a suspensory injury, co-owners and breeders Tommy Kelly and Joseph and Mary Grant announced Sunday.

The son of Black Tie Affair – Concolour, by Our Native, retires with 15 victories, 16 seconds, and nine thirds from 69 starts for earnings of $2,977,130.

Trained by Kelly’s son Pat, Evening Attire’s best year was in 2002 when he captured the Jockey Club Gold Cup (gr. I), his first of two Saratoga Breeders’ Cup (gr. II) victories, and the Red Smith Handicap (gr. III). He also captured the Queens County Handicap (gr. III) twice, Discovery Handicap (gr. III), Aqueduct Stakes (gr. III), Stymie Handicap, and this year’s mile and a half Greenwood Cup, which followed a second in the Brooklyn Handicap (gr. II). He also placed in 17 stakes.

“We saw some swelling in his leg last week, and after some discussions with the vets and the owners, we decided, considering his age and what he’s done, it was in everyone’s best interest to retire Evening Attire and find a good home for him,” Pat Kelly said.

http://ntra.com/content.aspx?type=news&id=35187

He had been scheduled to make a start at Monmouth last weekend but was scratched. What a horse. He should be elected to the Hall of Fame. Ran in Graded Stakes as 10 year old and was competitive. I got to see him in person once before he became a legendary character in racing.

He was such a pro. As he got older he kinda figured it all out and raced his own way. At the start of a race, when the gate would open, he'd just stand there and wait until all the other horses rushed out in a tangle. Once they cleared out he'd walk out of the gate and just gallop at the back of the pack then make a run at the leader. He was a smart one and racing will miss him. I was hoping he would finally win a BC race this year. I felt the new BC Marathon at 1 1/2 miles would be right up his alley. It's a shame but, he doesn't owe racing anything and I'm glad he was retired and not injured on the track. Good Luck, Evening Attire!

You Tube Tribute to Evening Attire: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7voyEE3Qxo