Headed East (caution: horsey rant)
yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyeeeeaaaaaaaaaAAAAH!!!
Hey, guys! Hey hey hey hey hey guys!!
CURLIN IS GOING TO DUBAIIIIIII!!!!
For those of you who are not rabid thoroughbred racing fans, this is a very big deal. Curlin (the gorgeous thing in my userpic) is a goliath chestnut colt by Canadian sire Smart Strike who currently has over $5,000,000 to his name. He won his debut by 12 3/4 lengths back in February, after which I was completely smitten, and he hasn't ceased to improve since. He won the Rebel Stakes by 5 1/4 lengths and then smashed the margin-of-victory record in the Arkansas Derby when he won it by 10 1/2. Just to put it into perspective, the previous record had been set by Afleet Alex, who later won two of the three legs of racing's coveted Triple Crown and the Eclipse award for three-year-old Champion.
Curlin's first defeat was dealt to him in the Kentucky Derby, when he was virtually crushed into the rail by fourteen horses and rallied to finish third behind Street Sense and Hard Spun (who I'd thought would finish third and second, respectively, behind Curlin in that race... my top three ended up being backwards XD). Two weeks later, he was passed at the top of the stretch by Street Sense in the Preakness Stakes, but re-rallied to nail him under the wire and tie the race record set in 1984. Hard Spun was third.
Next came the Belmont Stakes, or the "Test of the Champion." Street Sense opted out of that race, which opened the door for America's top filly, Rags to Riches, to take on the boys. She and Curlin dueled the length of the stretch, but Rags to Riches' fresh legs and dogged determination won out by a head.
Curlin's return to racing saw his worst effort, a third behind Any Given Saturday and Hard Spun in the Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park, New Jersey. This race sparked a lot of debate about Curlin's ability and whether he'd regressed off of his huge Triple Crown campaign, particularly since Monmouth Park was to be the site of the Breeders' Cup World Championships and its marquee event, the $5,000,000 Breeders' Cup Classic to which Curlin was being pointed. Meanwhile, a four-year-old (Curlin was three) named Lawyer Ron was tearing up the New York track at Saratoga Race Course - he'd won the Whitney Handicap in track-record time and demolished the Woodward Stakes field by more than eight lengths three weeks later. Lawyer Ron was entered in his last Breeders' Cup prep race in the $1,000,000 Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park... the race was to be billed as practically a match race between the top-rated older horse in the U.S. and Curlin, who would essentially be solidifying his place in the running for Horse of the Year if he beat Lawyer Ron.
The race unfolded as expected - Lawyer Ron was just off the pace and Curlin waited patiently a few lengths behind. As they turned for home, Lawyer Ron took the lead and started to draw away, but Curlin took off after him. With the length of the stretch in front of them, Curlin's nose had reached Lawyer Ron's flank. He whittled away at the lead until, a few strides from the finish, the enormous colt thrust his head in front and won by a neck. Lawyer Ron had been dethroned and Curlin was back.
A month later, water poured relentlessly down onto Monmouth Park just in time for the Breeders' Cup. Curlin was 4-1, the fourth choice in a field of nine, at post time for several reasons: One, Street Sense was in the field - he'd recently won the Jim Dandy and Travers Stakes and finished second to Hard Spun in the Kentucky Cup Classic; Two, Any Given Saturday - he'd already beaten Curlin at this very track, and had won his debut against older horses in his last race; Three, Lawyer Ron - he was still the 1 1/8 mile track record holder at Saratoga, for goodness' sake, and had won his only race on mud; Four, Curlin had barely even galloped over a sloppy track, let alone raced.
All that never mattered. He exploded halfway around the final turn, passing tiring horses as if they were standing still. Street Sense, who'd been running beside him the whole race, fell behind and Hard Spun proved easy prey if only for him. He won by almost five lengths, going away, with gritty Hard Spun second by another six or so over Awesome Gem (a Californian long shot) and Street Sense.
Since then, Hard Spun, Street Sense, Lawyer Ron and Any Given Saturday have been retired to stud duty. Awesome Gem hasn't, but only because he's a gelding and only half the man he used to be. Curlin's status was in limbo for months after the October Breeders' Cup Classic, until, at the Eclipse Awards ceremony, he was named Horse of the Year and his awesome owner Jess Jackson announced plans for a four-year-old campaign. Since then, he's been working out impressively in company with my Kentucky Derby favourite Pyro while trainer Steve Asmussen and Jackson mulled over Curlin's options: an American campaign, starting with the Mineshaft and New Orleans Handicap, or his first two races in Dubai? The second option included a $175,000 handicap at Nad Al Sheba in Dubai, followed by the Dubai World Cup. The world's richest race. Six million dollars. Holy freaking crap.
He's going East. Curlin is about to meet the likes of Premium Tap, who stayed in Dubai after a second-place finish in last year's Cup and hasn't lost since, Vermilion, Japan's brightest star, and Spring At Last, who won last year's $1,000,000 Godolphin Mile during the Dubai Racing Festival. He could very well be the best horse in the world and the greatest in decades...
And to think I knew it since February. *gloats*
OH BTW my Kentucky Derby top ten:
1. Pyro (Working in company with Curlin? He's gotta be good.)
2. Court Vision (May not have been the fastest winner last year, but he's got grit.)
3. Majestic Warrior (I really think the Champagne was a throwout.)
4. Visionaire (I admit I've got a soft spot for Michael Matz trainees, and this one looks good.)
5. El Gato Malo (Yes, he broke a track record, but have you seen Santa Anita's freak footing?)
6. Cowboy Cal (He gets me because of the Barbaro parallel, but we'll see how good he is on dirt.)
7. War Pass (To be honest, I'm not particularly big on the Juvy champ, but he deserves a spot.)
8. Geroni (My wildcard horse. Saw his maiden win at Philadelphia and fell in love. It only took him that long to break it because his previous races had been against the likes of Kodiak Kowboy, who was a monster early on.)
9. Colonel John (He might get pushed up if he impresses me)
10. Z Fortune (deserves a spot based on his impressive Lecomte surge)
To compare, this is what my top ten looked like this time last year:
1. Hard Spun (2nd Kentucky Derby and BC Classic)
2. Nobiz Like Shobiz (won a bunch of stuff, then eventually fourth in BC Mile)
3. Street Sense (won the Derby, Jim Dandy and Travers)
4. Birdbirdistheword (Yeah, the throwout. He ended up sucking a lot.)
5. Ravel (was the favourite for a while before he fracture a cannon bone)
6. Chelokee (A Matz trainee. He's still awesome.)
7. Zanjero (Looking like he's going to be a force to reckon with this season)
8. Circular Quay (ended up not winning much... I think he lost focus after his six-week break before the Derby)
9. Scat Daddy (Ran away with the Florida Derby that Chelokee should have won and was retired after flopping in Kentucky)
10. Officer Rocket (British-bred colt ended up finishing second to a monster named Curlin in the Rebel. He's back in training now.)
Note that Curlin is not on said list because of not having started yet this time last year. XD Hard Spun, Nobiz Like Shobiz, Street Sense, Ravel, Chelokee and Zanjero ended up being major graded stakes winners later in the year. That's six out of ten. Not too bad, huh? Let's see if I can improve on it. =3
In other news, horses are AWESOME.
Hey, guys! Hey hey hey hey hey guys!!
CURLIN IS GOING TO DUBAIIIIIII!!!!
For those of you who are not rabid thoroughbred racing fans, this is a very big deal. Curlin (the gorgeous thing in my userpic) is a goliath chestnut colt by Canadian sire Smart Strike who currently has over $5,000,000 to his name. He won his debut by 12 3/4 lengths back in February, after which I was completely smitten, and he hasn't ceased to improve since. He won the Rebel Stakes by 5 1/4 lengths and then smashed the margin-of-victory record in the Arkansas Derby when he won it by 10 1/2. Just to put it into perspective, the previous record had been set by Afleet Alex, who later won two of the three legs of racing's coveted Triple Crown and the Eclipse award for three-year-old Champion.
Curlin's first defeat was dealt to him in the Kentucky Derby, when he was virtually crushed into the rail by fourteen horses and rallied to finish third behind Street Sense and Hard Spun (who I'd thought would finish third and second, respectively, behind Curlin in that race... my top three ended up being backwards XD). Two weeks later, he was passed at the top of the stretch by Street Sense in the Preakness Stakes, but re-rallied to nail him under the wire and tie the race record set in 1984. Hard Spun was third.
Next came the Belmont Stakes, or the "Test of the Champion." Street Sense opted out of that race, which opened the door for America's top filly, Rags to Riches, to take on the boys. She and Curlin dueled the length of the stretch, but Rags to Riches' fresh legs and dogged determination won out by a head.
Curlin's return to racing saw his worst effort, a third behind Any Given Saturday and Hard Spun in the Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park, New Jersey. This race sparked a lot of debate about Curlin's ability and whether he'd regressed off of his huge Triple Crown campaign, particularly since Monmouth Park was to be the site of the Breeders' Cup World Championships and its marquee event, the $5,000,000 Breeders' Cup Classic to which Curlin was being pointed. Meanwhile, a four-year-old (Curlin was three) named Lawyer Ron was tearing up the New York track at Saratoga Race Course - he'd won the Whitney Handicap in track-record time and demolished the Woodward Stakes field by more than eight lengths three weeks later. Lawyer Ron was entered in his last Breeders' Cup prep race in the $1,000,000 Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park... the race was to be billed as practically a match race between the top-rated older horse in the U.S. and Curlin, who would essentially be solidifying his place in the running for Horse of the Year if he beat Lawyer Ron.
The race unfolded as expected - Lawyer Ron was just off the pace and Curlin waited patiently a few lengths behind. As they turned for home, Lawyer Ron took the lead and started to draw away, but Curlin took off after him. With the length of the stretch in front of them, Curlin's nose had reached Lawyer Ron's flank. He whittled away at the lead until, a few strides from the finish, the enormous colt thrust his head in front and won by a neck. Lawyer Ron had been dethroned and Curlin was back.
A month later, water poured relentlessly down onto Monmouth Park just in time for the Breeders' Cup. Curlin was 4-1, the fourth choice in a field of nine, at post time for several reasons: One, Street Sense was in the field - he'd recently won the Jim Dandy and Travers Stakes and finished second to Hard Spun in the Kentucky Cup Classic; Two, Any Given Saturday - he'd already beaten Curlin at this very track, and had won his debut against older horses in his last race; Three, Lawyer Ron - he was still the 1 1/8 mile track record holder at Saratoga, for goodness' sake, and had won his only race on mud; Four, Curlin had barely even galloped over a sloppy track, let alone raced.
All that never mattered. He exploded halfway around the final turn, passing tiring horses as if they were standing still. Street Sense, who'd been running beside him the whole race, fell behind and Hard Spun proved easy prey if only for him. He won by almost five lengths, going away, with gritty Hard Spun second by another six or so over Awesome Gem (a Californian long shot) and Street Sense.
Since then, Hard Spun, Street Sense, Lawyer Ron and Any Given Saturday have been retired to stud duty. Awesome Gem hasn't, but only because he's a gelding and only half the man he used to be. Curlin's status was in limbo for months after the October Breeders' Cup Classic, until, at the Eclipse Awards ceremony, he was named Horse of the Year and his awesome owner Jess Jackson announced plans for a four-year-old campaign. Since then, he's been working out impressively in company with my Kentucky Derby favourite Pyro while trainer Steve Asmussen and Jackson mulled over Curlin's options: an American campaign, starting with the Mineshaft and New Orleans Handicap, or his first two races in Dubai? The second option included a $175,000 handicap at Nad Al Sheba in Dubai, followed by the Dubai World Cup. The world's richest race. Six million dollars. Holy freaking crap.
He's going East. Curlin is about to meet the likes of Premium Tap, who stayed in Dubai after a second-place finish in last year's Cup and hasn't lost since, Vermilion, Japan's brightest star, and Spring At Last, who won last year's $1,000,000 Godolphin Mile during the Dubai Racing Festival. He could very well be the best horse in the world and the greatest in decades...
And to think I knew it since February. *gloats*
OH BTW my Kentucky Derby top ten:
1. Pyro (Working in company with Curlin? He's gotta be good.)
2. Court Vision (May not have been the fastest winner last year, but he's got grit.)
3. Majestic Warrior (I really think the Champagne was a throwout.)
4. Visionaire (I admit I've got a soft spot for Michael Matz trainees, and this one looks good.)
5. El Gato Malo (Yes, he broke a track record, but have you seen Santa Anita's freak footing?)
6. Cowboy Cal (He gets me because of the Barbaro parallel, but we'll see how good he is on dirt.)
7. War Pass (To be honest, I'm not particularly big on the Juvy champ, but he deserves a spot.)
8. Geroni (My wildcard horse. Saw his maiden win at Philadelphia and fell in love. It only took him that long to break it because his previous races had been against the likes of Kodiak Kowboy, who was a monster early on.)
9. Colonel John (He might get pushed up if he impresses me)
10. Z Fortune (deserves a spot based on his impressive Lecomte surge)
To compare, this is what my top ten looked like this time last year:
1. Hard Spun (2nd Kentucky Derby and BC Classic)
2. Nobiz Like Shobiz (won a bunch of stuff, then eventually fourth in BC Mile)
3. Street Sense (won the Derby, Jim Dandy and Travers)
4. Birdbirdistheword (Yeah, the throwout. He ended up sucking a lot.)
5. Ravel (was the favourite for a while before he fracture a cannon bone)
6. Chelokee (A Matz trainee. He's still awesome.)
7. Zanjero (Looking like he's going to be a force to reckon with this season)
8. Circular Quay (ended up not winning much... I think he lost focus after his six-week break before the Derby)
9. Scat Daddy (Ran away with the Florida Derby that Chelokee should have won and was retired after flopping in Kentucky)
10. Officer Rocket (British-bred colt ended up finishing second to a monster named Curlin in the Rebel. He's back in training now.)
Note that Curlin is not on said list because of not having started yet this time last year. XD Hard Spun, Nobiz Like Shobiz, Street Sense, Ravel, Chelokee and Zanjero ended up being major graded stakes winners later in the year. That's six out of ten. Not too bad, huh? Let's see if I can improve on it. =3
In other news, horses are AWESOME.