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Count Paul Moran as one of the voices supporting the possible shift of Curlin to the lawn for what will be the world's richest horse race in 2008, the Arc de Triomphe.
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I know not everyone agrees with it, but I'm all behind the Curlin camp giving this a shot. Surely, turf is a different beast and it will require Asmussen to train this horse unlike he has before, but with all he's accomplished on dirt: Jockey Club Gold Cup, BC Classic, Dubai World Cup, Stephen Foster in his last four starts...I'm all for giving this turf-bred son of Smart Strike a chance.
What does he have to prove? More versatility? More greatness? Sure. Why not. People are so un-used to seeing a horse with half of Curlin's accomplishments still running that it might be tough to accept this. But what else is he going to do? Win a couple more dirt races? Even if he were pointed to Japan for the Japan Cup Dirt, that isn't until late November.
I'm excited beyond belief that he might give the grass a shot.
Pat,
Absolutely. This is the kind of thing which can hook the interest of fans and the media.
Should Curlin pull it off, it would put him in the category of the great horses -- Triple Crown winners, Man 'o War, et al.
New Yorkers hope to see him at Belmont Park July 12 in, coincidently, the Man 'o War Stakes.
The horse is still running, and while I would love it if he ran in the USA, given the shaky surface issues for the Breeders' Cup, I guess we should take what we can get.
I think it is tremendous sportsmanship that they are pushing the envelope with Curlin. This is clearly the most exciting campaign of the decade for an American race horse. It is also the best thing to come out of the synthetic surface debacle.