Sensational!
September 27 had all the markings of a significant day on the racing calendar as major Breeders’ Cup preps took place coast-to-coast.
And boy did it live up to the hype.
Curlin was the headliner not only for his credentials, but for what was at stake — becoming America’s all-time leading money earner.
Mission accomplished.
After spending the past few Mondays at the Oklahoma Training Track with the champ, it was no surprise to another typical Curlin effort.
Scott Blasi had said many times that Curlin is an easier horse to train with a month between races than with 6-7 weeks, and Todd Pletcher had said that Curlin’s best attribute is his consistency. And both were accurate.
Yet as impressive as Curlin was, the jaw-dropping performance of the day was turned in by the undefeated Zenyatta in the Lady’s Secret.
Now 8-for-8, Zenyatta may have locked up a championship with her dominating victory — considering it came at the expense of Hystericalady, and coupled with the loss of Ginger Punch in the Beldame.
Dynaforce ran huge in the bog at Belmont, turning back Mauralakana off the turn.
Red Giant looked very sharp winning the Clement Hirsch.
How classy is Wait a While?
In Summation found more traffic trouble in the Ancient Title.
Cocoa Beach stepped up big-time.
Fabulous Strike ran huge off the layoff, and should move forward if able to stay healthy — which is easier said than done with him.
Grand Couturier was outstanding in the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic, although the field behind him fell apart.
2 Responses to “Sensational!”
Hey there Kyle,
Just wanted to get your thoughts on whether Curlin will be in the starting gate on October 25 or not? I feel that if Curlin such a great horse, the “pro-ride” surface shouldn’t matter. Dirt, Turf, Poly, Pro-Ride… We know what he can do on the dirt, he didn’t do too bad on the turf either. I noticed he went 52.80 on Monday, but no decision has yet to be made. What do you think?
Great points, Sir Charles. It was announced earlier today that Curlin will indeed be pointed to the Classic.
In the past, Team Curlin has epxressed a willingness to have a race over a surface — which they did prior to the Dubai World Cup, was the reason they ran in the Haskell in advance of last year’s BC, etc. Thus, although he has now logged a few works over the Pro-Ride surface, he will enter the Classic without a race over the track. It can be argued that he struggled first time over the Saratoga oval as he earned a hard-fought victory over Past the Point in the Woodward in a manner far from the dominance many expected.
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