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THREE-YEAR-OLDS & UP DIARY JULY 3, 2008 by James Scully Three major developments occurred in June. First, BIG BROWN (Boundary) remained in the hunt for the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) by virtue of his humiliating defeat in the Belmont S. (G1). The October 25 event suddenly became a viable option. As an undefeated Triple Crown winner, Big Brown would've had everything to lose and little to gain by remaining in training, especially with the Classic being held on a foreign surface (Pro-Ride) at Santa Anita. Now it's a matter of restoring lost luster to his reputation. The second involved CURLIN (Smart Strike), whose connections announced plans to pursue the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (Fr-G1) following his authoritative victory in the Stephen Foster H. (G1). If he makes the trip, a Breeders' Cup showdown with Big Brown is probably out of the question. And sadly, HEATSEEKER (Ire) (Giant's Causeway), the best handicap runner based on the West Coast, was retired on Monday due to a suspensory injury. The Santa Anita H. (G1) winner was preparing for last Saturday's Hollywood Gold Cup (G1) when the injury was detected. With TIAGO (Pleasant Tap) being better on dirt, Heatseeker lacked quality rivals in California and probably would've rolled to another convincing victory in the Gold Cup. His defection left the Gold Cup wide open, and MAST TRACK (Mizzen Mast), a 10-1 outsider making his graded debut on the main track, promptly pulled off the upset. Top performer: Horse of the Year CURLIN dominated the $6 million Dubai World Cup (UAE-G1) on March 29, winning by a record 7 3/4-length margin, and made his first U.S. appearance this year in the Stephen Foster at Churchill Downs on June 14. Carrying a weight impost of 128 pounds (seldom seen in this era of U.S. racing), the Steve Asmussen-trained chestnut posted a decisive 4 1/4-length score, earning a 104 BRIS Speed rating for his fifth consecutive decision. The four-year-old colt is a beast, but there's no guarantee he'll be as good on turf. His connections plan to use either the Man o' War (G1) or Arlington H. (G3), both on July 12, as a test and if Curlin displays the same form on turf, he'll head to France this fall. I watched the video of his workout at Churchill on Tuesday and wasn't overly impressed. The well-built colt is always a pretty picture and moved well down the stretch, but I didn't like the way his stablemate, entry-level allowance winner Hawaii Calls (Fusaichi Pegasus), galloped out better than him after the wire. I'm not sold on the Arc trip. Unfortunately, I have my doubts that his connections will pursue the Breeders' Cup over a synthetic track even if he doesn't make the trip overseas. Haskell Watch: Big Brown couldn't have been more impressive winning the Kentucky Derby (G1) and Preakness (G1), and the Kentucky-bred appeared to have his rivals over the barrel entering the 1 1/2-mile Belmont. He was the lone speed on paper in the nine-horse field and a front-running trip seemed assured given the rail post. Kent Desormeaux had other ideas and immediately yanked his mount's head back, in an attempt to rate and guide him to the outside, once the gates opened. He continued to fight the speedy colt to the first turn, and Big Brown eventually spit the bit in frustration. Just to make sure that he gave his final stamp to the ride, Desormeaux began to ease Big Brown down on the far turn, even though he was still in contention for a top four finish. Those who used Big Brown underneath in the exotics had to be thrilled. With that fiasco behind them, Big Brown's connections will now point the bay colt to the Haskell Invitational (G1) at Monmouth Park on August 3. It's difficult to imagine a strong group of rivals showing up to face him, so it will be a huge step in determining whether the sophomore continues toward the Breeders' Cup. He can't afford a loss. By virtue of the Belmont, Curlin is still the leader in the 2008 Horse of the Year race. We would love to see them settle the issue on the track, but a year-end showdown between Curlin and Big Brown remains a longshot. The only thing Curlin and Big Brown have in common right now is the unfortunate situations surrounding trainers Asmussen and Dutrow; they've both been cited for medication violations in recent weeks. Dirt Mile Favorite: DIVINE PARK (Chester House) established himself as the early favorite for the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (inaccurately named this year since it's on a synthetic surface) with a two-length score in the Metropolitan H. (G1) on May 26. Conditioned by Kiaran McLaughlin, Divine Park has reeled off three straight wins and earned terrific BRIS Speed ratings of 110, 109 and 106 for those performances. The bay colt drew comparisons to Bernardini when opening his career with three straight wins last season, including a 3 1/4-length tally in the Withers S. (G3), but he didn't make the Preakness and wasn't seen again after the Withers until December. Divine Park dropped his first two starts over the winter, but he's got his groove back and is obviously one to watch the rest of the year. Gizmo: Bobby Frankel received a lot of attention over the weekend following MAST TRACK's upset in the Gold Cup, but that runner was essentially able to steal the race on the front end with an uncontested lead. I've been more impressed with the development of GIANT GIZMO (Giant's Causeway). An allowance performer in 2007, the chestnut colt has matured into a quality performer at age four. He's probably more of a Dirt Mile candidate than a Classic contender at this stage in his career, but he'll get his opportunity to stretch out in distance in the coming months. Giant Gizmo exits a smart score in the 1 1/16-mile Lone Star Park H. (G3), earning a career-best 107 Speed rating for the two-length decision, and easily garnered the 1 1/16-mile Alysheba S. (G3) two starts back at Churchill Downs. Thin ranks: Two prestigious Grade 1 events, the Hollywood Gold Cup and Suburban (G1), were held last Saturday, and neither edition will be remembered for its quality. The Gold Cup proved to be a one-sided affair after Mast Track made a clear early lead, but don't be surprised if he never wins another graded race. The 100 Speed rating he earned for that race equaled his career-best. Runner-up GO BETWEEN (Point Given), who is only good on turf and synthetic tracks, turned in a respectable showing off a 69-day freshening and merits serious respect in upcoming events like the Pacific Classic (G1). Trainer Bill Mott might as well leave him in California for the rest of the year; synthetic tracks have turned the former grass horse into a major player in this year's Breeders' Cup Classic picture. This could be the perfect year for a grass horse to take top honors in the 1 1/4-mile Classic, and Go Between is an attractive candidate. Unlike Go Between, Gold Cup third-placer STUDENT COUNCIL (Kingmambo) can handle dirt and synthetic tracks. He captured the 2007 Pacific Classic over Del Mar's Polytrack, running 10 furlongs in 2:07 1/5, and entered the Gold Cup off an upset victory in the May 16 Pimlico Special (G1). He just couldn't make much of an impact on Saturday. Student Council skipped the 2007 Breeders' Cup Classic despite winning the Pacific Classic and Hawthorne Gold Cup (G2) in his two previous starts, but he'll likely wind up in the starting gate at Santa Anita if he remains healthy -- it's going to be a much weaker Classic field this year. Tiago disappointed with his sixth-place finish in the Gold Cup at 5-2 odds. His best effort by far this year came in the April 5 Oaklawn H. (G2), when he gamely outfinished Heatseeker to win by a head and earned a career-best 106 Speed rating, but that came on dirt. It's unfortunate for his connections that this year's Classic will be held at Santa Anita. The John Shirreffs-trained colt has dropped his last five starts on synthetic tracks. The Suburban came up very soft. There's wasn't a Grade 1 winner in the line-up, and 6-5 favorite A. P. ARROW (A.P. Indy) had dropped 14-of-16 attempts versus graded competition. FROST GIANT (Giant's Causeway), the longest shot on the board at 40-1, pulled off the surprise, re-rallying in deep stretch to defeat the tiring Argentinean allowance winner SOLAR FLARE (Arg) (Salt Lake). Frost Giant, a multiple Group 3 hero in France earlier in his career who had dropped seven-of-eight U.S. starts before the Suburban, received a respectable 111 Speed rating and theoretically could be turning the corner for Richard Dutrow, but we'll need more proof before believing it. Even Saturday's Prairie Meadows Cornhusker H. (G2), which featured ZANJERO (Cherokee Run) and TEMPORARY SAINT (Awesome Again), proved to be upset city when WAYZATA BAY (Roar) shocked observers with a 3 1/2-length trouncing at 38-1. Now an eight-time winner at the Iowa track, the six-year-old had failed to hit the board in any of his five previous starts versus graded rivals. The next installment of the diary will be in two weeks.
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