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THOROUGHBRED BEAT JUNE 20, 2008 by James Scully Supreme -- One week after the Belmont S. (G1) tripped up Big Brown (Boundary), America's best Thoroughbred, CURLIN (Smart Strike), put on a show in the $1 million Stephen Foster H. (G1) at Churchill Downs. Under a 128-pound impost, the reigning Horse of the Year rumbled to an impressive 4 1/4-length victory, his third straight in 2008 and fifth consecutive overall. Curlin recorded a convincing victory in the slop at Monmouth Park last fall, winning the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) by 4 1/2 lengths, and no horse has come close to him since then. He entered the Foster off a record-setting 7 3/4-length victory in the Dubai World Cup (UAE-G1). Praise -- Curlin attracted a big crowd at Churchill on Saturday, his first U.S. appearance this year after running twice in Dubai, and it's really exciting when an exceptional colt like him returns for his four-year-old season. He's terrific for horse racing, providing a real benefit for fans, tracks, retailers and others. Jess Jackson's Stonestreet Stables owns 80 percent of Curlin, and Jackson's being given plenty of credit for keeping Curlin in training. It's a magnanimous gesture. The owners of Street Sense, Hard Spun and Any Given Saturday all took the breeding industry's money and retired their three-year-olds after last year's Breeders' Cup. Even Sheikh Mohammed -- who doesn't need the money -- lowered the boom on every horse racing fan when retiring Bernardini following a lone sophomore season in 2006. Complicated -- Give Jackson credit for bringing Curlin back, but don't overlook the fact that he's a successful businessman who could have pocketed millions for syndicating Curlin following a tremendous fall campaign if he owned him outright. The decision to bring him back wouldn't have been so easy. Stud farms had serious concerns last fall because co-owners Shirley Cunningham and William Gallion of Midnight Cry Stable were facing criminal proceedings. Claims had been filed on their ownership share. There were a number of issues to be resolved before Curlin could head to stud. The ownership issues worked in the favor of every horse racing fan, helping keep Curlin on the track under the care of Steve Asmussen. Arc? -- Asmussen is now talking about the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (Fr-G1) in early October. Curlin's never raced on turf, but he owns a good pedigree for it. The massive chestnut will probably test the turf at some North American venue later this summer and if he runs well, Curlin could be off to France for a brazen assault upon one of Europe's biggest races. It would really be something special, a gigantic challenge for an American-based runner, but Curlin might be the horse to do it. Unsavory -- There are other factors involved in a possible Arc pursuit. This 2008 Breeders' Cup Classic will be held on an undisclosed synthetic track (it's less than five months away and we're still in the dark about the footing), and there's no guarantee that Curlin will handle that foreign surface. Asmussen watched Pyro (Pulpit) fall apart when trying a synthetic track earlier this year and might not want to risk it with Curlin. There's also licensing issues with Cunningham and Gallion, which apparently kept Woodford Reserve Turf Classic (G1) winner Einstein (Brz) (Spend a Buck) from running in the Manhattan S. (G1) on the Belmont Stakes undercard. How would they get a license for Curlin to run in New York? If that's a hang-up, Curlin wouldn't be able to contest the Whitney S. (G1), Woodward (G1) or Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) later this year. If Jackson owned 100 percent of the colt and the 2008 Breeders' Cup Classic was held on the dirt at Churchill Downs, the Arc might not be a serious consideration Chalk -- Curlin wasn't the only overwhelming favorite to shine on Stephen Foster Super Saturday under the Twin Spires -- there were excellent performances in all five stakes on the undercard. Multiple Grade 1 heroine and Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) runner-up HYSTERICALADY (Distorted Humor) rolled to a 7 1/2-length win in the Fleur de Lis H. (G2) as the 1-2 favorite. Champion DREAMING OF ANNA (Rahy) captured the Mint Julep H. (G3) by 2 1/2 lengths at the same odds, and Grade 2 heroine and Kentucky Oaks (G1) third-placer PURE CLAN (Pure Prize) easily garnered the Regret S. (G3) as the even-money choice. TIZDEJAVU (Tiznow) and Pyro, who were both the second choice in the wagering, posted impressive victories in the Jefferson Cup S. (G2) and Northern Dancer S. (G3) , respectively. As a result, Saturday's Pick 6 at Churchill paid only $48. The Pick 4, which was composed of the last four races in the Pick 6, returned $69. You made an extra $21 for two-thirds of the work.
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