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THOROUGHBRED BEAT JANUARY 11, 2007 by James Scully Big horse -- CURLIN (Smart Strike) returned to the worktab last weekend, and I couldn't be more excited to see him run this year. In this day and age, the chances of a three-year-old colt not being retired following a Horse of the Year campaign seems very unlikely. Of course, Curlin's clouded ownership issues probably played a role in keeping him in training. And I'm not forgetting that Ghostzapper and Invasor (Arg), who were both four-year-olds when they won Horse of the Year honors in 2004 and 2006, respectively, each returned to the races the following season. Curlin's top rivals on the East Coast last year -- Street Sense, Lawyer Ron, Hard Spun and Any Given Saturday -- have all been retired, but I'm looking forward to a potential rivalry between him and the up-and-coming DAAHER (Awesome Again), who finished 2007 with an excellent score in the Cigar Mile H. (G1) (115 BRIS Speed rating). On the West Coast, TIAGO (Pleasant Tap) returns to the races in Saturday's San Fernando S. (G2), and we could be treated to some exciting match-ups between him and AWESOME GEM (Awesome Again) again this year. Only a nose separated these two rivals in the Goodwood S. (G1) in late September. Deep division -- It promises to be a great year for distaffers. Soon-to-be-named champion RAGS TO RICHES (A.P. Indy), whose three-year-old season was cut short by injury, will be back under silks, and all three Eclipse Award finalists for champion older female -- GINGER PUNCH (Awesome Again), HYSTERICALADY (Distorted Humor) and NASHOBA'S KEY (Silver Hawk) -- remain in training. Grade 1 winners LADY JOANNE (Orientate) and LEAR'S PRINCESS (Lear Fan) add even further depth to an outstanding division. Hot Springs -- The three-year-old season is underway and Kentucky Derby (G1) contenders will be developing in all regions of the country. One hotbed in recent years is Arkansas. Oaklawn Park's signature event, the Arkansas Derby, has produced Curlin (Smart Strike), Lawyer Ron, Afleet Alex and Smarty Jones in the last four years. That's four champions as well as a Horse of the Year (unofficially until the Eclipse Awards are announced), and no race has had a bigger impact upon the Triple Crown since 2004. The American Graded Stakes Committee, in their infinite wisdom, recognizes it as only a Grade 2. Change brings trouble -- Santa Anita canceled three consecutive racing programs for the first time in its 71-year history over the weekend. Magna, which owns Santa Anita, spent millions in recent years rebuilding and improving the quality of their dirt tracks at Gulfstream Park and Laurel Park, but they were forced by the California Horse Racing Board to install an all-weather track at Santa Anita in 2007. What happens? It doesn't even last a year before proving worthless when it rains. Nobody knew how these artificial surfaces would withstand the rigors of North American racing, and the early returns aren't what we were promised. More horses broke down on the Polytrack at Del Mar than on the dirt at Saratoga last year. Despite a gross lack of research, we were assured that these new surfaces would hold up just fine in any climate, but that isn't the case in Arcadia, California. Now, we'll get plenty of excuses like "they didn't have the right mix of materials" or "this failure isn't an indictment of synthetic tracks in general." Believe it if you want, but I look forward to the return of dirt racing at Santa Anita.
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