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HANDICAPPING INSIGHTS APRIL 4, 2008 by Dick Powell Here's a tip: don't challenge Scott Blasi to any arm-wrestling contests. The assistant trainer to Steve Asmussen has bulging biceps from his daily handling of the explosive CURLIN (Smart Strike) in Dubai the last month and would be odds-on in any feats of strength. If he can handle the defending Horse of the Year's power and determination, he can handle anything. To see Curlin in person before the Dubai World Cup (UAE-G1) was to see a world-class athlete at his physical and mental peak. The massive chestnut was always under control but looked like a volcano about to erupt. On Saturday night at Nad al Sheba, Curlin did. When he drew post 12 for the World Cup, it turned out to be an advantage. Bad enough for his 11 rivals -- one scratched on the morning of the race -- that he was going to carry equal weight, but the race set up perfectly for him. Aaron Gryder was going to have to send Well Armed (Tiznow) from post 2, and Johnny Murtagh figured to stalk him from post 9 aboard Asiatic Boy (Not for Sale). Robby Albarado would be right to their outside where he could stalk the pace while running clear. At the start, the two expected front runners set up shop in their expected positions, but Curlin perched to their outside. With his head cocked sideways, Curlin was full of energy but Albarado got him to settle and he raced three-wide throughout. Asiatic Boy took the worst of it with the intimidating Curlin pressing him on the outside while between horses. Premium Tap (Pleasant Tap) was racing in behind the leading trio and with a half-mile to go looked like he was going to clip heels. Sebastian Madrid pulled him back off and then had no horse left. Around the far turn, Curlin was in cruise control and Well Armed and Asiatic Boy looked like sheep. The slaughter began when they straightened away and Albarado asked Curlin to go. The response was breathtaking as Curlin pulled away with giant strides. The only question left to be answered was the final margin. At the wire, Curlin was 7 3/4 lengths ahead with a final time for the 2,000 meters of 2:00.15, the third-fastest World Cup all off time. Considering how wide his path was, it might have been the greatest World Cup performance ever. Well Armed battled gamely through the stretch but couldn't hold off Asiatic Boy's late surge for second. A. P. Arrow (A.P. Indy) rallied nicely for fourth in a game effort. Japanese hope Vermilion (El Condor Pasa) finished dead last in an inexplicably bad performance. Asmussen's experiment of bringing Curlin to Dubai early, giving him a prep race over the track, and getting him acclimated worked to perfection. As much as he was on the muscle, he was comfortable and relaxed in his surroundings due to the efforts of Blasi and exercise rider Carlos Rosas and returns to America a better horse, ready for anything. But all of this was possible because of Jess Jackson's decision to keep him in training this year and resist the irresistible urge to retire him to the breeding shed. I know economically it makes little sense to run great colts at four but the 78-year-old Jackson wanted to see his magnificent chestnut colt continue to run this year and the world of racing is better off. Mike de Kock is one of the best trainers in the world and he showed it Saturday in Dubai. The South African has won many Group 1 races but his skills were never more apparent as they were on the World Cup card. In the U.A.E. Derby (UAE-G2), he figured to dominate and he did when HONOUR DEVIL (Honour and Glory) bested stablemate Royal Vintage (Rich Man's Gold) by 4 1/4 lengths in the very good time of 1:48.60 for the 1,800 meters. These two colts dominated the racing in Dubai and proved too tough for a good field. But de Kock was only getting warmed up. In the $5 million Dubai Duty Free (UAE-G1), fellow South African Herman Brown upset the race with JAY PEG (Camden Park) who overcame post 14, a fast pace and the saddle slipping in deep stretch to pull off the shocker. Multiple Group 1 winner Darjina (Zamindar) looked like a winner with 200 meters to go but hung in the stretch. And that blur you saw at the wire was the de Kock-trained Archipenko (Kingmambo), who was stopped cold and then made a furious rally to miss second by a nose and all the money by a half-length. It was as wild a finish as you would ever see with fillies Vodka (Tanino Gimlet), Finsceal Beo (Mr. Greeley) and Seachange (Cape Cross [Ire]) finishing fourth through sixth. Only 3 1/2 lengths separated the top 10 finishers. Next up was the $5 million Sheema Classic (UAE-G1) on the turf at 2,400 meters (almost 1 1/2 miles). In a race that looked devoid of pace on paper, Garrett Gomez put Spring House (Chester House) on the lead. I thought the improving Quijano (Ger) (Acatenango) would be racing near the lead but he wound up stuck on the rail back in eighth place early. West Wind (Machiavellian) chased the pace and SUN CLASSIQUE (Fuji Kiseki) was getting a dream trip saving ground behind the leaders with Kevin Shea. Most were content to save their positions until the long stretch at Nad al Sheba and the first to strike was Sun Classique. The Australian-bred de Kock trainee looked like she might have moved too soon but Shea's decision broke the race wide open. She opened up three lengths on the field with a quarter-mile to go and the only real late threat was coming on the outside. Hong Kong shipper Viva Pataca (Marju) was out in the middle of the track passing horses but could never overcome the ground loss from post 12 and could only get second. International traveler Doctor Dino (Fr) (Muhtathir [GB]) could not overcome post 15 and finished third, just ahead of Quijano who paid a severe price for not running on the pace. For de Kock, it was his second winner on the night. Coupled with Asiatic Boy's second-place finish in the World Cup, it was one of the great nights in racing history for any trainer. Rick Dutrow won two races, the Godolphin Mile (UAE-G2) with DIAMOND STRIPES (Notebook) and the Golden Shaheen (UAE-G1) with BENNY THE BULL (Lucky Lionel) but those races only totaled $3 million in winning purses but de Kock's two winners' purses totaled $7 million and his second place was in the $6 million World Cup. Later in the night, de Kock indicated that he wanted to bring Honour Devil to America to race while Royal Vintage would be rested and targeted for next year's World Cup. Considering how well Invasor (Arg) and Lido Palace (Chi) did against older horses when they shipped to the United States after running in the U.A.E. Derby, he should fit well with our handicap horses -- as long as he avoids Curlin. Another big winner on the night was the Dubai International Racing calendar itself. Curlin ran in the Jaguar Trophy on February 28, Honour Devil ran three times in the Carnival and Royal Vintage ran twice. Jay Peg and Archipenko competed in three races while Sun Classique ran twice before her win in the Sheema Classic. Asiatic Boy has been a regular at the Carnival the past two years and was still running well on the big stage. The Breeders' Cup might want to call itself the World Thoroughbred Championships, but it pales in comparison to the card held at the Dubai World Cup. We had three American-based and bred winners, a South-African-trained Argentine-bred win the Derby, and a South African-trained and bred win the Duty Free and a South African-trained Australian-bred that was sired by a son of the great Sunday Silence, who stood in Japan, win the Sheema Classic. The World Thoroughbred Championships should require horses from all over the world competing and the Dubai World Cup card has it in spades. Dutrow's historic day continued at Gulfstream later on Saturday when BIG BROWN (Boundary) overcame post 12 to win the $1 million Florida Derby (G1) gate to wire. He earned a strong BRIS Speed Rating of 110 and will go to the Kentucky Derby (G1) undefeated and unchallenged in only three starts. As good as Big Brown looked -- and his stride through the homestretch looked spectacular -- he's very unlikely to get the same set up in the Run for the Roses. Unless he can replicate War Emblem, Winning Colors or Spend a Buck, and go gate to wire, I don't see how he can stretch his speed 10 furlongs while under more pressure than he was last Saturday. If the Kentucky Derby would have been run last Saturday, he would have been the winner but can he come back five weeks later and replicate, or even improve, his Florida Derby form? I'm betting that he can't.
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