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Curlin to defend Jockey Club Gold Cup title Horse of the Year CURLIN (Smart Strike) will race next in the 1 1/4-mile Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) on September 27 at Belmont Park, principal owner Stonestreet Farms announced Thursday. Now in its 90th running, the historic event features a $750,000 purse. "The Jockey Club Gold Cup was selected for Curlin in order to continue his legacy as one of America's greatest Thoroughbreds," said Jess Jackson, majority owner of Curlin. "We are steering Curlin towards all the renowned competitions and certainly the Jockey Club Gold Cup is one of America's most prestigious races. In the past, many of America's top Thoroughbreds sealed their honors by competing in this race. Also, this contest is in New York State where Curlin has seen much success and received an outpouring of support. Both factors weighed heavily in favor of our decision to compete again at Belmont." Curlin captured last year's Jockey Club Gold Cup by a neck from eventual champion older male Lawyer Ron, and four weeks later, went on to secure Horse of the Year honors with a 4 1/2-length triumph in the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1). It remains to be seen whether Curlin could once again use the Jockey Club Gold Cup as a prep for the October 25 Breeders' Cup Classic at Santa Anita. Jackson has previously made no secret of his hesitation to run Curlin on a synthetic track, and Santa Anita's newly overhauled Pro-Ride surface will be tested under racing conditions for the first time during the upcoming Oak Tree meeting. Curlin is coming off a victory in last Saturday's Woodward S. (G1) at Saratoga, which advanced his career record to 14-10-2-2 and boosted his earnings to $9,796,800. The four-year-old chestnut currently ranks second on North America's all-time leading earners' list, behind two-time Horse of the Year Cigar, who amassed a bankroll of $9,999,815.
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