Curlin tired, but well after Preakness win

Curlin laid it down to take the Preakness (Michael J. Marten/Horsephotos.com) CURLIN (Smart Strike), a game head winner of Saturday's Preakness S. (G1) for trainer Steve Asmussen and jockey Robby Albarado, flew back to his conditioner's barn at Churchill Downs early Sunday morning. The chestnut colt left Pimlico at 6 a.m. (EDT) and was vanned to Baltimore-Washington International Airport for his flight to Louisville, Kentucky. "He looked good as he was loaded on the trailer, but he definitely knows he ran (on Saturday)," Asmussen commented after watching his charge leave, adding that the victory was the most stressful of the colt's short career so far. "I think that was obvious from the race. He had to dig down deep and find more." "If you like horse racing, you had to like that race," assistant trainer Scott Blasi summed up the thrilling run. Curlin was forced to overcome trouble from the very start of the race, stumbling and almost going to his knees when the gates opened and then being nudged by Albarado to keep up with the field early. Coming out of the final turn, the three-year-old was passed by rival and Kentucky Derby (G1) victor STREET SENSE (Street Cry [Ire]) and had to re-rally late to just get his head down on the line in front of a record crowd of 121,263. Finishing third was HARD SPUN (Danzig), who, along with the previous two, was part of the Derby trifecta just two weeks ago.

"He wasn't away as clean as we were hoping for," Asmussen admitted. "He was

off the bridle early. Personally, I was worried about a replay of the Derby.

Robby got him in position. Street Sense, and he's an excellent horse, kind of

got the jump on him. He dug down deep and found more and is a deserving winner

of a classic."

Curlin entered the Preakness owning just four career starts, including his

only loss when third in the Kentucky Derby after encountering trouble. That race

was written off as a learning experience by his conditioner.

"He came out of the (Derby) unlike any of my other previous Derby starters,"

Asmussen said. "With the possibility of running him back in two weeks, if you're going

to run one, he was the one you wanted to run."

While many are hoping for a rematch between the Derby and Preakness winners

in the June 9 Belmont S. (G1), Asmussen isn't confirming or denying anything

yet.

"This is the stage this horse deserves and those are the caliber of races he

is intended for," was all he would say. "It will all be up to him physically,

but that is the stage he deserves to be on. Our job is to make sure he is

prepared for it.

"I couldn't be any prouder of the horse or for the horse. It's just a grand

stage for everybody to see what everybody involved with the horse believed all

along."

Blasi was also full of praise for the lightly raced Curlin, who is still

learning the game.

"This horse is great at going straight, but is still trying to figure out the

'turning left' part," Blasi said. "You want to see a horse perform in a fight

like that. To see how he responded in a race against a true champion was very

impressive.

"He's a special horse that's done some remarkable things in a short period of

time, and we look forward to campaigning him the rest of the year," Blasi said.

Trainer Carl Nafzger hasn't made a decision on the Belmont for his charge

Street Sense, but cast a bit of doubt on the colt going in the 1 1/2-mile test.

The dark bay champion also flew back to Churchill Downs early Sunday morning.

"He's good; he's already home," Nafzger said shortly after 11 a.m. "There

won't be a decision on the Belmont until (owner) Mr. Tafel and I have a meeting.

That will probably take place in two or three days or maybe a week. Right now, I

don't think we probably will. There's not really any reason to go there right

now. These three horses ran their guts out the last two races."

Street Sense gave his trainer a second Derby win after Nafzger sent out

Unbridled in 1990. He appeared well on his way to giving his conditioner a first Preakness victory, but like Unbridled, could do no better than second in the

middle jewel of the Triple Crown.

"This was one of the Preaknesses to remember," Nafzger said. "It was a

spectacular race. You don't want anybody to get beat, but there's got to be a

winner. I thought Curlin ran an unbelievable race, but you've got to remember

Asmussen ain't never won the Derby. I have twice. He got a Preakness."

Hard Spun, like his two rivals, came out of the Preakness tired but in good

condition, according to trainer Larry Jones.

"Everything looks good," Jones said. "He ate well, his legs are cold. He

seems like he's OK. He's tired, but he came out of the race OK."

The Grade 2-winning bay set the pace in the Derby before being passed by

Street Sense and forced to settle for second, 5 3/4 lengths in front of Curlin

in third. On Saturday, he stalked the early pace in third before taking over and

leading the field into the stretch. Once again, though, he was was passed late,

this time by both Curlin and Street Sense, eventually finishing another four

lengths back in third.

"We're disappointed because we wanted to win.," Jones admitted. "But we sure

don't have anything to be ashamed of. We got beat by two really good horses who

tied the stakes record (1:53 2/5) in order to do it. When you run third in one

of the classics, you've got to be happy. Carl and Steve are both very nice guys,

and I'm sure if all three go to Belmont, they're going to feel sorry for him and

let me have one."

Jones indicated the Belmont is possible for Hard Spun, depending on how he

comes out of his Preakness effort in the next week.

Preakness fourth-placer, C P WEST (Came Home), is definitely getting a break

and will bypass the third leg of the Triple Crown, according to trainer Nick

Zito, who was readying for the trip back to New York Sunday morning.

"He came out of it very good," Zito said. "He's a different type of horse. He

shouldn't be a Belmont Stakes horse right now. We took a giant step with a horse

that just ran two races (this year), one a mile race. He didn't even have a

two-turn race before a classic race like the Preakness."

C P West owns just one win from breaking his maiden and was third in the

Withers S. (G3) before the Preakness. He could face off against his Preakness

rivals later in the year, though, as Zito is targeting the August 25 Travers S.

(G1) with the dark bay sophomore.

"Everything we hoped would happen happened," the conditioner explained.

"Street Sense beat us bad in the (Breeders' Cup) Juvenile (G1), but he beat

everybody bad in the Juvenile. I wanted to see how much (C P West) improved and

if he could stay with these horses, and he did. Now we should handle him

correctly. Running him a mile and a half wouldn't be correctly."

CIRCULAR QUAY (Thunder Gulch) and KING OF THE ROXY (Littleexpectations)

exited their respective fifth and sixth-place finishes in the Preakness in good

order for trainer Todd Pletcher, who is now 0-for-28 in the Triple Crown races. The

two colts were already back at his Belmont Park barn a little after 9:30 a.m. on

Sunday, according to assistant trainer Tristan Barry, who added that Pletcher

didn't give any indication on where the two would be heading next.

MINT SLEWLEP (Slew City Slew) finished seventh in the Preakness, but was one

of the first to leave Pimlico, vanning back to trainer Robbie Bailes' Bowie

Training Center headquarters Saturday night.

"He's doing well," Bailes said. "We'll sit back for seven or eight days and

talk it over with (owner) Mr. Dowell to see what's the best way to get him back

(on track)."

Also leaving Saturday night was XCHANGER (Exchange Rate), who vanned to

trainer Mark Shuman's barn at Fair Hill Training Center after his eighth-place

finish. The gray colt set the blistering early pace in the Preakness before

backing up. Shuman said Xchanger was doing well and that it would be 30 days

before a decision on his next start would be made.

FLYING FIRST CLASS (Perfect Mandate) pressed Xchanger early and eventually

finished ninth and last in the Preakness. According to trainer D. Wayne Lukas,

the Derby Trial S. hero will stick to races shorter than a mile for the rest of his

career.

"That little experiment is over," the Hall of Fame conditioner said. "We'll

just point for the better sprint races and see if we can't get him to the

Breeders' Cup."

Lukas added that Flying First Class could show up in the King's Bishop S.

(G1) at Saratoga on Travers Day.