Curlin works at Churchill Downs; Time Squared eyes Belmont

Curlin will try to take over leadership of the three-year-old division in the Belmont (Michael J. Marten/Horsephotos.com)

Preakness S. (G1) winner CURLIN (Smart Strike) breezed four furlongs at

Churchill Downs on Monday in his final major workout prior to Saturday's $1

million Belmont S. (G1).

The Steve Asmussen trainee completed the distance in :50 3/5 on a fast track

beneath regular exercise rider Carmen Rosas. The chestnut colt was timed in

fractions of :13 3/5, :25 3/5 and :38. He galloped out five furlongs in 1:04

3/5. The move ranked 29th out of 41 at the distance.

"That was what we want to see," Asmussen said. "He looks very

familiar, very loose. He went a half-mile in :50 and three and was out in :13 and

change. He went nice and smooth through the wire and galloped out good."

Curlin, who finished third in the Kentucky Derby (G1), will board a plane on

Tuesday that will take him to New York and his date with destiny in the 139th

running of the Belmont.

"It's a great opportunity at a classic -- it's a very grand stage," Asmussen

said. "It's very exciting, especially coming off the Preakness and that victory

so fresh in our minds. It's extremely exciting to have him in the barn and

training so well."

Missing from the Belmont is Kentucky Derby winner and Preakness runner-up

Street Sense (Street Cry [Ire]), who will sit out the final leg of the Triple

Crown to prepare for a fall campaign. But despite the absence of that

accomplished rival, Asmussen expects a strong test for Curlin in a Belmont field

that will include HARD SPUN (Danzig), the Kentucky Derby runner-up and

third-place finisher in the Preakness.

"It would be nice for the race to see all three of them," Asmussen said. "I

think Hard Spun is an excellent horse and his races are going to prove that he

is, and nobody should be taken lightly in the race. IMAWILDANDCRAZYGUY (Wild

Event) has the exact same pattern as last year's Belmont winner had, and

everybody saw how (trainer John) Shirreffs' horse (seventh-place finisher TIAGO

[Pleasant Tap]) galloped out after the Derby. I think the fact that Street Sense

and Curlin went to the wire so well and finished a head apart in the Preakness,

a little will be missing there. But there's nothing to be taken for granted with

him not in the race."

Curlin gave Asmussen his first victory in a Triple Crown race. He will be

Asmussen's first starter in the 1 1/2-mile Belmont, a race that the trainer

believes will provide an opportunity for his star to take over the leadership of

the three-year-old division.

Hard Spun got acquainted with new rider Garrett Gomez on Sunday (Joseph DiOrio/Horsephotos.com)

Sunday was Hard Spun's first full day at Belmont Park and the first time

with jockey Garrett Gomez aboard. The bay colt arrived Saturday afternoon and

had yet to get a feel for the surface until his workout.

"I kind of hated it from Garrett's standpoint with him never having been on

the horse and for it to be the horse's first day out there as well," said Jones,

who is based at Delaware Park. "I would have loved to been able to do it

differently, but it's okay. You try to avoid as many potential disasters as you

can, but this horse is very smart. Garrett said (Hard Spun) kind of acted like

he was lost, but I think you could work him at Delaware and he'd work the same

way."

Jones is impressed with how well Hard Spun has held up to the rigors of the

Triple Crown.

"Just look at him," Jones marveled. "You can barely see any sign of a rib and

he's still got a belly. It's unbelievable. I guarantee you he's as heavy today

as he was going into the Derby."

Santa Anita Derby (G1) winner Tiago came out of his six-furlong work in 1:14

4/5 on Sunday in good order, according to Shirreffs' assistant Francisco Lael.

The half-brother to 2005 Kentucky Derby winner Giacomo (Holy Bull) walked the

shedrow on Monday.

"Everything looks good," Lael said. "It was good timing getting the work in

yesterday with all the rain today."

Unlike most horses, Tiago is given bottled water.

"When our horses ship out of town and the water is different, they can taste

it and don't drink as much as they should," Lael said. "The bottled water tastes

pretty good to them, though."

Slew's Tizzy is closely inbred to 1977 Triple Crown hero Seattle Slew (Michael J. Marten/Horsephotos.com)

SLEW'S TIZZY (Tiznow), winner of the Lone Star Derby (G3) and Lexington S.

(G2) in his last two starts, returned to the track for the first time since

breezing four furlongs in :48 1/5 on Saturday. On Monday, the Greg Fox pupil

jogged and galloped a mile at The Thoroughbred Training Center in Lexington,

Kentucky.

"He came out of his work great," Fox said. "When you see him on Tuesday,

you'll know why we're swinging for the fences with him."

Slew's Tizzy will be on the same flight from Louisville to New York as Curlin.

Since Slew's Tizzy is based in Lexington, he will have to van an hour to

Louisville before boarding the flight, which will arrive at Farmingdale's

Republic Airport Tuesday afternoon. The colt will leave Fox's barn at about 10

a.m. (EDT).

Fox loves the improvement he has seen in Slew's Tizzy over the last few

months, leading to back-to-back graded stakes wins.

"His improvement has been very steady," Fox said. "He's moved forward with

every work and every race. With any athlete, the hardest thing is continuing to

progress."

Fox will be in New York Tuesday morning, prior to Slew's Tizzy's arrival at

Belmont Park.

Circular Quay with retired Hall of Famer Angel Cordero Jr., who piloted Bold Forbes to victory in the 1976 Belmont (Deborah Kral/Horsephotos.com)

Trainer Todd Pletcher has not made a decision regarding his two potential

Belmont starters, RAGS TO RICHES (A.P. Indy) and CIRCULAR QUAY (Thunder Gulch).

Pletcher said an announcement will be made after he speaks with the horses'

owner, Michael Tabor.

"I've got a call into Mr. Tabor," Pletcher said Monday. "We'll sort it out.

We'll come up with something by tomorrow morning."

Rags to Riches, an impressive winner of the Kentucky Oaks (G1), breezed five

furlongs in 1:03 4/5 at Belmont Park on Sunday. Meanwhile, Circular Quay, who

could become one of three horses to run in all three Triple Crown events,

breezed a half-mile in :49.

"Both horses came out of their works well," Pletcher said.

Improbable longshot DIGGER (Yonaguska), who will be making his first start

for owner Larry Roman and trainer Richard Dutrow Jr. in the Belmont, is still

without a rider. Roman had hoped to secure retired Hall of Fame jockey Angel

Cordero Jr. at first, but Cordero graciously turned Roman down.

"Right now, I'm leaving the jockey situation up to my trainer," said Roman,

who has been attending Belmont Park since he was 16. "I've mentioned both Calvin

Borel and Mario Pino to Rick, but it's his call. I understand both those guys

have other things going on that day, so I'm offering $10,000 of my own money if

one of them wants to ride. I know most people are expecting him to finish last,

but starting a horse in the Belmont will be the greatest moment of my life."