Darley entry favored in contentious Curlin

For a stakes race that's only been in existence for five years, the $100,000

Curlin at Saratoga Race Course boasts an impressive roster of alumni, most of

whom were relatively unknown going into the race. Among them are eventual

Breeders' Cup Classic winner and champion Blame, who took the inaugural running

in 2009; 2011 winner Turbo Compressor, who went on to capture the Grade 1 United

Nations Handicap; and multiple Grade 1 winner Point of Entry, who was fourth in

the 2011 edition.

Friday's 1 1/8-mile race has drawn eight similarly not-quite-ready for prime

time three-year-olds, many of whom are testing the waters for a possible shot at

the $1 million Travers on August 24.

Favored at 5-2 on the morning line is the Darley Stable entry of Transparent

and Romansh, trained respectively by Kiaran McLaughlin and Tom Albertrani.

Transparent will be making his first start since a 10 3/4-length allowance

victory against older horses on April 4 at Aqueduct. The son of Bernardini, who

fetched $725,000 as a yearling at the 2011 Fasig-Tipton sales in Saratoga, also

has a 5 3/4-length maiden win this year along with a sixth-place finish in the

Grade 3 Gotham.

While Transparent's training has been interrupted several times since,

McLaughlin is pleased with his two most recent works -- a bullet half-mile in

:47 2/5 seconds on July 5 and another half-mile in :50 2/5 on July 19 -- as he

keeps an eye on the Travers.

"He's training great," said McLaughlin, who saddled co-winner Alpha in last

year's historic Travers dead heat. "He's had a few issues. We missed a breeze or

two or a race or two, and now he's just doing really well. He had a bruised

foot, he had this, he had that, little tiny things.

"We had been planning to run Incognito in the (July 27) Jim Dandy and him in

the Curlin; Incognito has had foot issues (and will miss the Jim Dandy), but we

decided to stick with the original plan (for Transparent)," he added. "He has

been away now a few months, so we wanted to take the easier route."

Romansh also will be coming into the Curlin fresh, having been off since a 5

1/2-length maiden victory against older horses on May 25 at Belmont.

Irad Ortiz Jr. will ride Transparent from post position 2 while Romansh will

leave from post position 6 with Junior Alvarado in the irons.

Bad Hombre was winless as a two-year-old but appears to have turned the

corner this year. Since coming off the turf, he is 2-2-0 in four starts,

including a seven-furlong maiden victory on May 11 and a one-mile allowance win

on July 6 at Belmont last time out.

"He ran two good races on the grass, and once we took him off, he really

started running well," trainer John Kimmel said. "He wasn't so afraid of being

around horses, he's taking kickback, and he's made a good move forward."

At 6-1 on the morning line, Bad Hombre drew post position 3 and will be

ridden by Hall of Famer John Velazquez.

Proud Strike, come-from-behind winner of a 1 1/16-mile optional claimer on

June 28 at Churchill Downs, is the second choice at 3-1 on the morning line. The

co-third choices at 4-1 are Cerro, winner of the Canonero II stakes on June 1 at

Pimlico Race Course; and Edge of Reality, who steps into stakes company after a

pair of allowance wins at Parx Racing.

Completing the field are Keg Party, winner of a maiden and allowance race at

Mountaineer in his two most recent starts; Proud Strike; and Midnight Taboo,

12th in the Belmont Stakes last time out.

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