Happily Unbridled

Although Curlin made his debut at Saratoga a winning one, it wasn’t as visually impressive as many of his races have been and it seemed to take all he had to get past the long shot front runner, Past the Point.

Past the Point, a 40-1 shot, set quick fractions in the 1 1/8 mile race and led into the upper stretch with Curlin “uncoiling” behind him. It looked like Curlin would run right by and win going away but once he drew even with the pacesetter, he seemed to tire and labored during the final 1/8 of a mile to finally prevail by 1 1/4 lengths. The plucky Past the Point was making his grade 1 debut for trainer Eoin Harty and proved the best of the rest by finishing 1 1/2 lengths ahead of Wanderin Boy with A P Arrow finishing fourth.

This was Curlin’s first start in seven weeks and the connections appear to be pointing him towards the 10-furlong Jockey Club Gold Cup (gr 1) at Belmont Park on September 27. There is apparently no decision to enter Curlin in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita in October; it is more likely that Curlin will ship overseas for the Japan Cup.

Even though the great Curlin appeared to be a bit less than his best yesterday, his determination and willingness to win prevailed and he was back in the winners circle where he belongs. This is possibly Curlin’s final year of racing so we need to enjoy every moment of his last few races … no matter what happens in the next few weeks, we know we’ve seen a champion that is one of the best horses racing fans have seen in the past 15 years.

Thanks for the thrills, Curlin!