Timeform awarded him a rating of 134, declaring him the best racehorse in the whole equestrian fraternity. With some amazing performances and victories under his belt, he indeed was one of the selected few to qualify for the ‘best’; this was Curlin, a horse remembered for his exceptional display of intelligent racing and incredible endurance. Curlin was the ‘dirt’ God.
Curlin derived his lineage from the best in business racehorses. While his sire was Smart Strike, a former Canadian star, his maternal grand sire was Deputy Minister. Amidst numerous lawsuits the ownership of Curlin became quite a challenging decision but all issues resolved, Curlin became a property of Stonestreet Stables and Midnight Cry Stables. He was assigned to Steve Asmussen and Helen Pits for training.
The second year season for the chestnut colt went unnoticed and barren with no starts. Curlin made his maiden run wen he was three years old at a 7 furlong race winning it by 12 ¾ lengths, the race held at GulfStream Park was a milestone race after which his seasoning was given away to Steve completely. Curlin made his next winning start in the Arkansas Derby and Rebel Stakes, both ridden by jockey Robby Albarado.
Curlin’s connections decided to participate in the Derby as their next target making him the only horse with just three prior starts to contend for the race since 1915. Curlin closed a fine third to Street Sense and Hard Spun despite only three prior starts. His next start in the 132nd Preakness became one of his most thrilling performances where he chased down the race lead Street Sense in the last furlong finishing the race in 1:53.46. He had tied track records, one that also belonged to Secretariat.
He was however once again defeated in the next Triple Crown leg when the fierce filly Rags to Riches raced him down to win by a neck beating a record of 102 years at the Belmont Stakes.
Curlin closed third in the Haskell Invitational but successfully closed the Jockey Club Gold Cup beating Lawyer Ron earning a Bayer Speed Figure of 114 and a fixed position for contention in the Breeder’s Cup Classic. In the Breeder’s Cup Classic that followed soon after on October 27th 2007, Curlin overtook the race lead Hard Spun drawing himself farther awar from the pacesetter and bringing him to close the finish in a lead of 4 ¾ lengths.
Curlin was already awarded the Eclipse Award and also the American Champion of the year award in 2008. If you wish to race the American champion on racetracks of different varieties and also win real prizes, horseracegame.com has just the right set of downloadable racing games for free. The games bring to you 3D simulations of the finest in racing history along with many more exciting features. You can breed your own foal and test them on a variety of surfaces, deciding their favourite and then closing in on the tournaments you wish to take. Also, explore your betting skills, and help the hidden racing enthusiast in you manifest itself.
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