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Curlin Goes Back To Dirt - August 11th, 2008

By Jordan Walters
WagerWeb.com Contributing Writer

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Jess Jackson announced last week that Curlin, the 2007 Horse of the Year, will return to a dirt track this month and will run in the Woodward Stakes on the 30 of August. Jackson recently tried to see if the champion colt could win on a turf surface, with the eventual goal of running him in the 2008 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in Paris. Curlin ran his first turf race back on July 12 at the Man O’ War Stakes, but was only able to finish second against an average field.

It was expected that his next race would be a prep race in France somewhere, but this week Curlin began working out at Saratoga in preparation for the $500,000 G1 Woodward Stakes. He worked five furlongs in 1:02.72 and trainer Steve Asmussen said he was “in a beautiful rhythm”.

“We are all looking forward to the Woodward and seeing this great athlete perform again before an American audience at this historic track,” Jackson said. “When we decided to race Curlin as a four-year-old, this is the kind of enthusiasm we had in mind for the fans and for the industry.”

Jackson wouldn’t say that his experiment with Curlin on the turf is over, and is still undecided whether he will race in the Breeders’ Cup. Curlin could try to defend his title at the Breeders’ Cup Classic, or try to beat a field on turf in the Breeders’ Cup Turf. Both races will be run on October 25.