Curlin to Race at Churchill Downs in the Stephen Foster Handicap
Curlin, the horse of the year for 2007, will race for the first time in the USA as a four-year-old on June 14 at the Stephen Foster Handicap. He will be given a 128-pound weight assignment for the race, which trainer Steve Asussen is not happy about. He carried more than that (132 lbs) in the Jaguar Trophy at Nad Al Sheba in Dubai, and another 126 pounds at the Dubai World Cup, where he won by 7 ¾ lengths.
The purse will be $750,000, but Churchill Downs is going to supplement it another $250,000, bringing it over a million dollars (as long as at least one other Grade 1 stakes winner runs in the race). Grade 1 winner nominees for the race include Student Council, Perfect Drift, Brass Hat, Great Hunter, and Einstein. The card will include six graded stakes races for a total purse of $2,025,000.
“We like where he’s at — he’s an awesome horse,” Asmussen said. “It’s all about Curlin now, the other things are out of your control. To not run him would be an injustice to him. But giving solid horses 15 pounds is a challenge. I guess they were happy the day they got Azeri beat here. When you look at it, you’re giving quality horses 15 pounds and that’s quite significant,” Asmussen said. “He must overcome. They didn’t put him back in training to debate weights.”
As a three-year old Curlin won the $5 Million Breeders’ Cup Classic, he came third in the Kentucky Derby, won the Preakness, and finished second in the Belmont. His earnings total over $8.8 million and his record is 8-1-2 in 11 races. He will be ridden by Robby Albarado in the Stephen Foster.
