Betting Online Preakness

24/05/08

Prado's ride draws fire from 'Brown' camp

Trainer Rick Dutrow said yesterday that he and Big Brown's ownership were unhappy with some of the race tactics that jockey Edgar Prado used against their horse in Saturday's running of the Preakness. But Dutrow stopped short of guessing what Prado's motives might have been, though Prado is known to be disappointed that he has not been Big Brown's regular rider as the horse tries to become only the 12th Triple Crown winner in history.

Prado, a Hall of Famer, was set to ride Big Brown in the horse's career debut as a 2-year-old last September, but he injured his ankle and was replaced by Jeremy Rose for that race. Big Brown's owners chose Kent Desormeaux over Prado this year, and Big Brown won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, despite an encounter with Prado's mount coming out of the first turn at Pimlico.

"It looked like he was just trying to keep our horse [trapped] in a box," Dutrow said yesterday. "It didn't look like he was out to get the best finish out of his horse."

Big Brown owner Michael Iavarone made similar remarks to Newsday on Monday, saying, "I don't know what Edgar was doing. I think it was a suicide mission. And I don't think there's any place for that."

Prado, who finished last atop longshot Riley Tucker, denied any wrongdoing. He has a working relationship with Dutrow and Iavarone's IEAH stables, and even rode the IEAH-owned, Dutrow-trained Dark Cheetah to a second-place finish in yesterday's eighth race at Belmont Park.

"I was doing my best to win the [Preakness]," Prado said. "I have to do that. There were people betting on me. At no point in the race was I trying to jeopardize Big Brown."

Dutrow's allegations came in response to a question about what he saw as Big Brown and Prado's horse came out of the first turn, then headed down the backstretch.

Said Dutrow: "I just seen that Edgar kinda moved way too early on his horse. Edgar never does that kind of thing. We don't understand why he did what he did. I mean, the owners, IEAH, they called me, they were very upset with Edgar's ride ... It looked like he did something to keep our horse in behind the other horse. And he had to go way out of his way to do it. So we're not real happy about that, either."

08/05/08

Big Brown doing well; Stevil preps for Preakness bid

BIG BROWN (Boundary) could become the first Kentucky Derby (G1) winner since Citation 60 years ago not to face any of the horses who ran against him in the 1 1/4-mile classic when he makes his next start in the $1 million Preakness S. (G1) on May 17 at Pimlico. The middle jewel of racing's Triple Crown is likely to include eight new shooters.
The only Derby finisher that might return to challenge the winner is RECAPTURETHEGLORY (Cherokee Run), who finished fifth in the Run for the Roses. Co-owners Louie Roussel III and Ronnie Lamarque told Pimlico stakes coordinator Coleman Blind that a final decision could be made Tuesday. The Illinois Derby (G2) winner will remain at Churchill Downs until a decision is made.

"Louie and Ronnie are still talking about it," said Lara Van Deren, assistant to Roussel who also serves as Recapturetheglory's exercise rider. "They want to see how many horses are likely to be in there before they make a decision."

The Roussel and Lamarque team captured the Preakness 20 years ago with Risen Star.

Meanwhile Michelle Nevin, assistant to trainer Rick Dutrow, reported all was well Monday morning at Churchill Downs with the winner of Saturday's Kentucky Derby. Dutrow, who has been under the weather, took the morning off and is expected to be back at the track Tuesday morning.

Owned by IEAH Stables (Michael Iavarone and Richard Schiavo) and Paul Pompa Jr., Big Brown is not scheduled to return to the track until Wednesday morning. A decision on when the Derby winner ships into Stall 40 of the Pimlico stakes barn will be made by the end of the week.

"It is surreal and tough to digest," Iavarone said. "The reason anybody gets involved in horse racing is for something like this. It is like hitting the lottery five times. It is like borderline unbelievable. Now we are starting to focus on the Preakness. We have our blinkers back on. I am not trying to think Triple Crown. We just want to get through the Preakness just like he did at the Derby. We will take it one step at a time."

It will be a homecoming of sorts for Big Brown's trainer and jockey.

Dutrow was born in Hagerstown, Maryland, and attended Atholton High School in Howard County. His father, Dick Dutrow, battled King Leatherbury, Bud Delp and John Tammaro for training supremacy in Maryland in the 1970s. The elder Dutrow captured four training titles at Pimlico during that decade. Dutrow's older brother, Tony, was a top Maryland conditioner before moving his stable to Philadelphia Park four years ago.

Kent Desormeaux won five riding titles at Pimlico from 1987 to 1989. The Hall of Famer has had 10 career Preakness mounts, including a victory aboard Real Quiet in 1998.

The first Preakness horses to call Baltimore home will arrive Wednesday, when KENTUCKY BEAR (Mr. Greeley) and TRES BORRACHOS (Ecton Park) are vanned to Pimlico from Kentucky.

Kentucky Bear, who finished a close third in the Blue Grass S. (G1) on April 12 at Keeneland, worked five furlongs in a bullet :59 at Keeneland on Saturday. One week earlier, the chestnut colt worked five furlongs in a bullet :59 3/5 on a muddy track at Churchill Downs. The Reade Baker trainee is expected to turn in a five-furlong drill at Pimlico on Saturday morning, immediately after the renovation break at 8:30 a.m. (EDT).

"The last two works were great," said Baker, who arrives Friday to oversee the work. "We were very anxious to get into the Kentucky Derby. He is doing super. Since he arrived in Kentucky (on April 2), he has put on 75 pounds. It is hard to believe but he is eating that green grass like a lawn mower. The new fad is not to come into Baltimore early but we are going to."

Tres Borrachos galloped 1 3/4 miles at Churchill Downs after the renovation break on Monday under Andy Durnin. Trainer Beau Greely is expected to arrive in Louisville, Kentucky, from his Southern California base on Tuesday to supervise a Wednesday work. Tyler Baze has the riding assignment for the Preakness. Durnin galloped the bay gelding a bit further than normal on Monday.

"The track was closed Saturday morning (because of heavy overnight rains) and he had just jogged the day before, so he needed to do more yesterday (1 1/2-mile gallop) and today," Durnin said.

Wednesday's work will be the third at Churchill Downs since Tres Borrachos finished third, beaten 4 3/4 lengths, in the April 12 Arkansas Derby (G2) at Oaklawn Park. Tres Borrachos will then to ship to Baltimore later on Wednesday.

Also at Churchill Downs, STEVIL (Maria's Mon), who finished a closing fourth in the Blue Grass, worked four furlongs on a fast track in :48 3/5 under Megan Smillie. The move was the eighth fastest of 40 at the distance on a sun-splashed morning and drew a nod of approval from trainer Nick Zito, who saddled Louis Quatorze to victory in the 1996 Preakness.

"He worked good and he has done well here since the Blue Grass," Zito said. "He will work here again next week and then we will ship to Baltimore."

Stevil has compiled a record of 6-1-1-1 with earnings of $95,685. The lone win came at first asking and in all of his starts he has been competitive.

"He's a very consistent horse and he has never run a bad race," Zito said. "In the Louisiana Derby (G2) when he ran fifth, he drew the one hole and then Pyro (Pulpit) beat him to a spot."

Zito would tie Max Hirsch for second on the all-time starter list among trainers with 19 if he saddles Stevil in Maryland's signature race. D. Wayne Lukas leads all conditioners with 32 Preakness starters.

Meanwhile in Southern California, trainer Patrick Gallagher confirmed that California Derby winner YANKEE BRAVO (Yankee Gentleman) is bound for the Preakness. Since his victory in the California Derby, Yankee Bravo ran third in the Louisiana Derby and fourth in the Santa Anita Derby (G1). Alex Solis, who won 1986 Preakness aboard Snow Chief, has the riding assignment.

"He'll work mid-week, sometime on Wednesday or Thursday," Gallagher said. "He didn't have the earnings for the Derby so we decided to skip and take a close look at the Preakness."

Yankee Bravo will arrive on May 14 on a plane that is also expected to bring San Rafael S. (G3) winner EL GATO MALO (El Corredor), who was fifth in the Santa Anita Derby, to Baltimore. That was the first time the son of El Corredor finished out of the money for trainer Craig Dollase.

At Belmont Park, trainer Richard Schosberg announced GIANT MOON (Giant's Causeway) would be arriving at Pimlico on May 15. The bay colt, who won his first four starts, including three stakes races in New York, finished fourth most recently in the Wood Memorial (G1) at Aqueduct.

"He went January until April between races," Schosberg said. "He needs time after a big effort and it was four weeks between the Gotham (S. [G3] on March 8) and the Wood (on April 5) and now it's another six weeks to the Preakness. We thought about running in the Withers (S. [G3] on April 26) in between, but a month between races is probably best. He really ran a big effort in the Wood after his race in the Gotham. The Gotham was run over some very bad conditions and he was in deep traffic and I think that race is a throw out. In the Wood he showed he belongs with horses at this level.

"Big Brown actually opens things up," Schosberg continued. "He ran such a big race and was so impressive that he is going to scare off a lot of them and leave it to others to take a chance. I don't care if it is two weeks or two days between the Derby and the Preakness, that was some effort."

Schosberg indicated Giant Moon will work Wednesday and possibly again next Tuesday before arriving in Baltimore.

Trainer Todd Pletcher is expected to start a pair of Preakness runners for the second consecutive year. The Eclipse Award-winning conditioner will be represented by BEHINDATTHEBAR (Forest Wildcat), who won the Lexington S. (G2) on April 19 at Keeneland, and HARLEM ROCKER (Macho Uno), who captured the Withers one week later at Aqueduct.

The post position draw for the Preakness will be held on May 14 at 5 p.m. (EDT) at the ESPN Zone in downtown Baltimore. The event will be televised live on ESPN. The Preakness is limited to 14 starters. Thirteen of the last 16 years have produced double-digit starters.

The 133rd running of the Preakness on May 17 will be televised by NBC. Post time is 6:15 p.m.

brisnet.com

01/05/08

Name Games: Origins of Derby Monikers

In our quest to discover the origins of names belonging to Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) contenders, we discovered a diamond mine, picked up some basketball lingo, learned Indonesian, and found out "What brown can do for us" (to slightly modify a line from a popular television ad). Here are the stories behind the names of a few runners going into this year's first Saturday in May.

Anak Nakal (Victory Gallop-Misk) is an Indonesian phrase meaning "mischievous child," owner Kassem Masri of Four Roses Thoroughbreds said. "He was a bad boy," Masri said. "But he's not anymore."

Pyro (Pulpit-Wild Vision) was just a word that popped into Ron Winchell's head one day, when the owner was naming a bunch of horses with racing manager David Fiske. The name doesn't have anything to do with the colt's sire or dam, but Fiske did report a hunch Winchell had at the time. He said, "Who wants to run against something named Pyro? That just sounds dangerous."

Tale of Ekati (Tale of the Cat-Silence Beauty) was named after the Ekati diamond mine discovered by owner Charles Fipke. The area around the mine in northern Canada was called "e'kati" by the Dogrib and Dene peoples of the Northwest Territories - translated, it means "fat lake" and refers to the white quartz rock which is found in abundance in the area. The white quartz veins that run through the rock are said to look like caribou fat, which is seen as a symbol of great value to the Aboriginal people.

Colonel John (Tiznow-Sweet Damsel) is a racehorse and a real person - Lt. Colonel John Geiber, a resident of Dallas, Texas and a close personal friend of WinStar Farm co-owners Bill and Susan Casner. Geiber met the Casners through WinStar's other co-owner, Kenny Troutt, for whom he has worked since 1996 as the head of security, travel and communications. Geiber's background includes 28 years in both active and reserve duty for the United States Air Force and Army. His service included positions in the United States and Europe, training missions in Australia and South Korea, and seven months in Baghdad, Iraq, in 2005.

Gayego (Gilded Time-Devils Lake) belongs to Cuban natives Carlos Juelle and Jose Prieto, who named their colt after a region in northern Spain.

Big Brown (Boundary-Mien) may be big and brown, but co-owner Paul Pompa Jr. didn't name him for his physical characteristics. Pompa, the president of the Brooklyn-based Truck Rite Corporation, counts UPS Ground Freight among his most valued customers and named the colt after the company nickname - "Big Brown" after simultaneously purchasing the unnamed 2-year-old from Keeneland in April of 2007 and renewing a five-year contract with UPS. "Just think, of all the brown horses, nobody named a horse Big Brown," he said.

Z Humor (Distorted Humor-Offtheoldblock) and Z Fortune (Siphon-Fortunate Faith) are Zayat Stables runners whose titles are fairly obvious. "The funny thing is, only those two horses have just the Z in front of their names," said racing manager Sobhy Sonbol. "Mr. Zayat came up with the idea of putting the Z in front, and then we played off the pedigrees, but it's pretty interesting that they both ended up on the way to the Derby."

Monba (Maria's Mon-Hamba) is a combination of sire/dam names.

Court Vision (Gulch-Weekend Storm) reflects WinStar's interest in other professional sports - basketball, in this case. Last year, the farm had Derby contender Any Given Sunday, whose name was a play on the title of the football movie Any Given Sunday. Said WinStar president and CEO Doug Cauthen, "The point guard on a basketball team has to have court vision, to be athletic and intelligent, which we think he is."

Adriano (A.P. Indy-Gold Canyon) is essentially named for his owner-breeder, Don Adams, whose middle name is Adrian.

"I was in Italy with one of my good friends and we walked into this office as we were buying granite and marble for a project," Adam told the Derby notes team at Churchill Downs. "On the name plate on the person's desk was 'Adriano,' and he elbowed me and said, 'That's you.' So ever since then, he's referred to me as Adriano."

Recapturetheglory (Cherokee Run-Cold Awakening) is what co-owner/trainer Louie Roussel III is hoping to do with his first Derby contender since 1998. Then, exactly 20 years ago, Risen Star was sent off as the fourth choice by bettors, ran third in the Derby, and went on to win the Preakness Stakes (gr. I) en route to a 15-length score in the Belmont Stakes (gr. I). Roussel named the colt in Risen Star's memory, hoping to recapture his glory of 20 years ago.

Smooth Air (Smooth Jazz-Air France) is a combination of sire/dam names.

Cool Coal Man (Mineshaft-Coral Sea) is named in honor of his sire. Trainer Nick Zito came up with the title for owner Robert LaPenta.

Eight Belles (Unbridled's Song-Away) is named after "Eight Bells," the Maine home that belongs to the family of American contemporary realist painters Andrew Wyeth and N.C. Wyeth. According to owner Rick Porter, "We've been friends with the Wyeths for years, and I've named horses after their paintings because it's just something I do. I was going to name a colt 'Eight Bells,' but I'd been holding onto the name and then I fell in love with this filly as a yearling and decided to use the name 'Eight Belles' for her. It turned out well, and that's the history so far."

Cowboy Cal (Giant's Causeway-Texas Tammy) was named after a nickname given to the son of owners Janice and Robert McNair of Stonerside Stable. Many years ago, when Cal was three or four years old, the young son of some close family friends was stricken with liver cancer. Coming to Houston for treatments, he stayed with the McNairs. Cal had a cowboy outfit that he loved to wear all the time, so the little boy started calling him "Cowboy Cal." The McNairs thought it would be a good name for a special horse, and fortunately he's turned out to be one of their better ones. Cal is now 47, and according to reports from Stonerside, will not be wearing a cowboy outfit to the Derby.

Visionaire (Grand Slam-Scarlet Tango) is the first horse purchased by Vision Sales and the first horse campaigned under the Vision Racing colors. Both syndicates are managed by partners Brandon and Diannah Perry and John and Jill Stephens.

25/04/08

HANDICAPPING FEATURE
Using the Jockey Factor in the Handicapping Process

Nothing is more frustrating than doing all the work to find the right horse and having things go awry during the running of the race! Things happen at the gate when a horse is not ready and the latch opens, the horse gets tangled up leaving and then bumped, a rider decides to take the overland route losing several lengths and the winner comes up the inside path he has vacated to win by a half-length, or the expected lone "E" duels on an unrealistically fast pace with a 99-1 shot and tires late in the race to be passed by a staggering closer. It happens all the time and to every horseplayer out there at one time or another.

While not all of these events are the jockey's fault, they do beg the question of whether one can intelligently use the jockey factor in the handicapping process. While all is not likely so simple, the jockey factor can play a part of the process. If every jockey's intent is to only ride the best horse, or the jockey and his agent's opinion of the best horse, the jockey factor can be placed very high in the selection process; however, a rider's appearance on a horse that does not necessarily mean that the horse is well-meant today.

Here are a few of those reasons:

-- the jockey might be riding as a courtesy for a barn for which he rides a top stakes horse, or many live horses;
-- the jockey might be riding a horse to familiarize himself for a later engagement;
-- the jockey might be aboard a promising young horse that needs more ground, or a different surface or some race experience;
-- the jockey might be hoping to get into a top barn in the hopes of riding some of their better horses;
-- the jockey and/or the agent may be friendly with the owner or trainer; and the list goes on!

Perhaps the best approach to evaluate the rider in a race is to put yourself in the trainer's shoes. It should not be unreasonable to assume that if you, as a good handicapper, like the horse today, then the trainer would too!

Should today's race be merely a learning experience or a conditioning race for the horse, then the trainer opts for a rider who will follow instructions and who can accomplish what he wants the horse to get out of today's race. To hone speed you get a good gate boy or a bug boy, to teach a horse to rate you get a strong rider to take a hold, etc.

However, if the trainer has a live and racing-sound horse in sharp condition and properly situated as to distance, surface and class, which jockey does he try to get? Other than the trainers who do not really believe that the rider makes that much of a difference, or want a rider who will follow instructions, he would obviously try to get the best rider he can so as to not waste all that hard pre-race preparation.

The three most likely choices come from amongst these categories:

1 -- The barn has a current go-to rider that they use for most of their live runners (Velazquez for Pletcher, Baird for Catalano, Desormeaux for Mott etc.)

2 -- A rider who has won on the horse before; even better if he has won more than once; this is an added plus if the horse itself has some peculiarities or idiosyncrasies of its own. (A scan of the past performances at any track will show several horses who run much better for certain riders -- and not always the top-tier ones either.)

3 -- A top-five or top-tier rider at the current meeting. At every track there is a group of leading riders which may number three or five or seven; there is a divide between this group and the rest in terms of numbers of wins. (After the first three weeks of the Belmont fall meet, the top seven riders have won three-quarters of the meet's races. At Arlington in 2007, the top trio won almost 40 percent of the races. These are significant numbers.)

Generally speaking, jockeys do NOT win races; the best can only ensure that the best horse does not lose. Jockeys cannot give the horse extra conditioning or speed or stamina. They can, however, ensure that the horse saves as much ground as possible, has clear sailing when asked to run, has not squandered its energy resources foolishly in an unnecessary duel and does not lose valuable momentum by properly timing the move coming out of the turn.

Jockeys lose races, many races, by making mistakes -- some foolish ones. No one is suggesting that they have an easy task or that the horses will always do what they ask of them. Everyone respects their courage for it is a tough and dangerous job. The cream of the crop understand pace, ground loss, momentum and timing. Hot riders are confident and convey that confidence to the horses they ride. They understand the bias if there is one and where to place their horses in terms of paths and early or late. They move at the right time and know when to go wide early and when to await room.

Some have detectable preferences and you can find out what these are by looking at the past performances and the charts and seeing where jockeys place their horses. Frequently these trends become very evident with only a few days of observation. Professional riders even know the likely tendencies of those they ride against.

The BRIS Ultimate Past Performances provide jockey statistics which can help in the process. If you are approaching a new track and are unfamiliar with the trainers and riders, you can quickly see if there is a match of trainer and rider, if the rider does well on the turf or with a runner of the style of today's horse. These statistical aids can be particularly helpful when facing unfamiliar circumstances.

Smaller stables have more difficulty getting these top-tier riders. The appearance of one of the above on a horse that you like, or any other for that matter, is a fact of which you should take particular note! The presence of a top rider that fits one of these requirements should cause you to carefully re-evaluate any horse's chances.

And if the prices paid are of concern, a quick scan of the Saratoga charts will indicate multiple payoffs between $20 and $80 with the meet leaders in the irons. Whether saddled by high- or low-profile trainers, these opportunities are frequently available for those patient players who pick their spots.

Not even the best rider can carry a horse to the finish line, but by not making tactical mistakes, by saving ground, by being aware of the pace, by staying out of trouble and by understanding the track and its biases, they can get the best horse to the finish line first more often than not. Along with a competitive nature, these characteristics are what make them win races and place them in demand. A new rider on the circuit who shows these characteristics will not go unnoticed for very long. Very quickly he will get chances on live horses. Success builds on success.

Hot riders at any given time are aware of how the racing surface is currently playing. They are themselves confident and that sense of confidence is conveyed to and picked up by the horse he is sitting upon. And there is every likelihood that the horse will likely run better for him.

On most circuits, there are several riders who are competent but are not currently fashionable -- perhaps for personality reasons or their work ethic or their reliability. The player must use his judgment when one of these is named on the horse that he likes. These types win races at good prices.

A switch to a top five rider, a go-to rider or a rider who has won on the horse before should be seen as an important positive in the handicapping process. A jockey who remains on a horse for a second consecutive race following a less-than-impressive race is another potential positive (the meaning can be somewhat less for a stable go-to jockey.) The significance of the latter grows when it is for a small or low-profile stable.

Depending upon the track you play, you might be able to build a method of play using the top jockey factor as a starting point. Various jockey angle plays can be profitable: jockey on surface or distance, first-time on a horse, with a certain trainer and so on. The BRIS statistics in the Ultimate PPs can point many of these out in the raw, and by extrapolation and with a little digging, you can create others.

* * *

Looking ahead to the Breeders' Cup, one might ask if the trips in the Woodbine Mile (Can-G1) tell the whole picture. One had to be impressed with the stretch run of the winner SHAKESPEARE (Theatrical [Ire]) as he closed from eighth to first in the long stretch run -- unless of course you bet on KIP DEVILLE (Kipling). The last quarter was run in 23.60 seconds and Shakespeare gained 7 1/2 lengths, according to the chart, to win by a length. That suggests he came the last quarter in a swift 22 seconds!

Cornelio Velasquez was aboard Kip Deville for the first time; had he been more familiar with the E.P. Taylor Turf Course, he might have waited instead of angling out to go around two horses coming off the turn. Had he waited until they straightened into the stretch, Coa would have found the inside path wide open when the leaders drifted out. As it was he was carried wide and lost considerable momentum. Had he taken the inside path would Shakespeare have had that clear and unobstructed run? What path would Gomez have opted for? And considering that he lost by a length, would Kip Deville have been far enough in front where he would not have been catchable? No one knows for sure, but considering that Monmouth is kind to early movers and that there will be a full field, which horse and which style will have the edge? Something to think about later on!

brisnet.com

10/04/08

Poised for worldwide stardom

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - To catch a glimpse of Street Sense, Hard Spun, or Any Given Saturday, three elite 3-year-olds of 2007, take a trip to Darley Stud in Lexington, Ky. The trio began stallion careers there this winter, whisked away from the races in their youth.

You can find the best 3-year-old of 2007 out on the track.

While the three Casanovas awaited visits from mares, the 4-year-old Curlin paid a visit to the starting gate at Nad Al Sheba racetrack on Thursday morning. Saturday night, he will line up in post 12 for the world's richest race, the $6 million Dubai World Cup, and a chance to come closer to greatness.

Curlin was more than the best 3-year-old in North America last year: He was the best horse, period. Should he win the World Cup, return home, and keep winning, Curlin can become the richest racehorse in history. His bankroll already stands at $5.2 million, and first place in the World Cup is worth $3.6 million. Cigar is the leading money winner among North American-based horses with a bankroll of about $10 million.

It's because Curlin could accomplish such things that Jess Jackson, his majority owner, kept Curlin in training. He bought out two partners to control 80 percent of this magnificent animal and bucked recent tradition, turning down riches waiting at stud to bring a top 3-year-old back for more racing.

"I've seen all the great ones in my life," Jackson, 78, said Wednesday night. "I saw Seabiscuit when I was 8 years old. This horse reminds me of a champion. That's what we saw in the beginning."

On paper, the only thing that can beat Curlin on Saturday is Curlin himself. Rated the top dirt horse in the world, Curlin will meet no animal near his established quality, though 12 were entered against him.

The World Cup, contested at 2,000 meters (about 1 1/4 miles), is the last of seven races Saturday night. The card's opener is for Arabians, followed by three dirt races, and two awesome grass stakes - the $5 million Duty Free and the $5 million Sheema Classic. Post time for the first Thoroughbred race is 9:40 a.m. Eastern in the U.S. The World Cup is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Eastern and will be broadcast on tape delay at 2:30 on ABC. The races can be seen live on HorseRacing TV and TVG and on many online wagering platforms and will be streamed in real time on espn360.com. U.S. bettors can play the World Cup online or at simulcasting facilities.

Few will be betting against Curlin, who has lost only 3 of 10 starts. He rides a three-race winning streak into the World Cup, having scored a narrow victory over Lawyer Ron in the Jockey Club Gold Cup before waxing a strong field in the Breeders' Cup Classic. It was a tremendous finish to a long season that began Feb. 3 and weaved through all three legs of the Triple Crown: a troubled third in the Kentucky Derby, a rousing win in the Preakness, a bitter loss in the Belmont.

In early August, Curlin had his flattest race last year, finishing a well-beaten third to Any Given Saturday and Hard Spun in the Haskell Invitational.

"I've heard some old-timers call that the Belmont blues," assistant trainer Scott Blasi said of Curlin's post-Triple Crown comeback.

Blasi's boss, Steve Asmussen, has eschewed tradition this winter, bringing Curlin six weeks ago to Nad Al Sheba, where he easily won a prep race on Feb. 28 - a paid workout. Curlin has performed better his second time over a given racetrack, and Asmussen believes allowing Curlin to fully acclimate in Dubai will lessen the stress of his trip. It looks that way so far. Curlin has hit every note in his training here, and he comes to his race without evident flaws.

He and regular rider Robby Albarado could be hung wide from post 12 in the early going, but that may not matter. Another American horse, Well Armed, drew post 2, and figures to use his speed to make the lead. Great Hunter and the Japanese horse Vermilion, fourth in the 2007 World Cup, could be close, but Curlin will not be far behind the leaders if the pace is moderate.

Jalil, one of two Godolphin entries, has won three times this winter in Dubai, and is rated an improving 4-year-old.

"Jalil has come from his last race very well," trainer Saeed bin Suroor said.

Not so for the Brazilian import Happy Boy, purchased by Godolphin after a nine-length win in the first leg of the Maktoum Challenge here. Happy Boy was hard-pressed to make the World Cup after battling what his connections termed a leg infection after his Jan. 17 win.

Premium Tap came closest to Invasor in last year's World Cup but appeared to lose his form earlier this year in Saudi Arabia. The Donn Handicap runner-up, A. P. Arrow, is in career-best form at age 6 but must overcome post 13. Asiatic Boy looked like any kind of horse winning the UAE Derby on the World Cup card last year, but after a strong sprint win in January, he suffered a surprising defeat in his World Cup prep.

"He's a lot sharper going into this run," trainer Mike de Kock said. "He's lightened up a few kilos, which he needed to do."

All things being equal, Curlin will not let down his many fans. He should make his mark on the international scene and come home looking for more glory.

"The public needs heroes for racing to be what it once was," Jackson said. "The stars have to endure."

drf.com

03/04/08

Curlin poised to become worldwide star