Were you surprised that Curlin.....?

Question

.....didn't catch Red Rocks in the Man O' War Stakes on the Belmont turf today? A second place finish is certainly to his credit in his first race on that surface, and with stiff competition alongside. It's just that we're so accustomed to seeing him take the late lead handily....I wonder how he felt seeing that there are other horses who can "turn on the steam" just as well as he can!

Answer 1

no i wasnt totally shocked but i was a little surprised.  im not the biggest curlin fan in the world but i guess i did buy into the hype that he's some kind of a super horse.  maybe he's not.  

i mean look at his record, it definitely is not without blemishes.

and hello curlin has seen other horses turn on the steam as well as he can, it happened in the Belmont stakes last year , Rags to Riches just plain out ran him, he showed some heart hanging in there , but rags to riches showed more.

Answer 2

He looked like a dirt horse who could not gear it up the notch needed to be a super turf runner. In Europe, Curlin would be at an extreme disadvantage, but remains a champion, without a doubt....but this silly idea has to cease and he needs to be pointed to the synthetic surface in preparation for the BC Classic.

Answer 3

Nothing suprises me in Horse Racing.  Curlin looked like he ran a good race.  Curlin is supposed to go to France and that is why he ran on the turf. Curlin is not supposed to run in the Breeder's Cup Classic.

Answer 4

No he wasn't disgraced at all....I just fell that he didnt really have that turf kick that you need to beat a horse from overseas like Red Rocks and they went a mile and a half but he ran a big second on pure talent i think it would be a bad idea to go to the Arc.

Answer 5

Curlin...always in the money.  Great horse. Cheers to Proud Spell and Benny The Bull!

Answer 6

No,I wasn't too surprised since it was his first turf race,but I thought that he did great. I love Curlin!! I love to watch him run. Tres Borrechos just won the Swaps Stakes.I was very excited for him.

Answer 7

Well, it was second place, but it was still a fine performance.  Had the race been run on dirt, he would have won.  However, he wasn't too bothered by the turf.  It's just that he couldn't lower down and get that same kick he can on the dirt.  Maybe he can learn to do that with a few more turf races.  Maybe he'll move better over a soft turf track rather than the hard firm surface he ran on yesterday.  Still, Curlin did beat Better Talk Now... that's a big deal.  And losing to Red Rocks is nothing to be embarassed about.  What we saw in the Man O War yesterday was truly unique... a race with 3 breeders cup winners... and they finished 1, 2, 3 in the race... that's pretty cool.  So far, it looks like Curlin is better on the dirt than the turf.  However, I admire Curlin's connections for giving Curlin a new challenge since the dirt was no longer a test for him.  Racing on the turf will improve Curlin's reputation.  We already know that Curlin's the best dirt horse in the world.  Continuing to beat the meager competition on the dirt will do nothing for him.  Winning the arc would be truly historical... and if Curlin can't do it, i fear that no one can.