Another look at Curlin

Curlin’s effort in the Woodward was superlative. I point that out only because some who saw it didn’t really see it. Many people, you’ve probably noticed in this election year, only look to justify preconceptions, not to see, not really and clearly, and so those who were hoping to see the reigning Horse of the Year regress didn’t see his superlative performance.

I realized this recently when reading an article in a New York newspaper, which argues that it’s “possible Curlin has begun to run down.”

Well, yes, that’s possible, I suppose, just as everything’s possible, just as it’s possible that Martians have secretly taken over the horse industry, but there’s no real evidence to suggest either. The skeptical New York newspaper makes the point, in support of the running down possibility, that Curlin was all out to win the Woodward and narrowly beat an erstwhile allowance horse, Past The Point.

Another "expert," in a moment of cleverness, said Curlin ran as if his odds were 4-1 rather than 1-4.

Actually, he ran like the horse he is, the best in the world. Curlin was bumped around in the first turn, where Alan Garcia, who was riding Divine Park, seemed to accept some suicidal beat-the-champ mission. After bumping Curlin in the first turn, Divine Park carried him out down the backstretch, along with Out Of Control.

Divine Park finished sixth, by the way, beating only Out Of Control. And so only Curlin was able to overcome the wide trip and the bumping and run down Past The Point, who had been allowed a clear early lead, albeit in fast fractions. And the winning time, 1:49.34, was outstanding for a surface that was rather dull for the day.

As for the winning margin, Curlin caught Past The Point with about a furlong remaining and then cruised home. An extremely intelligent animal, Curlin knows his job is to win. Simply win. He’s the same way in workouts. His job has nothing to do with margins of victory, nothing to do with winning by many lengths.

“On the way over there (to the Saratoga paddock before the Woodward), people were lined up five deep,” his trainer, Steve Asmussen, said. “They were yelling and cheering at him, and he never blinked. He kept his game face on and just went over and did his job. He’s a fantastic athlete.

“My only regret is that I can’t love on him,”  Asmussen continued. “If I tried to do that, he’d eat me.”

Alysheba was much the same, although not a man-eater. Alysheba was all business, and he knew exactly what his job was. Before retiring as the all-time money winner, Alysheba finished first 12 times in his career (but was disqualified in the Blue Grass), and only twice did he win by more than a length. And one of those was his maiden victory. Alysheba knew his job was winning. Curlin does the same kind of work.

Yes, the Woodward was a stressful and demanding race for Curlin, having to overcome trouble as he did and then run down a horse giving the performance of his life. But it was a superlative race, one of his best, and it sets him up perfectly to finish the year strongly.

If the Woodward, as some have suggested, invites two different interpretations, that’s only because some may be determined to interpret it wrongly.