Curlin Ends Up Short: Preakness Winner Loses This Duel in the Stretch

Jun 10, 06:57 AM

Current Headlines: By Tim Wilkin, Albany Times Union, N.Y.

Jun. 10--ELMONT -- Steve Asmussen must have thought he was watching a rerun.

From three weeks ago. In Baltimore.

Unfortunately for Asmussen, this was no repeat. He was watching the Belmont Stakes, not a replay of the Preakness.

Three weeks ago, Asmussen was in a happy place after his horse Curlin won a gut-wrenching stretch duel with Street Sense at the Preakness at Pimlico Race Course.

Today, Asmussen knows how Carl Nafzger, Street Sense's trainer, felt after that beat.

Curlin lost the Belmont to the filly, Rags to Riches, in another heart-pounding finish. The margin? A head, the same margin Curlin beat Street Sense by.

To the 46,870 that showed up at Belmont, they were treated to great equine theater. Asmussen just didn't like the last act.

"We lose one the exact same way we won one," Asmussen said, shaking his head. "That's horse racing. Until the last jump, I thought he was going to win."

A lot of people at Belmont probably did. Curlin was racing's up and coming star. Winning the Preakness only added to his popularity. Going into the Belmont, he had four wins in five starts by nearly 30 lengths.

He went off as the even money favorite in the 1 1/2 -mile $1 million Belmont. The horse with a high cruising speed was expected to buzz through the other six horses in the field. He did beat the five other colts, he couldn't take down the filly.

"At the eighth pole, the filly put a good neck on him and he never gave up," Asmussen said. "The one thing I've learned with Curlin is that he's a competitor, he's got a lot of fight in him."

He fought down the intimidating Belmont stretch, never giving into the filly. On this day, his head wasn't long enough.

"Curlin ran his race and I was pleased with his effort," said Robby Albarado, who rode him. "I have no excuses whatsoever. He didn't stop at any point. It felt like he wanted to come back and win this race. I really can't come up with an excuse."

Curlin did nothing wrong. He was just as good as Rags to Riches. If they ran against each other 10 times, maybe the finish is the same each time with different winners.

"We've seen Rags to Riches races and felt she won with something left every time," Asmussen said. "I don't think she had anything left today. It's a very similar feeling between Street Sense and Curlin. You can tell when horses are trying and I'm impressed and admire their efforts."

Asmussen said what's next for Curlin is a rest. The colt has had six starts since February. He isn't even thinking about another start right now.

The same is true for Hard Spun the only other horse who competed in all three legs of the Triple Crown. After his fourth-place finish in the Belmont, Larry Jones said it was time for a rest.

"He's just a little tired," he said. "There's nothing we can do but lick our wounds and see what happens later down the road."

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