Curlin Carves Out a Win in Woodward

Runaway Favorite Holds Off Threat From 40-to-1 Shot

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y., Aug. 30 -- Curlin has won some of the world's most important horse races with brilliant, dominating performances, but he won the Woodward Stakes at Saratoga the hard way Saturday. On a day when he wasn't able to show his top form, he worked hard to eke out a 1 1/4 -length victory over 40-to-1 shot Past the Point.

The defending horse of the year had come to this town amidst much fanfare. Banners lined the streets hailing his arrival, and the mayor presented him (through an intermediary) the key to the city. His credentials were so formidable that few people considered the possibility that he might lose the Woodward -- let alone to a rival who had never won even a minor stakes race.

Yet Past the Point ran a phenomenal race. Jockey Edgar Prado hustled him from the gate to get the lead from the speedster Wanderin Boy. As he did, Curlin had a bit of traffic trouble at the first turn, getting jostled between two rivals. However, the favorite settled into a good striking position as Past the Point set a blistering pace, running the first quarter mile in 22.89 seconds and the half mile in 46.2 seconds.

The leader staved off the pressure from Wanderin Boy, but as the field approached the final turn, Curlin and jockey Robby Albarado made their move. With the leaders presumably enervated by the hot pace, almost everyone here expected to see a runaway victory on the order of Curlin's 4-length romp in the Breeders' Cup Classic last year or his seven-length score in the Dubai World Cup this spring. But Past the Point was not cooperating with the script.

When Curlin drew abreast of him, the leader resisted. And when track announcer Tom Durkin called, "Curlin is pulling away!" Curlin didn't pull away much. Although the final eighth of a mile was run in a slow 14.01 seconds, Albarado was whipping and pushing his mount hard to get the victory.

Curlin had come to Saratoga after owner Jess Jackson and trainer Steve Asmussen abandoned plans to send the 4-year-old to Paris for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. They chose Saratoga and the Woodward because of their historical importance, though they knew the track's reputation for upsets. Asmussen said, "The mystique of Saratoga and the 'graveyard of champions' works into your head."

In the end, Curlin did make history. His $300,000 in purse winnings brought his career bankroll to $9.76 million, putting him second on the all-time list for thoroughbreds. He could pass Cigar, the top horse on the list, in his next start, though Jackson and Asmussen declined to say what it would be. The Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park would be a logical objective.

Wherever Curlin runs, however, there might be questions about his supposed invulnerability. Handicappers will surely debate whether his struggle to win the Woodward was an aberrant sub-par effort or a sign that the champion's form has begun to decline.