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Trainer Steve Asmussen’s Plans Include Turf For Horse of the Year Curlin
After Horse of the Year Curlin’s 4 1/4 length victory in the Stephen Foster Handicap, horse trainer Steve Asmussen says he’s planning to work Curlin on turf while considering a trip to Paris for a bid in France’s Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (Fr-I), Europe’s greatest race for older horses.
“We’ve talked about it since last year, since the (Breeders’ Cup) Classic and he (Jess Jackson, owner of Stonestreet Stable) put him back in training,” said horse trainer Steve Asmussen.
Curlin, who has a record of 9-1-2 in 12 career starts, will work on the Churchill Downs turf course and be pointed to a turf race in the United States in July. Among the possibilities are the $500,000 Man O’ War (gr. I) at 1 3/8 miles at Belmont Park and the $200,000 Arlington Handicap (gr. III) at 1 1/4 miles at Arlington Park., both on July 12.
“If we don’t like how he works on the turf, then we’ll change plans and that will have to be discussed,” Asmussen said. “But right now we’re going to plan on working him on the turf, with the possibility of running him on the turf the weekend of the 12th.”
As Steve Asmussen considers a possible Arc bid for Curlin, he has relied heavily on the expertise of his brother, retired French riding champion Cash Asmussen who won the Arc de Triomphe in 1991 aboard Suave Dancer and is a 4-time French Derby winner.
“One of the things that gives me a great level of comfort about the Arc is Cash,” he said. “He gives me all the confidence in the world.”
The Stephen Foster Handicap win extended Curlin’s winning streak to five races which includes victories in the Breeders’ Cup Classic (gr. I) and the Dubai World Cup (UAE-I) against the best dirt horses in the world. Curlin has never raced on grass.
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