WOOOOHOOOO! CURLIN!!!

[harvestmoon]

[QUOTE=Texarkana;3290786]
So… I was at the track yesterday and saw this big chestnut horse. I thought he was really impressive looking. Anyone know who he is?

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c63/tryphena1/HPIM1797.jpg

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c63/tryphena1/HPIM1816.jpg

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c63/tryphena1/HPIM1824.jpg

:D[/QUOTE]

I don’t know, but I saw him, too.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v437/mithren/DSC_0024.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v437/mithren/DSC_0056.jpg

[InVA]

[QUOTE=ivy62;3291488]
Texarkana, I do not think so because he is going to be my event horse. Think he has guts? Heehee! I just love this horse…I do not think he will like the track life eh?[/QUOTE]

HA! he’ll make the time won’t he?

[Glimmerglass]

Posted June 5, 2008

[QUOTE=Glimmerglass;3266566]
Interesting aside –

It appears the top notch turf runner Einstein, owned by the much tained Midnight Cry Stables, cannot effectively race in New York State. This due to MCS part owner Shirley Cunningham (still in jail) having allowed his owner’s license (for NY) lapse and has not renewed it.

In his last two starts, both in Kentucky, Einstein ran under the names of Patricia Cunningham - the wife of Shirley Cunningham - and Melissa Green, who were listed as lessees of the horse. According to New York rules, both the lessors and lessees of a horse must be licensed in New York.

So this mean [from my interpretation] that Curlin - until the transferal of the remaining 20% of ownership to someone other than Midnight Cry Stables - cannot be raced in New York State either. Thus no Saratoga or Jockey Club Gold Cup matchups with anyone until then …[/QUOTE]

The above complications indeed will prevent Curlin from running in NY and the $500k MOW turf race until it is resolved - see Daily Racing Form June 18, 2008:

Another possible target would be the $500,000 Man o’ War, a 1 3/8-mile race at Belmont on July 12, but licensing difficulties with the Midnight Cry Stable, the ownership group that owns 20 percent of Curlin, would have to be resolved. One of the Midnight Cry partners, Shirley Cunningham Jr., recently withdrew an application for a New York owner’s license. Cunningham and his Midnight Cry partner, William Gallion, are on trial in Kentucky on fraud charges stemming from their roles as lawyers in settling the fen-phen diet drug class-action case.

[Beezer]

I can’t help but wonder if part of the idea behind shipping him overseas is the problematic owner licensing. I would think that Jess Jackson has scoured the CHRB’s bylaws on ownership; a very quick perusal seems to indicate that there perhaps would be a problem with Midnight Cry getting a license:

“The Board, in addition to any other valid reason, may refuse to issue a license or deny a license to any person … (b) Who has been convicted of a crime in another jurisdiction which if committed in this state would be a felony.”

Although from Glimmer’s post above, Cunningham and Gallion haven’t been convicted (but they are cooling their jets in jail) … but I thought they had been sentenced? Or am I thinking it was a contempt charge?

Of course, it could also be for the valid reason that they don’t want to run him on the synthetic track at Santa Anita. I can’t recall: Has he ever run on an artificial track?

I honestly don’t know what the rules and regs are for ownership in France. I’ll leave that to one of our international experts.

[Glimmerglass]

Looks like I’ll likely get see him race here as Steve rarely would cite a race without it being the likely choice … June 23, 2008 “Curlin breezes at Churchill”

Trainer Steve Asmussen has said that the next race for Curlin would most likely will come on turf and that a July 1 work on the Churchill turf would be his next training move. Asmussen has identified the July 12 Arlington Handicap as a possible next race for the superstar colt.

[Coral]

Curlin had his first turf workout today, sounds like he is a go for the turf:

The final time for Curlin was 1:31.20, which Asmussen called a “very good time with the dogs out as far as they were.” Equibase clockers caught the final quarter-mile in 24.20 seconds, and the final furlong in 12.20 seconds. The gallop-out time for a mile was 1:45.60.

[Texarkana]

Now if only they can get their ownership licensing debacle and the trainer’s pending suspension straightened out, they’ll be golden.

[Coral]

Big news for Curlin:

Curlin’s Minority Interest Transferred

Management of the minority interest in reigning Horse of the Year Curlin and other horses has been transferred to the control of a court-appointed receiver, a move which majority owner Stonestreet Stables says clears the way for the champion horse to race at any venue.

Kentucky state judge Roger Crittenden signed an order July 1 which places control of all assets owned by Tandy LLC into the hands of an interim receiver, including the minority interest in Curlin, which is owned 20% by the Midnight Cry Stables operated by jailed attorneys Shirley Cunningham Jr. and William Gallion.

Article says Einstein should be ok to run too.

[RNB]

http://cs.bloodhorse.com/blogs/horse-racing-steve-haskin/archive/2008/07/06/curlin-go-bragh.aspx

[DickHertz]

Hopefully Asmussen avoids giving mepivicaine to Curlin this weekend.

[Coral]

I can’t decide if I think him going over there is a good idea or not. I agree that he’ll have a tough time doing it, but isn’t that the point? He doesn’t have any worthy competition on the dirt right now. Sending him to the BC Classic won’t do anything for him. I really can’t blame them for not wanting to run him on the poly so I guess it’s a good alternative. If he pulls it off he’ll have quite the career, one we might not see duplicated.

Still, I’d selfishly rather see him wrap up his 4 year old season here so we can see him live though. :winkgrin:

[Maybeapril]

Looks like he’ll be able to race in New York.
http://racing.bloodhorse.com/article/46041.htm

[Coral]

Fantastic news! I’m relieved that he’s clear to race. You know who I like in the Man o’War

[cloudyandcallie]

curlin vs. bb

so will curliin meet bigbrown in a race this fall? if so, where?

[Coral]

[QUOTE=cloudyandcallie;3346530]
so will curliin meet bigbrown in a race this fall? if so, where?[/QUOTE]

While it is in the realm of things that are possible at this point it seems extremely unlikely. Curlin will be shipped over to Europe to practice going backwards if he performs well on the turf this weekend. Since it’s unlikely that he’ll bomb, he’ll be over there for at least one warm up race. I suppose they could bring him back if he doesn’t like the squishy turf, but I don’t think he’ll be in the BC Classic either way which is where BB seems pointed.

[Coral]

Oh wow, I just realized that this means Curlin races at Belmont on Saturday. I may have to take a road trip! :winkgrin:

[Drvmb1ggl3]

@Coral;3346640

Oh wow, I just realized that this means Curlin races at Belmont on Saturday. I may have to take a road trip! :winkgrin:

And he takes on two BC Turf winners, granted both are probably past their prime, but still a BC Classic winner and two BC Turf winners in the same race, I’m pretty sure it’s never happened before.

A lot of questions should be answered on Sat. He if loses I think the “European Vacaction” will be jettisoned and a plan “B” instituted. Should be exciting. I’m glad they went here as opposed to Arlington H’Cap, that race wouldn’t have told us much, unless he lost.

[Texarkana]

Not only will Curlin potentially race against 2 BC Turf Champions in the Man O’ War, but he’ll also race against horses that have defeated a Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner in the past. A much better gauge than the field of “who?” and “huh?” Curlin would have encountered in the Arlington Handicap.

I’m excited now, even if I’m having a huge dilemma over who to root for.

[miss_critic]

I wonder if he needs to win for the plan to continue. What if the winner and Curlin run awesome?

[miss_critic]

AHa!

If everything works out in the Man o’ War, a race Asmussen said Curlin doesn’t have to win but has to “look the best,” the colt would likely prep for the Arc in the Prix Foy (Fra-III) at Longchamp.