WOOOOHOOOO! CURLIN!!!

[Glimmerglass]

Curlin’s Thursday race in Dubai (again, to be aired live on HRTV) isn’t going to be a walk in the park - despite his very impressive workout.

2/26/08 “Curlin entered in Dubai World Cup prep”

…he must shoulder the massive top weight of 132 pounds, spotting his opponents from 19 to 29 pounds.

Regarding his biggest opponent:

If Curlin is upset, the likeliest candidate is Kandidate (Kabool), who would tote a mere 113 pounds as the next highest-rated horse in the contest. Conditioned by Clive Brittain, the British-bred bay has plenty of experience at Nad al Sheba, and on his day, is capable of a first-rate effort. Kandidate stormed home by 5 3/4 lengths in last year’s Maktoum Challenge Round 2 (UAE-G3) at about nine furlongs, but he was not able to duplicate that performance when checking in a distant sixth to Invasor (Arg) next time out in the World Cup.

[miss_critic]

132 lbs? What do they carry in the World Cup and Breeders Cup (I guess I could look it up)? Does anybody know what time post time is EST (since I get HRTV)?

[Glimmerglass]

[QUOTE=miss_critic;3035868]
Does anybody know what time post time is EST?[/QUOTE]

HRTV’s coverage of racing from Dubai on Feb. 28 will commence at 10:30 a.m. ET/7:30 a.m. PT during its daily “RaceDay America” show.

From Dubai Racing Club website for Feb 26th:

Racing Carnival on Thursday.

The Jaguar Trophy, off at 21.15pm (local time), is run over the same 2000m distance as [Curlin’s] big target, the US$6 million Dubai World Cup on March 29.

Curlin is the world’s top-rated horse still in training with a mark of 129, and there is naturally a large gulf between him and his rivals in this handicap, which is sure to be the focus of the racing world on Thursday.

What time is 21:15pm in Eastern Standard? based upon this World Clock it looks like it would be -9 hours in New York. So it looks like it would be approx 12:15 pm.

[miss_critic]

Ok, I just read this if any other HRTViers are here

Curlin faces five foes in the fifth of eight Thursday races, with post time scheduled for 11:15 a.m. Eastern. Curlin carries 132 pounds, 15 more than his apparently overmatched rivals, with regular jockey Robby Albarado to ride.

About the world cup…isn’t it being aired live on abc or espn? Must be taped delayed. WHY oh WHY does NTRA still not have the tv network up on their racing schedule!?

[DLee]

Crossing my fingers for a safe and successful trip for him! :yes:

[Glimmerglass]

[QUOTE=miss_critic;3037446]
About the world cup…isn’t it being aired live on abc or espn? Must be taped delayed. WHY oh WHY does NTRA still not have the tv network up on their racing schedule!?[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the time correction.

ABC Sports when they aired the World Cup did so on a tape delay - although HRTV will air it live.

I wouldn’t be shocked to see Curlin lose tomorrow based upon the distance (I think he’s better with a little more runway) and with the weight factor. Not that I’m rooting for a flop but I see a decent hurdle to overcome.

[DLee]

He’s the man!! :yes:

[pinkdiamondracing]

Curlin Victorious

Curlin wins at Al Nasheba today!!! WOW !!! :yes::eek:What a horse, carrying 132!!!:yes::yes: Here’s hoping he’s a winner in the WC:D

[Doodle]

Holy Moley! What a good boy!
I wonder if it is on YouTube yet?

[kelo]

Video is up, it’s Race 5 (Jaguar Stakes). Wow, what a horse :yes:

http://www.drcnewswire.com/videos/2008_02_28/index.php

[Glimmerglass]

Nothing on youtube.com as of yet - although I susupect by this evening someone will have ripped it and uploaded the race

Also nothing on the official Dubai website either:

Media Center: Dubai Racing Club

BloodHorse: Curlin Romps in Duabi

A victory by 2 lengths and a final time of 2:00.60 for the ‘near’ 1 1/4mi distance

[Glimmerglass]

[QUOTE=kelo;3041117]
Video is up, it’s Race 5 (Jaguar Stakes). Wow, what a horse :yes:

http://www.drcnewswire.com/videos/2008_02_28/index.php[/QUOTE]

Cool - thanks for sharing!

Very big props to Robby for that ultra smooth ride in the final stretch. He could’ve won by much more but a wise jockey kept him underwraps and saved a lot in the tank for next time.

What was unusual was how far off the rail he was up the backstretch. Maybe just the camera angle but they looked to be a good 8 - 10’ off the rail.

[Texarkana]

Wow, that was nothing more than a work from the gate with company. Curlin looked great and didn’t use up a single ounce more energy than necessary.

[Beezer]

Quick equipment question: In the Bloodhorse.com picture, both Curlin and the place horse look to have a martingale strap (without the tie-down portion) around their necks. The place horse has what looks to be a side attachment to the girth, while Curlin may have a strap running between his forelegs. What the heck is that? Something to stop the saddle from slipping? I don’t think I’ve ever seen that.

Now back to your regularly scheduled shoutout to Curlin on another excellent effort!

[Texarkana]

[QUOTE=Beezer;3041164]
Quick equipment question: In the Bloodhorse.com picture, both Curlin and the place horse look to have a martingale strap (without the tie-down portion) around their necks. The place horse has what looks to be a side attachment to the girth, while Curlin may have a strap running between his forelegs. What the heck is that? Something to stop the saddle from slipping? I don’t think I’ve ever seen that.

Now back to your regularly scheduled shoutout to Curlin on another excellent effort![/QUOTE]

It’s a breaking strap, or neck strap, or grab strap… whatever you want to call it. It’s just a strap around the neck that you can grab on to. Lots of horses wear them, especially unruly ones or horses with no mane to grab. There isn’t anything going between his legs that I can see in the picture.

I think what you’re seeing on the 2nd horse is the jockey’s whip, not an attachment to the girth.

Hope this helps.

[Beezer]

Hmm … well, now that I’ve watched the replay – and what a seemingly easy effort it was! – I don’t see the strap thingie I see in the Bloodhorse picture. Maybe it’s just a shadow.

I loved how in the race, the lead jock keeps looking over his shoulder, looking again, looks one more time … and just keeps seeing that big red horse right there, breathing on him, and then he just cruises on by.

I must say, I am slowly becoming a Curlin convert. I’ll always have a soft spot for Street Sense, but Curlin is clearly proving himself the man.

[Beezer]

[QUOTE=Texarkana;3041188]
It’s a breaking strap, or neck strap, or grab strap… whatever you want to call it. It’s just a strap around the neck that you can grab on to. Lots of horses wear them, especially unruly ones or horses with no mane to grab. There isn’t anything going between his legs that I can see in the picture.

I think what you’re seeing on the 2nd horse is the jockey’s whip, not an attachment to the girth.

Hope this helps. :)[/QUOTE]

Aha! Thanks … that makes sense. I’ve heard of breaking straps; it was just the extra shadows or misplaced whip that made it look different.

[Linny]

Assmussen uses neck straps on almost all of his horses. Curlin is well behaved at the start but since he really focuses on training young horses to show spped, the neck straps are handy.

[Doodle]

what a beautifully won race…a hand ride to boot! At least I didn’t see Robbie A. to anything but just sit there… the announcer said he had him on a hard hold but it looked like there was a little loop in the rein and he was just out for a nice gallop!
JUST GORGEOUS!

[ravenclaw]

Curlin is approaching greatness…if he didn’t achieve it already in the Breeder’s Cup. Jess Jackson isn’t my favorite person, but I am very appreciative that he didn’t retire Curlin.

Wonder how much weight he will carry in the World Cup? It will be more than today, won’t it?