Curlin to be Retired; Zenyatta to Continue Racing in 2009

Curlin's and Zenyatta's names have been mentioned in the same breath since musings began about who the winner of the 2008 Horse of the Year award should be. Horse bettors take note: Come the end of 2008, these two top contenders will be following very different paths.

On Saturday, Nov. 15, Curlin's majority owner Jess Jackson of Stonestreet Farms issued a press release stating that Curlin would be retired to stand at stud at the end of 2008. Known for his consistency and ability to run down rivals with his massive strides, Curlin will be missed in the horse betting and racing worlds.

Curlin's 4-year-old campaign picked up where it left off – spectacularly. Following his win in the 2007 Breeders' Cup Classic, Curlin continued to impress with a heady win in the world's richest horse race, the $5M Dubai World Cup, in March, and then the $1M Stephen Foster Handicap in June. Trainer Steve Asmussen then set his sights on the world's richest turf race, the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, and sent Curlin to the $500,000 Man O' War Stakes in July to see how he would fare on a turf course against the 2007 Breeders' Cup Turf champion Red Rocks; Curlin came in second. As a result, Asmussen shifted Curlin's focus back to dirt and the Smart Strike colt found success in the $500,000 Woodward Stakes in August. He followed up that win with another Jockey Club Gold Cup title and was then sent to Santa Anita Racetrack to train up for the defense of his Breeders' Cup Classic title. During the race, Curlin briefly held the lead in the homestretch, but was passed by the trifecta of Raven's Pass, Henrythenavigator and Tiago, and finished fourth.

Whether Curlin will race once more before retiring has yet to be decided. "If an appropriate venue and purse are offered, we would consider once more race in 2008 for Curlin," said Jackson.

So fans may have one final race to look forward to – but the days of watching and betting on Curlin are numbered… and may, indeed, be over.

On the other hand, unbeaten 2008 Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic champion Zenyatta will almost certainly be racing in 2009, according to trainer John Shirreffs. Training plans so far are to simply walk the 4-year-old filly until the end of the year, and only then consider her next start – which could be as late as spring 2009. "It depends on how she is when she starts back," Shirreffs said. "It's hard to put a number on how long it will take to get ready. This is the time to give her time off. I don't want to pencil in anything."

The picture of consistency, Zenyatta has an incredible record of seven consecutive graded stakes wins. With her long stride and proven ability to win over dirt and tough Grade 1 competition, Zenyatta should be back in 2009 to thrill racing fans for another year.

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Race of the Week:Hollywood Prevue Stakes Contenders & Betting Tips

Hollywood Park is the backdrop for this week's feature race, the $100,000-added Gr. 3 Hollywood Prevue Stakes. It will be contested on Sunday, Nov. 23, and will feature 2-year-olds running seven furlongs over a Cushion Track surface. Here are three top contenders to keep in mind when you're choosing horses to bet on for our race of the week.

Unbeaten in three races, Backbackbackgone is one of the frontrunners. In his debut at Bay Meadows, the Put It Back colt scored a dominating 10-length win and followed it up two weeks later with a four-length victory in the $99,800 Willard Proctor Memorial Stakes in May. Sore shins prevented him from racing during the summer, resulting in a layoff that lasted nearly five months. But he returned to form in the $80,100 Jack Goodman Stakes at Santa Anita in October, a race he won by a nose. The Florida-bred colt is trained by Peter Miller, and jockey Rafael Bejarano, who was aboard for Backbackbackgone's Goodman Stakes win, should again get the mount.
 
The Doug O'Neill-trained Azul Leon will be hoping to repeat his previous success at Hollywood Park; he won his first graded stakes race in July at the $100,000 Hollywood Juvenile Champion Stakes. His last start was a disappointing ninth-place finish in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile in October. Previous to that, Azul Leon was sixth in the $250,000 Gr. 1 Norfolk Stakes in September and won the $150,000 Gr. 2 Best Pal Stakes in October on a disqualification. The Lion Heart colt has been in training at Hollywood Park and in a recent five-furlong workout clocked in at 1:01.40. Jockey Garrett Gomez, who scored an amazing four victories in this year's Breeders' Cup, will be aboard Azul Leon for the first time.

Canadian invader Congor Bay is also expected to make the trip from Toronto, Canada, to Hollywood Park, according to trainer Mark Casse. Congor Bay will be coming off two wins at Woodbine Racetrack in October. "Seven furlongs should be a good distance for him, and we're staying on synthetic," said Casse. "I'm not sure how good he is. I'm sure this will be a stern test."

Among the others expected are Arashi Cat, who will be ridden by Clinton Potts; Jack o' Lantern, who posted a recent five-furlong workout time of 1:00.40; and Ventana – whose trainer, Bob Baffert, won his fourth Hollywood Prevue Stakes title last year with Massive Drama. Who will be this year's Hollywood Prevue Stakes champion?
 
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Evita Argentina Wins Moccasin; Dry Martini Wins Stuyvesant

With the retirement of many dependable superstar horses this year, horse bettors have begun to scour the stables for the next big thing. Evita Argentina is one of those horses that bettors should keep an eye on in 2009. Though finishing ninth behind Stardom Bound in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies event this October, she has the distinction of having beaten the 2-year-old champion in the $150,000 Gr. 3 Sorrento Stakes earlier this year in August at Del Mar. And Evita Argentina capped off her 2008 campaign with a come-from-behind win in the $100,000 Moccasin Stakes on Sunday, Nov. 16 at Hollywood Park.

Under jockey Tyler Baze, Evita Argentina trailed the pack for much of the seven-furlong race. In the homestretch, she blazed to the lead, passing favorite Mi Chiamano Mimi to win by 1 1/2 lengths. The combination of Baze and Evita Argentina has been lethal for the competition: They have yet to lose as a jockey/mount duo.

"Every time I've ridden [Evita Argentina], she's given me 100 percent," Baze said after the race. "She's straightforward and gives you what she's got. They were going fast and this filly was cool as a cucumber. She's special to me and I really love her. She's just awesome."

Mi Chiamano Mimi finished second and Palacio de Amor completed the trifecta. Evita Argentina's winning time was 1:21.50.

Also winning in come-from-behind style this past weekend was Dry Martini, ridden by Channing Hill, overcaming a sloppy track to win the $100,000 Gr. 3 Stuyvesant Handicap on Saturday, Nov. 15, at Aqueduct in New York.

Temporary Saint took the early lead in the 1 1/8 mile race with Brilliant Son in close pursuit; Stud Muffin and Dry Martini trailed the field. Stud Muffin took over the lead at the turn but faltered, giving way to Dry Martini, whose powerful closing kick sealed the victory. Stud Muffin held on for second, while Temporary Saint finished third.

2008 has been a difficult year for Dry Martini, and the Stuyvesant Handicap win was a welcome change of pace after a slew of losses – most notably a fifth-place finish in the $100,000 Gr. 3 Knickerbocker Handicap in October. In comparison, 2007 saw the then-4-year-old win three in a row: an allowance claming race, the $100,000 Gr. 3 Memorial Day Handicap and the $300,000 Cornhusker Handicap.

Trainer William Turner Jr. is confident that Dry Martini is back on the winning track: "This horse has been coming along steadily. The race set up just as we had hoped. He had to make up ground, quite a bit of ground, but the jockey was easing up on him at the wire."

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