by Scotty Rushing 11-01-2008 02:00 AM
Last Saturday at the historic Santa Anita Racetrack, Curlin bid a less than stellar farewell to the horseracing fans his owner, Jess Jackson, wanted so desperately to please. In the Breeders' Cup Classic, Curlin was handled easily by his competitors and finished fourth. 19.8 million viewers watched the coverage on ABC and ESPN. The 62% increase in viewers is a testimony to what Curlin has done for the sport at a time when horseracing needs a hero, yet I cannot escape one facet of this story.
Curlin deserved better.
The decision to continue running Curlin after his tremendous success was a poor one. He had no worlds left to conquer. Look at his resume:
As the victories and accolades continued to mount, those of us in the horseracing industry wondered when owner Jackson would pull the plug and send Curlin to a life at stud. When the announcement was made that Curlin would attempt to win the Classic for a second consecutive time an ugly shadow began to materialize behind this great warrior. The Spectre of Greed.
I will state clearly that I don't think greed manipulated Jackson's decision, but what I think doesn't matter. It will be the impression of the world at large. The world needs heroes, but they do not want those heroes to go out on the losing end. In fact, they forget those heroes faster than Secretariat ran the Belmont Stakes.
Horseracing has suffered an image crisis of late. The death of Eight Belles in the 2008 Kentucky Derby and other events led to Congessional Hearings on our sport. PETA turns out in full force at big racing events just waiting for tragedy to strike. Did Mr. Jackson ever consider the consequences our sport would suffer if Curlin had broke down in the Classic? We don't need that kind of attention. Look at what has happened with Big Brown. The PETA minions are already on the stump, preaching that owner Ivarone and trainer Dutrow crippled this marvelous athlete.
Horses are fragile creatures. They can suffer career-threatening injuries in the stall, let alone on the racetrack in the heat of combat. Why risk it when you have literally dominated the biggest jewels in racing's crown? It is irresponsible.
Horses do not make decisions about where they will compete or how often. That is left up to owners and trainers who, at their best, guide the careers of the athletes in their care responsibly. While Mr. Jackson's heart may have been in the right place, his decision was a poor one. I wonder if he noticed that trainer Steve Asmussen was especially withdrawn in the days leading up to the Classic. Asmussen refused photograpers access to the barn, stating that the horse "has a lot on his plate." There were questions about the artificial track, a surface on which Curlin had never competed. The Asmussen I know would never stand for an owner running a horse in a bad spot, but I can't help but wonder if this time he succumbed to the pressure.
The Eclipse Awards are coming up, and Curlin should once again be named Horse Of The Year. No one comes close to his accomplishments. But, the memory of the public is short and now Zenyatta will probably walk away with the title. If that happens it will be a day for some of us to reflect on how champions should be allowed to end their great careers.
Scotty Rushing is a Certfied Jockey Agent who has represented numerous riders including David Elston, Rico Flores, Amanda Crandall, and Beverly Burress. He currently represents Nick Vandevoorde.
Published 11-01-2008 © 2026 Access Athletes, LLC
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