Dominant Curlin wins all in SSRq08

The 2007 Horse of the Year is the favorite in today’s race.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A week ago, with Big Brown on the cusp of the first Triple Crown in 30 years, Curlin trainer Steve Asmussen said he’d be curious to see how the current Kentucky Derby and Preakness champion would stack up against the 2007 Horse of the Year.

Asmussen wasn’t the only one.

Suffolk Downs offered a $5 million purse in the Massachusetts Handicap if Big Brown won the Triple Crown and both horses entered the MassCap, with $1 million guaranteed to each just for showing up.

One Belmont flop by Big Brown later, such a showdown now looks like a mismatch.

The 4-year-old Curlin, who is undefeated this year and coming off a record 7 3/4-length win in the $6 million Dubai World Cup in March, will be a heavy favorite today in the $1 million Stephen Foster Handicap, with the emphasis on heavy.

Racing officials have saddled Curlin with 128 pounds, at least 10 pounds heavier than the other nine horses in the field for the 1 1/8 mile race at Churchill Downs. Asmussen, however, doesn’t see the weight assignment as a symbol of respect for Curlin’s dominance.

“Weight matters, that’s why they’re doing it,” he said. “How much is too much? That’s what they’re trying to find out.”

The way Curlin has raced over the last year, putting a middle linebacker on his back might not be enough to slow him down. He carried 126 pounds in the World Cup, and 132 pounds while winning the Jaguar Trophy by 2 3/4 lengths in February.

It will be Curlin’s first race back at Churchill Downs since finishing third behind Street Sense in last year’s Kentucky Derby. The long journey from Dubai has taken some of the shine off American horses in the past, and Asmussen is anxious about how his horse will respond.

“You just want indications that he’s back, that he’s over the trip,” he said. “We don’t want to take anything for granted as far as what going to Dubai did for him as far as how much it might have taken out of him.”

If his workouts over the past six weeks are any indication, Curlin appears to be just fine.

“I think he’s got a better understanding,” Asmussen said. “He doesn’t have the curiosity doing the same thing. There’s an assuredness mentally that he knows where he’s at.”

Curlin received a warm welcome during a cameo appearance on the track on Derby Day, and his return has given the Foster a boost. The track threw in an extra $250,000 to lure other grade 1 winners to the race. But if Curlin is on his game, runner-up might be the only thing up for grabs.