Horse of the Year Curlin was on the track at Dubai's Nad Al Sheba Racecourse for a five-furlong workout March 10 that assistant trainer Scott Blasi declared “awesome” as the colt gears up for the $6 million Dubai World Cup (UAE-I).
“He was traveling very well and looked great,” he added of the move, which Curlin accomplished in 1:02.60 under exercise rider Carmen “Carlos” Rosas.:jjjj:
“Carlos does such a great job," Blasi said. "I told him to go in 1:03 and that’s about as close as you can get. You could tell Curlin was very comfortable with where he was at. He had good direction toward the wire but was well within himself. It was exactly what we wanted.”
Curlin arrived at the track around 7:30 a.m., emerging out of a blanket of fog that was beginning to burn off under the rising sun.
Although observers had a difficult time picking him up on the backstretch, the chestnut son of Smart Strike was timed in :37.23 for the first three furlongs, with a half-mile in :49.40.
Blasi said Curlin got three days off after handily winning the $175,000 Jaguar Trophy at Nad Al Sheba on February 28.
“The prep was exactly what we had in mind and he came out of it in great order,” Blasi said. “He’s an exceptional horse—he just does everything so easily.”
Jockey Robby Albarado “was pretty impressed with (Curlin) all the way around” after the race, Blasi said.
Although the colt was a little keen in the early going of the Jaguar Trophy, he settled down, and the experience should benefit him and Albarado in the Dubai World Cup, sponsored by Emirates Airline.
“I think Curlin will be a lot more focused next time,” Blasi said.
Between the race and the workout, Curlin had what Blasi described as “a great week of training” that included another visit to the Nad Al Sheba starting gate and a schooling session in the paddock during racing on Super Thursday’s March 6 program.
“It was a good experience for him,” Blasi said. “We gave him several rounds in the walking ring with a lot of people on hand. We want him to feel comfortable and relaxed out there.”
Blasi is overseeing Curlin’s preparation for the Dubai World Cup for trainer Steve Asmussen, who saddled the colt in a brief visit to the United Arab Emirates for the Jaguar Trophy and who will return for the Dubai World Cup on March 29.
Asmussen decided to send Curlin to Dubai for his World Cup prep race and training so that the colt could get accustomed to the surroundings.
With only one runner to care for, Blasi said he and Rosas feel somewhat like they are re-living the movie Groundhog Day, with every day’s routine being fairly much the same, and with hours of inactivity to fill, a rare situation for leading American trainer Asmussen's staff. However, Blasi would not want to be doing anything else right now.
“Curlin is the chance of a lifetime,” he said. “I wouldn’t trade this for anything.”
