IS CURLIN AS GOOD WITHOUT STEROIDS?

When I saw a photograph of Curlin just before he ran in the Dubai World Cup I was astonished at how muscular he was. I made a copy of the photo and e-mailed it to several people saying that there was no way a horse could look like that naturally. Curlin just had to be on steroids.

Curlin's owner Jess Jackson clearly felt the same way as he called his trainer Steve Asmussen to ask the obvious question. When he found out that Curlin was in fact receiving the regular injections of the anabolic steroid Winstrol which most American racehorses get he ordered Asmussen to stop the practice right away. Jackson later went on to appear before the US Congress as a witness when they held an inquiry into the use of steroids in American horse racing.

Jackson has to be commended for his actions. But I have to say that the subsequent performance of Curlin now raises major questions about what made him a Champion.

Curlin did produce two big runs in Dubai a few weeks after being taken off steroids. But his more recent runs, plus his physical appearance makes me believe that he is simply not as fast now their effect has worn off.

When I saw Curlin in the paddock at Saratoga on September 1st he didn't look anything like that photo I'd seen of him at the beginning of the year. I can't say for sure, but I strongly suspect he'd dropped around fifty pounds in weight, maybe more. He looked far more like a normal racehorse than the incredible hulk he'd appeared earlier.

CURLIN (40) only scrambled home at Saratoga in a time a second or more slower than he would have clocked before. He again won narrowly in sub-par time when taking the Jockey Club Gold Cup last weekend. And this time WANDERIN BOY (39), the horse he'd beaten nearly three lengths into third at Saratoga, got to within three parts of a length.

Wanderin Boy is a seven year old that has lost all nine times he's tackled Grade 1 company. Beating him by a rather hard fought three quarters of a length is not the performance of a Champion.

As I see it you can forget the debate about whether Curlin will act on the new synthetic surface the Breeders' Cup Classic is set to be run on. The real debate should be about steroids and whether thoroughbred breeders are being misled into choosing stallions and broodmares whose ability stemmed from chemistry rather than class.

RED GIANT PROVES HE'S ONE OF THE TOP US TURFERS

RED GIANT (40) broke the world record for a mile and a quarter when taking the Grade 1 Clement Hirsch Memorial Turf Championship at Santa Anita. But his achievement was somewhat bogus as Santa Anita's turf course is downhill and features a run up so that the horses literally have a flying start and are already running when the timer is started. Nonetheless this was a seriously good performance by the big horse who has won both his starts since returning from an ankle injury.

The early pace was a searching one, and this seemed to suit Red Giant. He was ten lengths back with half a mile to run but picked up strongly to hook up with OUT OF CONTROL (40) entering the straight and win a protracted duel to the line as the pair surged well clear of the rest.

This performance would only rank as Group 2 in European terms. But US turf horses are a bit behind their European counterparts, so Red Giant now looms as a serious player for the Breeders' Cup. His owners now face the difficult choice of trying to make him the first offspring of Giants Causeway to win a Group or Graded race at a mile and a half in the Breeders' Cup Turf or face opposition that's probably a bit tough for him in the Breeders' Cup Classic on Pro-Ride over ten furlongs. Personally, seeing how well he kept on after such a testing early pace, I'd be going for the turf race where I'd give him a real chance.

Out Of Control has now run second by a head both times he's run middle-distances on turf, the other time being in the Grade 1 Manhattan Handicap at Belmont (also over ten furlongs). Clearly he's useful at longer trips. You could argue he stuck too close to the strong early pace here and might have held on if he'd been a bit further back and saved energy. I don't know whether he'll get the distance in the Breeders Cup Turf, but it's surely worth a shot.

ZENYATTA A DESERVING FAVOURITE BUT ...

If there was any doubt that Santa Anita's new synthetic surface rides like turf the latest running of the Grade 1 Lady's Secret surely dispelled them. ZENYATTA (39) won the race with a burst of speed, the like of which you never see on a dirt course. She took just 28.5 seconds to run the last two and a half furlongs, that's 11.4 seconds per furlong.

The early pace was a modest so Zenyatta had to make her move early. She closed up quite quickly with three furlongs to run and sealed the race with a tremendous surge of speed in the final furlong to win comfortably with her ears pricked.

Zenyatta has now won all eight of her starts, seven on synthetic surfaces. She's a good sized, classy looking filly with a good stride on her. She deserves to be favourite for the Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic. But the thing to bear in mind is that she's established her great record against a soft group of local fillies. There are some smart European runners that have run as fast or faster than her on turf, and if they line up for the big race her unbeaten streak could well be ended.

COST OF FREEDOM HAS BIG CHANCE IN BREEDERS' CUP SPRINT

In the last twenty years the Breeders' Cup has been run three times in California. In two of those three years the winner of the big race had just won the Ancient Title, California's top sprint. In the other year the winner of the Ancient Title did not contest the Breeders' Cup Sprint, but the horse which finished third did and ended up running second.

With the race set to be run on a new synthetic surface this year, the winner of the Ancient Title has something extra going for it. So clearly this year's winner COST OF FREEDOM (42) merits very close inspection.

Cost Of Freedom was claimed for just $50,000 after winning at Del Mar on July 28th and is clearly a bargain. He's now won all six times he's run less than seven furlongs and broke the course record here, admittedly on a new surface.

Cost Of Freedom was always moving strongly on the outside early on in a close fourth. Entering the straight he made a big move to burst into the lead and go clear. He was tiring in the last furlong as the hot favourite STREET BOSS (41) stormed home down the outside but held on by half a length.

I don't see why Street Boss is favourite for the Breeders' Cup Sprint and Cost Of Freedom is twice the price. Yes he had won his five previous starts in a row and finished like a train here. But the fact is he always has to come really wide for his run and this has to be a concern in what will be a much bigger field in the big race. My feeling from watching this race is that Cost Of Freedom is the better horse and would have won this more impressively if his jockey had delayed moving on him until a little later.

COCOA BEACH GETS INTERESTING FOR LADIES CLASSIC

The US dirt fillies have been rather a weak group for several years now. So it's not surprising that several relatively slow horses have been able to dominate the division. One of them is GINGER PUNCH (36) who has never earned a speed rating better than 36 on my scale yet was good enough to win last year's Breeders' Cup Distaff.

Ginger Punch looked to be beat fair and square by the smart Godolphin filly COCOA BEACH (37) in the Grade 1 Beldame. Indeed I got the feeling that if her jockey hadn't been so keen on keeping his mount balanced on what was a slippery wet surface Cocoa Beach would have won by a wider margin. The fact that she earned a rating of 39 from me earlier in the year at Nad Al Sheba backs up this idea. Though she won narrowly it did look like Cocoa Beach had a little in hand at the line.

Cocoa Beach has grown and strengthened during her lay-off according to Saeed bin Suroor. She needs to be supplemented into the Ladies Classic (formerly the BC Distaff). But I think it's worth it as she's proven on both turf and dirt so looks a better bet to handle the Pro-Ride surface than her strongly fancied stablemate Music Note.

BIG RUN BY GRAND COUTURIER

I f the Breeders' Cup Turf was going to be run at Belmont Park this year GRAND COUTURIER (40) would be very strongly fancied following his runaway win in the Turf Classic at the same course last Saturday. He simply cruised away in the closing stages to win by a wide margin.

Grand Couturier clearly stays very well as he's now won five of the eight times he's run beyond eleven furlongs. The soft ground made this race a greater test of stamina than normal and this obviously helped him.

In Europe Grand Couturier finished a close fourth in the Grand Prix de Paris behind Rail Link, Red Rocks and Sudan. That's very smart form compared to that shown by most turf runners prior to being imported to race in America.

Impressive as this run was, there has to be a concern that Grand Couturier won't show the same form in California. He's run unplaced all three times he's run in American outside Saratoga and Belmont Park, two of the biggest turf courses in America. He ran well below his best in last year's Breeders' Cup Turf around Monmounth's seven furlong oval. Perhaps he'll do better at Santa Anita where a chute makes the course ride like a more galloping oval.

TAM LIN HAS A SHOT IN BREEDERS' CUP MILE

Godolphin have been out of the headlines in Europe this year. But they're assembling a fine team for the Breeders' Cup which will surely include TAM LIN (38) following his easy win in the big East Coast prep for the Breeders' Cup Mile, the Kelso Handicap at Belmont.

Tam Lin earned speed ratings of 40 and 41 from me when winning four of his first five starts in Britain. I predicted that he'd be a player in Group 1 races despite his odd habit of flashing his tail under pressure.

Unfortunately Tam Lin then took it into his head to pull like a train. As a result he failed to get home in his subsequent UK starts. However, in America he has thrived since being cut back to a mile, winning two times out of three and finishing second to one of the top US milers Kip Deville in his sole loss at the trip on the other side of the Pond.

Tam Lin did exhibit his old traits in the Kelso. But the shorter trip and different riding tactics enabled him to overcome them. He pulled his way into second place early on but his jockey, Javier Castellano, simply let him do it. He said later “We expected to be four or five lengths behind the lead, but when we were right behind the leaders, I didn’t want to fight him, I Just let him enjoy the trip.”

Tam Lin produced a serious turn of foot to burst clear from his rivals in the straight. As he did so his tail was going around like a helicopter, just as it did in Britain. He didn't quite run as fast as he had before, but it's clear he could have done if pressed.

Admittedly this good looking horse is quirky to say the least. But a mile and his new rider Javier Castellano seem to agree with him. He's won both times Castellano has been aboard. As Castellano said “This horse isn’t easy to ride but I get along with him.” Hopefully he'll get the mount in the Breeders' Cup Mile.

CURLIN NOT THE HORSE HE WAS

CURLIN (37) clocked a slow time when winning the Woodward Stakes at Saratoga and just didn't look like the horse he was earlier in the season. He was gifted the lead in the straight by the furious speed duel engaged in by the second and third. But after lumbering by that pair he seemed to just bob up an down in the same spot, taking a painfully slow 14.01 seconds to run the final furlong.

At no point did Curlin show the change of gear that made him look exceptional before. My strong feeling on watching him here was that something is not quite right with this giant of a horse and that he should be opposed when he tackles the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park next time out. His trainer has repeatedly warned that he's wary of running Curlin on the synthetic surface at Santa Anita as he feels he won't act on it. So, given how disappointingly he ran here, the short odds currently being offered about him for winning a second Breeders' Cup Classic seem crazy.

HELLO BROADWAY A NAME TO REMEMBER

Saratoga is the meeting where many of America's top horses made their first start. And I rather suspect that HOLLYWOOD DREAM (37) is going to join their ranks after watching him win narrowly but impressively on his debut at the New York track.

Hollywood Dream is a good-bodied, mature, muscular sort that oozes class and looks built for around nine or ten furlongs. So the six and a half furlongs he tried at Saratoga was undoubtedly short for him. But he made a big move to challenge, then another big move to surge seven lengths clear of the pack with the runner up IMPERIAL COUNCIL (37) and then one final surge to put away what is almost certainly a high class runner up.

In my experience only a top class horse can make three big moves in a race as Hollywood Dream did here. And to do so on his racecourse debut over an inadequate trip suggests he is quite something.

They went just three tenths of a second slower to halfway in Hollywood Dream's race than they did in the next race, the Forego Stakes, one of America's top sprints. This no doubt brought the young horse's stamina into play. I see him as a great prospect for longer Grade 1 races like the Champagne Stakes.. The runner up Imperial Council also looks nailed on for success in top company though I doubt whether he'll turn out as good as the winner.