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Curlin, the reigning Horse of the Year, survived the "Graveyard of Champions" with a workman-like victory in Saturday's $500,000 Woodward, closing in on Cigar's career earnings record and moving closer to a second straight Breeders' Cup Classic.

Jockey Robby Albarado let Curlin run with the traffic through much of the Woodward as 40-1 longshot Past the Point set a fast pace. After getting clear, Curlin challenged the leader in the stretch and had to do some work to get to the front. Once there, he drew clear to win by 1 1/2 lengths.

Past the Point held second and Wanderin Boy finished third. Curlin, a 4-year-old son of Smart Strike, ran the 1 1/8 miles on a fast track in 1:49.34.

It was his first try at Saratoga, which has a long history of upsets, including such champions as Secretariat and Man o'War.

"The mystique of Saratoga, wining a Grade 1 here, the Graveyard of Champions, all of that works into your head leading up to this," said winning trainer Steve Asmussen. "But he came through like Curlin does and we're extremely proud of him."

Albarado said the trip wasn't easy but that Curlin has become smarter about how he runs his races.

"I was little wider than I wanted to be around the first turn, but he gave me an indication on the backside that he would be there for me," the rider said. "We were between two horses and getting bounced around a little, but he is a big horse and he handled it."

Asmussen said he's mulling options as Curlin, now the winner of $9,796,800, chases Cigar's record of $9,999,815.

"The perfect scenario," he said, "would be to run in the best races, the Jockey Club Gold Cup and the Breeders' Cup, and then go overseas to the Japan Cup. But that will be hard to press into a four-week schedule. We'll wait and see."

Other races pointing to the $5 million Classic, Oct. 25 at Santa Anita:

-- Anak Nakal, coming into Monday's $1 million Pennsylvania Derby riding a six-game losing streak, found a path through traffic on the turn and ran down Acai in the final sixteenth to win by a neck. The Victory Gallop colt, trained by Nick Zito and ridden by Joe Bravo, finished the 9 furlongs on a fast Pennsylvania Park strip in 1:36.01. The favorite, Smooth Air, was third. Anak Nakal finished seventh in the Kentucky Derby and a well-beaten third in the Belmont Stakes. After a freshening, Zito brought him back in the Jim Dandy five weeks ago, where he finished fifth, beaten 13 lengths. He was sent to the post Monday at odds of 16-1.

-- Judith's Wild Rush moved three-wide into the stretch in Saturday's $50,000 Waquoit Stakes at Suffolk Downs and caught pace-setting Riversrunrylee to win by 3/4 length. Jalil, a disappointment for the Godolphin team since shipping to the United States, finished third as the odds-on favorite, 4 lengths farther back. Judith's Wild Rush, a 7-year-old son of Wild Rush from the Black Tie Affair mare Tie Talk, ran the 1 1/16 miles on a fast track in 1:46.62. The three-time Canadian champion was ridden by Orlando Bocachica. Rick Mettee, assistant trainer for Jalil, said the Godolphin horse "ran like he trained. He didn't show much on the Belmont or Saratoga dirt track."

Copyright 2008 by United Press International

This news arrived on: 09/02/2008

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