On Saturday, every racing fan will have their eyes cast to Dubai, United Arab Emirates when Curlin, last year’s North American ‘Horse of Year,’ breaks from post position 12 in a field of 13 in the $6 million Dubai World Cup at Nad Al Sheba Racecourse.

Curlin, a son of Smart Strike and the world’s top-rated horse in training, will be the favorite in the richest horse race in the world. It is the largest field to contest the 2000-meter race since 2000 when Godolphin Stable’s optimistically named - Dubai Millennium - won the race in a track record time of 1 minute, 59.50 seconds.

Can you imagine what it is like for trainer Steve Asmussen to be in Dubai with this big, red, running machine?  For me, I remember Steve still galloping horses many years (and pounds) ago.

It was the winter of 1985/1986 and I was in Laredo, Texas at the Asmussen’s El Primero Training Center getting my modest string ready to go to Keeneland for the ‘86 spring meet.

Keith, Steve’s dad, later came to Keeneland to ride some of the 2-year-olds I started there. He brought a suitcase filled with tortillas for a Mexican Piñata Party I was throwing at Poplar Hill Farm.  Today, the whole family may be in Dubai to see Steve’s $5.2 million dollar winner compete for the biggest purse in racing. But, don’t bet  Keith is there; it would be more typical of him to stay home in Laredo and get on yet another young horse, just as he has done for 50 plus years.  Keith broke Pyro, the Kentucky Derby favorite, along with 140 other stakes winners at the family-owned and operated El Primero. On Saturday, Steve will be a long way from his South Dakota roots, his Laredo youth and yet really, not far at all.  People in this industry tend not to forget where they came from. Take note of how Steve speaks of his crew; he knows how important every job is toward creating a winner. His champion forges his theory! Steve is another in a long line of success stories that make racing one of the most thrilling pursuits in the world.

Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott once worked for the Asmussens when all were still in South Dakota.  Later, Bill claimed Jim Reeves, a favorite horse, from me back when he was still an assistant trainer for Jack Van Berg at Ak-Sar-Ben Race Track in Omaha, Neb. He hung a halter on that big, tall, pretty, chestnut, son of Bolero and took him to Jack’s barn. It must have been around ‘77.  In ‘96 when Mott won the inaugural running of the Dubai World Cup with Cigar, I was very excited for him, having long ago gotten past the disappointment of seeing Jim Reeves go to his barn.

Four-time Dubai Cup winning jockey Jerry Bailey was aboard Cigar that day as he had been for each of Cigar’s races since winning the NYRA Mile on him in November of ‘94. It had been a long time ago when I legged apprentice rider Bailey up on my feature race winner, Bonnie Brave, at Hawthorne Race Course in’77.

Cigar retired with lifetime earnings of $9,999,815 and along the way won the hearts of race fans and created new ones around the world. It was Saratogian Barbara Livingston’s award-winning photographs of Cigar that jump-started her passionate career to national prominence.

A victory for Curlin on Saturday will put him on target to come back to the US and chase Cigar’s money earned record. Like Cigar, Curlin is gathering race fans every step of the way.

Asmussen broke Jack Van Berg’s record for the most wins in a season a few years back and he is atop the leader board again this year, this time with wins and money earned.  

If one could package the passion of the aforementioned people, it would be an amazing package. Talk about a Super Bowl commercial; think of what this material and more would make as an advertising campaign for racing! Package the product correctly and a lot fewer VLTs would be required to support this exciting industry.

Tune into the race on Saturday and catch the excitement for yourselves.  Imagine what Steve and the myraid people connected to Curlin are feeling!!! 

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