So Curlin’s first race on grass was not the blow out victory we have come to expect from Curlin, he is still several lengths better than the best dirt horses, in any country. That counts for something. He faced two Breeders Cup turf winners, but currently neither one of them would hold much hope against Europe’s best turf runners. That has to translate to certain doom overseas on turf for Curlin.

So what! He is still the best horse America has seen in quite sometime, and even at this stage in the game he has earned a spot in the Hall of Fame. In America, turf racing isn’t our thing. The races that draw the most publicity in this country are not run on turf, ever. The last time a turf horse won Horse of the Year was 1993 when Kotashaan won both honors, but really his competition in the dirt department that year was the deceased Preakness winner Prairie Bayou who died at the Belmont Stakes and Bertrando, a horse who won two Grade I races all year.

America does not respect, worship or flock to our turf horses, even though they are the guys that stick around and race. It is sad, but true.

Now Stonestreet is asking the fans what we think should be Curlin’s next start. Most say they feel he should stick to turf. Why? He is a proven dirt horse that has beaten everything thrown at him so far. Isn’t it better for him to win some big races on that surface, rather than face a pounding over in France? What will that prove?

While we are on the subject who on earth voted that he should be retired? Is it the boys at IEAH? Is it Rick Dutrow? Is it Big Brown? They are the only guys on the planet who can want Curlin retired at this point.

Everyone is always complaining that our stars are retired too early. Here is one back at four. American racing needs Curlin, and they need him winning big races in this country. If he can only win on dirt, that should be good enough for us. Many champions and Hall of Famers were only winners on dirt. Do we think any less of horses like Affirmed, Spectacular Bid or Citation because they were not turf winners?

Put him in the Woodward and then maybe the Jockey Club Gold Cup. Maybe he can face Big Brown in one of those races and humble his connections, if the Belmont did not already take care of that. Big Brown has to face him in order to have any shot at Horse of the Year, unless, of course, Curlin stays on turf and tanks in his next two starts. If Curlin loses his next two turf starts, and Big Brown romps in his last few starts, he has a real shot at Horse of the Year, without ever having to face Curlin, and this is coming from one of Brownie’s biggest critics. To clear the air, the reason it is hard for me to fall in love with that particular horse, has nothing to do with his connections, and everything to do with the fact that he will be gone soon. How can you get behind a horse you will see a total of eight or nine times? I feel like I hardly had a chance to know him, and soon he will be off to the breeding shed.

If Curlin skips the Breeders Cup this year, so be it. It will probably prove a worthless race anyway. Sadly, we have two years to endure a Breeders Cup that may not decide any year end honors because of their quirky track surface. Whatever genius decided that one needs to be relieved of his post pronto. It is hard enough to generate interest in fall racing without having its biggest day devoid of all its biggest stars.

If Curlin were to win the Arc, at this point a seemingly impossible feat for this long striding animal, he would be a horse for the ages. If he wins a few more dirt starts, he will still be arguably the best horse this decade, and a breath of fresh air in this day in age, where horses retire early or lose their form at some point in their careers. To have a horse race into the double digits in Grade I company for two years, run in every Triple Crown race and keep running after the Belmont Stakes, and never finish out of the money, is something we may not see again for a very long time. Enjoy it be it turf or dirt!