The synthetic pro-ride surface that received so much attention earlier in the year, will undoubtably get even more attention now. After the ladies remained consistent Friday, and proved most great fillies and mares will be as great over pro-ride, the boys didn’t exactly fare the same.

The favorites were disappointing, and the European contingent ran better than most years, wining five of nine and finishing one-two in the classic, and one- two in the juvenile turf. Europeans apparently love pro-ride, which makes sense because it seems to be more like a turf course. Our horses either love it or they don’t. As impressive as Zenyatta was yesterday, she did not have to face any of them. If she did, who knows what would have happened.

Curlin made his move at the top of the stretch, but ran like a tired horse, or a horse that hated the surface. Pro-ride is particularly hard for a giant horse like Curlin. Zenyatta and Midnight Lute, however had no problem with it, but they are based in California, and Zenyatta had a race over it already.

The Classic apparently proved nothing. Curlin was in the thick of things, but his fourth place finish probably stripped him of year end honors. The front-runner now has to be Zenyatta. She is still a perfect 9 for 9. That doesn’t, of course make Curlin any less a champion. He is always there, and is classy and consistent. It is hard not to wonder how Raven’s Pass would have fared against him on traditional dirt. He still deserves older male. And Big Brown surely has the three year old colt award sewn up. The only way he could possibly have lost that was if Colonel John ran a stunner in the Classic. Even then, it would have been hard to topple him.

The filly Goldikova defeated Kip Deville in what was possibly the best example of poetic irony in modern day sports. Rick Dutrow ran his mouth off again yesterday and bashed women trainers. It is a wonder this man has any clients. It was sure nice to see a filly beat his horse, one that he was planning on dropping lots of cash on. That fact just sweetened the deal.

So what turned into a contest between Big Brown and Curlin, may possibly go to the one mare who towers over them all. What lost some of its luster because of the defection of Big Brown, was still a showcase of the world’s best. It certainly was not devoid of stars, and one has to remember that even the greatest horses have lost in their careers. It didn’t make them any less a champion. Curlin’s connections have to be feeling low tonite, but their colt has more than proved his merit. In an era where the best horses are retired after a handful of starts, Curlin ran 16 times, with most of those in Grade I company. He never ducked a fight, traveled halfway around the world, and it took a track record to beat him today.