Curlin (shown here) is headed to Paris; will Big Brown join him?

As soon as Big Brown finished last at the Belmont Stakes, the attention of horse racing fans turned to the Breeders’ Cup and a potential showdown with Curlin. But that dream matchup fizzled when Curlin trainer Steve Asmussen said he was contemplating moving the 2007 Eclipse winner onto turf for a crack at the prestigious Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in Paris.

The futures market has responded by posting odds of –350 that the two thoroughbreds will not race each other in 2008. Still, the allure of a potential Big Brown-Curlin matchup is too potent to pass up for some observers. ESPN’s Bill Finley has an interesting solution: Send Big Brown to Paris.

Finley makes some sense. Big Brown’s reputation took a major hit at the Belmont, loose shoe or not. Beating Curlin on grass at one of the most important events in Europe would restore that reputation – not to mention make a whole pile of money.