Rick Dutrow should learn to keep his big yap shut. Following Big Brown’s win on Sunday at the Haskell Invitational, the mouthy trainer went looking for a fight and he may have found one with Curlin’s owner Jesse Jackson. Seems Dutrow figures his horse to be the better horse — by a long shot — and he ain’t afraid to defend his opinion.

“Curlin couldn’t win the Derby, we could,” said Dutrow. “Curlin couldn’t win the Haskell. We could. Curlin got beat by a filly. We haven’t. Our horse is undefeated on grass. Curlin isn’t. I don’t know why people think Curlin is such a good horse. We’re way better than Curlin.”

Them’s fighting words, right? Well, Jackson had this to say about Dutrow after he caught wind of what was being said about his prized thoroughbred:

“I think it’s bad for racing to have trash talk,” Jackson said. “To run down another guy’s horse, I don’t think it’s right. It demeans the industry. I’d like to meet Big Brown, preferably on the dirt, which is each one’s best surface, but I think they’re considering retiring Big Brown before we have a chance to meet him.”

At this point it is not known what Big Brown’s next race will be, but it’s looking like Curlin will make his next start in the 1 1/8-mile grade I Woodward Handicap at Saratoga on Aug. 30.

Last week Curlin defeated five rivals in his first race since capturing the Breeders’ Cup Classic last October. This was an easy win in his Dubai debut. Curlin, the 2007 Horse of the Year had a perfect trip and a perfect result in rolling to a 2/-length victory in the $175,000 Jaguar Trophy Handicap.

Ridden by Robby Albarado, Curlin won for the 7th time in 10 career starts for trainer Steve Asmussen.
Curlin settled in second place for most of the race, and took charge with about 400 meters to go and drew up without urging to defeat runner-up Familiar Territory.

“He is an amazing athlete and racehorse.” Albarado said. “It is a real honor to be associated with him and he has shown why tonight. I took him wide to help settle him as he was a bit keen, and from then I was never concerned.”

Jess Jackson, founder of the Kendall-Jackson Winery and owner of Stonestreet Stable, is Curlin’s majority owner.

The best horse won. There were many deserving candidates at last week’s Breeders’ Cup Classic, but Curlin’s 4 1/2-length victory over Hard Spun wrapped up a wonderful 2007 for the expected Eclipse Award and Horse of the Year winner.

Curlin nearly broke the 45-year old Monmouth Park record over 1 1/4 miles, clocking a 119 Beyer figure on a sloppy track to finish at 2:00.59. Yet the phenomenal chestnut stallion was the fourth favorite at the Cup, despite racking up four wins, a second and two thirds in his previous seven races this year, including victory at the Preakness.

Now that Curlin is sitting on top of the horse-racing world, the real measure of his star power is in the anguish that will come should his owners decide to retire Curlin to stud. That already seems like a fait accompli – Curlin could easily double his 2007 earnings of $5.1 million, and his stud fee should only go up.

During the Triple Crown, Hard Spun was playing third wheel to Street Sense and Curlin. But the dark bay is on a roll. He finished in second at the Grade I Haskell Invitational, ahead of third-place Curlin, and then beat Street Sense last week to win the Grade II Kentucky Cup Classic.

The Haskell result took place at Monmouth Park, where the Breeders’ Cup will be run later this month. So who’s the better bet for the Classic: Hard Spun or Curlin?

Let’s look at the odds first. The field isn’t set, but the futures market is already open, and Curlin is the third favorite at 5-1. Hard Spun is fifth on the odds list at 7-1. It’ll be a packed field at the Classic, and Curlin has proved himself capable of defeating the best of the best. Hard Spun has been a bit of a front runner, and his success at Turfway Park might not translate to Monmouth.

It’s going to be a little while yet before we know the full field for this month’s Breeders’ Cup Classic. But we do know that Student Council has qualified, courtesy of his Aug. 19 win at the Pacific Classic.

Dark horses don’t come much darker. The 5-year-old is currently 15th on the NTRA Thoroughbred Pool. But Student Council deserves some representation. His Pacific Classic win at 23-1 odds was considered a fluke; then he followed that up on Saturday with another victory at the Grade II Hawthorne Gold Cup Handicap. This time, Student Council “only” paid $5.20.

Expect those odds to go back up in a Classic field that will likely include Curlin, Street Sense, Lawyer Ron, Hard Spun and Any Given Saturday. But with two victories in a row, veteran jockey Richard Migliore in the saddle and a new top-flight trainer in Steve Asmussen, Student Council has earned a spot with the big boys.

Curlin has had an up-and-down year as a three year old, but Curlin is 4-1-2 in seven starts and will certainly contend in the Classic.

The favorite going into the Kentucky Derby was only able to win one jewel of the Triple Crown (the Preakness Stakes), and finished third in the Derby and second at the Belmont Stakes. Curlin will get one more chance at glory in the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Monmouth Park in New Jersey on October 27.

He’s not the favorite for the race at 8-1, with Any Given Sunday at 7-1, Street Sense at 5-1 and Lawyer Ron the 4-1 favorite. Curlin was the favorite in his last race at the Monmouth Park’s Haskell Invitational, but he finished a disappointing third. He’s set to run in the $750,000 Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont on September 30, and a win there could change his odds in the Breeders’ Cup Classic come gate time.