Just because Curlin isn’t a 3-year-old anymore doesn’t mean that his racing career is over. The 2007 Horse of the Year carried his success into 2008, winning Saturday’s $6-million Dubai World Cup by a record 7-3/4 lengths over Well Armed and Asiatic Boy.

This was an awe-inspiring performance by last year’s Preakness winner. Curlin (the 2-5 favorite) appeared completely at ease before the race, and remained cool while stalking Well Armed before Asiatic Boy joined in. They were three-wide with a mile down and about a quarter-mile left to go. And then Curlin left his competition in the dust.

Where Curlin races next had yet to be determined at press time. At some point, the stud fees will be too big for owner Jess Jackson to keep him on the track. Until then, the chestnut colt is 7-1-2 in 10 career races and third in career earnings at $8.8 million, behind Cigar ($9.9M) and Silver Charm ($9.6M).

The Triple Crown races attract the most media attention compared to any other horse racing events. The first jewel in the Triple Crown is the Kentucky Derby, and is the most well-known horse race in the world. The Japan Cup, which is run every November at Tokyo Race Course, will have purses as big as $4.3 million. The Australian Melbourne Cup attracts international entries and continues to grow.

But the biggest race in the world is in the United Arab Emirates. The Dubai World Cup is a race with a purse of $6 million, and the country is currently building an entire horse racing city. The catch is that there is no paramutuel betting in the country.

The Dubai World Cup will continue to be the biggest race in the world because of the love of horse racing held the Arab aristocracy and the huge financial backing the industry has in the United Arab Emirates.