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.

New Jersey’s Monmouth Park hosts its first-ever Breeders’ Cup later this month. Any Given Saturday won the Grade I Haskell Invitational there in August, proving that he has what it takes to win on that track.

But what does it take? The Monmouth tracks don’t have any obvious quirks that should affect the Cup races. The turf track, although only a year old, is reportedly in excellent running condition after the summer session, thanks in part to the portable rail that can be brought out 12, 24 or 36 feet. That spreads out the wear and tear.

The dirt might be more of a question mark by the time the Classic is run on Oct. 27. Having all those other races run in such a short period of time this late in the year will probably produce a slow track. That’s bad news for frontrunners, so Hard Spun trainer J. Larry Jones might want to tailor his strategy accordingly.

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.

He couldn’t quite get it done on the Triple Crown trail. Will the Breeders’ Cup Classic be any different?

Hard Spun established himself as one of the “Big Three” horses on the trail, alongside Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense and Preakness winner Curlin. But the dark bay came up a bit short in all three races. It wasn’t until last month’s King’s Bishop at Saratoga that Hard Spun finally earned the first Grade I stakes victory of his career.

The win lifted Hard Spun to 4-0 lifetime in sprint events – ironic because he was ostensibly bred for endurance. He was one of the front runners at the Kentucky Derby despite favoring a stalking style; he also went ahead a little too early at the Preakness, taking the lead after six furlongs before falling behind both Street Sense and Curlin.

Assuming Hard Spun appears at the Classic, he’ll need a different game plan to beat his rivals.