Saturday's Breeders' Cup Classic ended with Bo Derek watching at the finish line and Curlin showing that he is no longer a perfect 10 either.
In a horse race as anticipated as any in years, Curlin did not win the $5-million Classic, did not live up to the superlatives. In a two-year, 15-race career that had made him one of the most famous and beloved thoroughbreds ever and brought more than $10 million in winnings, Curlin had never finished out of the money.
But shortly before 4 p.m., on a sweltering afternoon at a Santa Anita Park dressed for a party and throwing a great one, Curlin was eased across the finish line by jockey Robby Albarado in fourth place. Raven's Pass won the race, followed by Henrythenavigator and Tiago.
It appeared as if Albarado could have coaxed and whipped a third-place spot out of Curlin. But common sense probably dictated that anything less than the history-making top rung wasn't worth the effort.
At stake was a second straight victory in the Classic, another $3 million in the bank, and, most likely, a slam-dunk election as the repeat horse of the year. Now, electors will have to weigh Curlin against unbeaten filly Zenyatta.
Even more at stake was history, the legacy of a Hershey-bar-colored horse who stayed around long enough for the public to get to know him and love him.
On television, the network guys speculated that a victory here would make Curlin the best horse in the last two decades. That covers a lot of time and may be a lot of horse manure. But it was the kind of non-provable hyperbole that can feed a very hungry industry, and there's no real harm there.
The day belonged to the European horses, one of which was Raven's Pass. When five of the nine Breeders' Cup titles contested Saturday went to horses who had to fly over a very large ocean with a very large continent just to get here, there was a sense that racing may have a little Ryder Cup-like rivalry beginning.
"The gauntlet may have been thrown down for U.S. breeders," said Greg Avioli, chief executive of the sanctioning Breeders' Cup organization.
The Ryder Cup of horse racing will have to wait until next year. This year, it was all about Curlin, and fans showing the love.
With mane nicely braided, Curlin made the walk from barn to paddock like royalty. Fans stood three and four deep along the way. Cameras clicked and hands clapped. Every step he took turned heads. Parents whispered to children that they should pay attention, that this was special.
