Curlin, the 6-5 morning-line favorite, will try to add another chapter to a legacy that began 17 weeks ago when he takes on six other runners today in the 139th Belmont Stakes. The $1 million third jewel of the Triple Crown is scheduled for 6:25 p.m.
It is the 11th race in a 13-race card with temperatures expected in the high 70s. The top challengers for Curlin are Hard Spun (5-2), a near-miss front-runner in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, and Todd Pletcher-trained Rags to Riches (3-1), bidding to become the first filly to win the Belmont in 102 years. "We all know," Hard Spun trainer Larry Jones said, "we have to beat Curlin.
" With no Triple Crown candidate and without Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense in the field, the drama will be Curlin's bid to become the next super-horse, Hard Spun's recent tough luck in the Derby and Preakness, and Rags to Riches' flirtation with history. John Shirreffs-trained Tiago (12-1) and Bill Kaplan-trained Imawildandcrazyguy (20-1), who both skipped the Preakness after running in the Derby, will look to come off the pace. C P West, ridden by Edgar Prado, is Nick Zito's 18th Belmont runner.
Rags to Riches is the first filly in the 1 1/2-mile Belmont since 1999 and only the fifth in the past half-century. "She's been dominant against fillies and now we'll see how she does against the colts," said Rags to Riches jockey John Velazquez, who will ride the Kentucky Oaks winner for the first time. Asmussen said Curlin, who will leave from post No.
3, could regress after his nose victory over Street Sense in the Preakness. The son of Smart Strike, ridden by Robby Albarado, has lost once in five career starts, the third-place finish in the Kentucky Derby. "He absolutely could (bounce off the Preakness)," Asmussen said.
"I really believe in the adage that you get paid for what you do, but you also pay for what you do. I think you're at risk, and it's a very competitive race." Asmussen said Hard Spun, second in the Derby and third in the Preakness, is the rival that most concerns him.
Garrett Gomez will ride Hard Spun as part of the week-long jockey merry-go-round that has seen three of the seven Belmont runners get new mounts. "How can you fault what Hard Spun has done?" Asmussen said.
"He's an amazing horse." Jones wants a more sensible pace, and sees Hard Spun settling behind Slew's Tizzy. He said another heated pace like the Preakness will put the Belmont right into the lap of Curlin, a versatile, stalking horse.
"It is in my horse's favor and Slew's Tizzy's favor and Rags to Riches' favor to not allow (Curlin) to have that big target to shoot at," Jones said. "We'll just see what happens." Rags to Riches, winner of three Grade I races in a row, will race against the boys for the first time.
She will carry 121 pounds, while the rest of the field gets 126. The daughter of 1992 Belmont winner A.P.
Indy will try to break trainer Todd Pletcher's 0-for-28 record in Triple Crown races. "We think we have a chance to win. We're going to need everything to go just right and then some, but I would think if I was anyone else in the race, I wouldn't be excited that she was in there running against me.
" Asmussen said Rags to Riches "adds curiosity" to the race. The most recent filly to win the Belmont was Tanya in 1905. "I'm very curious to see how she stacks up against what I believe is an excellent group of 3-year-old colts.
" Asmussen is enduring a less emotional week than prior to his first win in a Triple Crown race. The week of the Preakness, his grandmother, Helen Asmussen, died at age 83. Three days after her funeral, the 41-year-old Asmussen had Curlin win the Preakness.
Early in the year, Asmussen had finished serving a six-month suspension after one of his horses tested positive for a banned race-day substance. Friday morning, Asmussen reflected on his past year, surrounded by a group of reporters -- with stable cat Isla on the prowl in the background. "Winning that race with grandmother dying that week, and looking back at the last year, it has made it more emotional than I ever dreamed," Asmussen said.
"It's hard to think about. It was very extreme and it's impossible not to be emotional about it. Curlin, the 6-5 morning-line favorite, will try to add another chapter to a legacy that began 17 weeks ago when he takes on six other runners today in the 139th Belmont Stakes.
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