Curlin travels west, but to what end?

Well before Sunday’s first light, Curlin was en route to California and possibly an attempt, after having won his second Jockey Club Gold Cup in a matter-of-fact demonstration of unmitigated superiority to surpass the landmark $10-million earnings mark on Saturday at Belmont Park, a possible attempt to repeat his 2007 victory in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

After Saturday, there is no necessity to send Curlin into the Classic and beyond the historical and financial context nothing to gain, so owner Jess Jackson and trainer Steve Asmussen enjoy the luxury of a no-lose position. Jackson said after the Gold Cup that the Clark Handicap at Churchill Downs and the Japan Cup Dirt remain options and the determination of objective will be made in light of the new synthetic surface, Pro-Ride, now in place at Santa Anita.

Early evaluations of the surface, never before used for racing, suggest a short honeymoon.

Excerpts from a report authored by Brad Free in the Daily Racing Form:

“ … And the theme is familiar - the synthetic track is a good surface on which to train, but afternoon races are a whole different story. Two days into the Oak Tree meet at Santa Anita, jockey Garrett Gomez said the difference between morning and afternoon is distinct.

"The track is safe [in the afternoon], but it's nothing like we're seeing in the morning," he said. "In the morning, it seems all the horses get across it very well, but in the afternoon, not even half of them are getting across it."

"The horses that are getting across it are struggling less than others," the jockey said. "It seems that you have a couple in each race that travel a lot better than the others. As long as they're at a [constant] pace, they're okay. But squeeze them to make them go faster, and they fall apart on you."

Many trainers are reluctant to be critical of the new surface. "I want stalls here next year," one said. Privately, they said their concerns include perceived looseness and heat of the track. The dark-colored surface absorbs heat, and the 97-degree temperature Thursday made many jockeys uncomfortable, including Rafael Bejarano.

Bejarano's agent, Joe Ferrer, said Bejarano told him, "I have never been so hot in my life."

The only thing certain about late October in California is that hot weather is odds on. Twice the Breeders’ Cup run at Santa Anita has been staged against a background of raging wildfires a matter of miles from the track, the last in 100-degree heat.

When local trainers ship 3,000 miles to avoid the surface there is a great deal to be discovered between the lines. Brian Koriner, who trains Black Seventeen, upset winner of the Vosburgh Stakes at Belmont on Saturday, did exactly that in weighing the possibility of staying at home for the Ancient Title or absorbing the expense and uncertainty of shipping the New York.

“We raced here instead of California today because they have a new synthetic surface and I didn’t want to have to guess what it would be like,” he said.

The surface at Santa Anita appeared to have been no problem for Zenyatta in Saturday’s Lady’s Secret, but she is a superstar and the jury will remain out for the next few weeks while Jackson and Asmussen take notes. --PM