Bodog Beat

Curlin will be running at the Stephen Foster Handicap on June 14th. (AP Images)

2007 Horse of the Year and June 9th Dubai World Cup winner, Curlin will be running at Churchill Downs on June 14th in the Grade 1 Stephen Foster Handicap, a 1 1/8th mile event, if everything goes as planned according to trainer Steve Asmussen.

"Not running would be an injustice to him," Asmussen said. "When you look at it, we're giving quality horses 15 pounds, and that’s quite significant. But he must overcome. They didn't put him back in training to debate weights." Asmussen continued with, “He’s prepped for the race, but I don’t like the weights at all, “I thought 126 would have been enough.”

"He needs to run," Asmussen said. "My issue with the weight is: If he carries 128 now, where are you going to end up if you have success? We haven't had anybody carry that much in 10 years," Asmussen is making reference to horse Skip Away who won the Pimlico Special with 128 pounds and the Iselin Handicap with 131 pounds, these events took place in 1998.

The Grade I Stephen Foster Handicap field is expected to include Einstein with 118 pounds, Grasshopper with 117, Brass Hat with 116, Delightful Kiss with 114, Jonesboro with 114, Barcola with 113, High Blues with 113, Red Rock Creek with 113 and Sam P. also with 113.

The Grade I Stephen Foster Handicap’s base purse is $750,000 but this year Churchill Downs revised the conditions and raised a bonus of $250.000 should a grade I winner start in the event, making it even more attractive at $1,000,000 purse. Curlin was assigned 126 pounds for the March 29th Dubai World Cup and Asmussen feels Curlin should be assigned the same amount in this Saturday’s race.

Ben Huffman, the Churchill racing secretary, said he believes Curlin’s assignment of 128 pounds is fair, take a look at his record, "He has won the Breeders' Cup, reeled off four in a row, took the Jockey Club (Gold Cup), and easily beat Dubai World Cup horses," Huffman said. "It's a lot of weight, but he's a lot of horse."

Bet on Curlin in the Bodog Racebook today.