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The record he set may stand for awhile Curlin's trainer Steve Asmussen was not shy in declaring is intention to try to get Curlin the all-time record in money won. To begin his 4-year-old campaign, it was announced that Curlin would race in the Dubai World Cup, the richest horse race in the world. To give him a chance to get used to running on the Nad Al Sheba Racecourse, Curlin ran in the Jaguar Trophy Handicap to prep for the World Cup. He won the race seemingly under restraint from jockey Robbie Albarrado by 2+1/4 lengths. When the big day finally came, Curlin showed the world why he was the #1 rated horse in the world on dirt:

After that smashing performance, Curlin earned a well-deserved respite. He was shipped home and made his first post-World Cup race on June 14, 2008 at Churchill Downs in the Stephen Foster Handicap. In his first handicap effort, Curlin was assigned an impost of 128 pounds, a full 10 pounds more than any other horse in the field. When watching this race, one really has to wonder if there is another horse in the world right now that can even compete with this horse on a dirt track:

Because he won the Dubai World Cup and the Stephen Foster so easily, trainer Asmussen felt like Curlin needed a new challenge, and came up with the idea of giving the great horse a chance to run on turf, which he had never done. The race they targeted him for was the prestigious Man o'War Stakes, a race in which Secretariat won in record time in his first effort on grass 35 years ago in 1973; Curlin's camp had similar hopes for their horse. Here's what happened:

Asmussen had talked about pointing Curlin toward France's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, the world's most prestigious turf race, had Curlin won the Man o'War, but his second place finish was viewed as a bit of a disappointment, and he was sent back to dominating on the dirt. Watch him cruise home to victory in his next start, the Woodward Stakes at Saratoga:

That victory put Curlin in perfect position to pass Cigar's all-time earnings record and become the first thoroughbred to win over $10 million on the track. All he had to do was win the Jockey Club Gold Cup, a race he won in thrilling fashion a year before. Curlin was made the overwhelming favorite to win, as he has been in every race he's run in since the Breeders' Cup Classic in 2007. Showing his versatility, Curlin handled the sloppy track at Belmont with a classy win:

That brings us pretty much up to date, except for his loss in the Classic. We don't need to see that in this entry. Perhaps another entry will deal with the 2008 Breeders' Cup Classic and why he didn't win, but for now I think it's still clear that Curlin is a Hall-of-Famer regardless.