You need only to look at pictures ... Affirmed was tallish and racy, Secretariat taller and more musclebound ... Actual measurements can be deceiving ... Alydar looked bigger than Affirmed and they were not technically much different in size ... During the TC series I do not think Affirmed reached 16 hands quite yet ... But I am reasonably sure that Reeves, who painted both horses, did not say that Affirmed weighed more or had a bigger heart girth .....

from crown jewels, i have here where mr reeves says about affirmed 'he developed into one of the more attractive stallions i have painted. his neck arched and became a little fuller. his body proportions were a little heavier and more picturesque than as a racehorse...'

sadly, no measurements given in the paragraph about the painting above it. but it doesn't sound from that description that when affirmed was racing that he was particularly large.

right, he never seemed to me to be very large, or muscular. alydar just a bit taller--the book 'affirmed and alydar' says they were incredibly similar, which apparently most people at the time didn't think was the case...

True ... I saw them both in person ... Affirmed did fill out as a stallion, which is normal and developed a curvaciousness he did not have in race trim ... At two he looked almost feminine, and at three looked slighter than he was ... My 15.3 OTTB had a bigger heart girth in race trim than all the horses mentioned, but no one thought he was King Kong ... Those measurements can be deceiving at times ...
Regardless, aside from being chestnuts, I do not see any resemblance between Affirmed and Curlin at all ...

Horses like Curlin that are in superior shape, very fit and are at the top in the race world... its impressive. Horses that are trained hard and raced hard can lose a bit of weight and not look so well. I basically was commenting that I thought he really looks significantly bigger to me around the girth compared to last I saw him. But perspective is difficult, he may have been running against small horses. I guess Asmussen would be the one to comment on this. Just trying to understand if my eyes are going bad... they are in other aspects.

Your eyes may be going bad, but Curlin does not have that drawn up racey look---Helen Keller could see that ... Most racers have that " swimmers" build, while Curlin is considerably more prizefighterly ... He does not have that trained down look .....
I have not yet seen him in person, but when I saw Majestic Prince---a similar muscleboy--decades ago, he sailed into the paddock--a luxury liner amongst canoes ...
If Curlin looks like this in racing trim, I imagine he will put a bull to shame as a stallion ...

Helen Keller also knows to put him on ignore.

Confucious say Helen Keller also see others more worthy of ignore function ...

Ouch.

Direct blow to the gametes.

Not directed to you dear ....

Understood.
Tread carefully.

Being put on ignored is considered
the ultimate slap in the face. It has
caused me untold physical and mental
damage.

Hounding groupies become restless
as well.

Actually I like reading BTW's posts
when they stick to racing. Just here
to learn whatever I can, dont have much
time outside work.