From Litfin's piece on the 'Curse of the Whirlaway'...
http://www.drf.com/drfNewsArticle.do?NID=91988
Some might say the Whirlaway is cursed. Going back to the turn of the millennium, Whirlaway winners have either succumbed to injury or free-fallen into obscurity. The roll call:
Country Only (2000): Three years later, he was good enough to win a $50,000 claimer on Aqueduct's inner dirt at the age of 6. He was winless in six starts the following year, and ended his career finishing last of 10 for a $5,000 tag at Charles Town.
Regal Shivers (2001): He managed to win 2 of 15 starts during the next two years - a $10,000 claimer at Mountaineer Park at 4, and a $5,000 claimer at Turfway at 5.
Saratoga Blues (2002): As a 5-year-old, he was off the board in all five of his starts, beaten a combined 111 lengths in $3,500 starter allowance races on the West Virginia circuit.
Boston Park (2003): He managed to win one of seven post-Whirlaway starts, taking a third-level allowance on a sloppy inner track the following winter at 29-1. Five of his six losses were by 12 lengths or more. His last race was as a March 4-year-old.
Little Matth Man (2004): He apparently angered the spelling gods, because he was winless in 14 starts during 2006-07, including a 15-length beating against basement $7,500 claimers at Aqueduct, and a 17-length thrashing for $3,500 at Penn National.
Sort It Out (2005): In a well-timed move, his connections sold a major interest immediately after his Whirlaway win. The New York-bred never won again. Given over to Bob Baffert, he was trounced in the Louisiana Derby in his next start, and lost 11 more times before being retired.
Achilles of Troy (2006): Looked like the second coming of Unbridled's Song after winning the Count Fleet by 14 lengths to earn a Beyer of 105, and the Whirlaway by nearly five lengths with a 104. A month later, however, he was vanned off the track after running fifth as the 3-2 favorite in the Gotham, and never ran again.
Summer Doldrums (2007): His stakes-record time of 1:42.23 for the 1 1/16-mile Whirlaway initially received a figure of 106, which soon afterward was adjusted down to a 94. Though he ran third in the Gotham at even money next time out, his win in the Grade 3 Colonial Turf Cup in June makes him the most accomplished Whirlaway winner of recent times.