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Originally Posted by ArlJim78
The Japan Cup is a much bigger race, but lets face it he doesn't fit well with the top turf horses, Japan Cup or the Arc. To me the Japan dirt cup would still be a challenge despite its lesser status, because of the surface and travel issues.
My preference would be for him to repeat in the classic, but I think the guy wanted to avoid the Classic at all costs in order to make a statement and not have Curlin be the horse that legitimizes artificial surfaces at the top level.
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Personally I find their entire campaign strange. They had the Arc as the goal and had no backup options as seemingly they believed him to be invincible. I believe that Assmussen is more afraid of the surface than Jackson. By not running the statement they make will soon be forgotten simply because virtually no one will see his final race in Japan and the news coverage will be close to nil here. This is not exactly a tour de force or ending his career with a bang if he inded is going to stud after this year. I am not opposed to the Japan Cup Dirt in any manner except if I have the "best" horse in the world who is supposedly soley running for his legacy, that race is way down the list of important races.