2008 Woodward and Forego Stakes

Winning jockey Robby Albarado said, "He was great! He is a consummate professional now. It was great for the people to see Curlin in New York. The pace was very, very rapid, but Curlin got away in good order. He hadn't been leaving the gate real well his last couple of starts. He left a little sluggish in the Stephen Foster and the Man o'War, so today I wanted to be sure he was standing good and he got away equally with everyone, and he did. So that was the first step I needed. I was little wider than I wanted to be around the first turn, but he gave me an indication on the backside that he would be there for me. We were between two horses and getting bounced around a little, but he is a big horse and he handled it. At the 3/8 pole, when I started squeezing on him, he really started reaching out, striding out. He was making up ground fast on the turn and I thought I had a shot at them, knowing how fast they went up front. I don't like it, but I had to hit him a couple of times just to get him going. He knows when they cheer for him. He gets swollen up with confidence. Racing needs a star like Curlin, and today he showed what he could do."