Jess Jackson needs to run Curlin next year and the year after that and, maybe, even the year after that. He needs to be the one guy to put the good of the sport ahead of the good of his bank account and, in the process, make a bold statement. He needs to set an example for a sport that desperately needs the Curlins of the world to start hanging around for more than 10 or 11 races.
The California wine mogul has already proven that he is among the last sportsmen left in the game, so it's not entirely unreasonable to expect that we might actually see Curlin next year as a 5 year-old. He brought Curlin back this year when few others would have done the same and deserves immense credit for doing so.
We all know how it works these days: the real money is to be made in the breeding shed and the vast majority of the people who play this game at the highest level can't retire their horses fast enough. Never mind that it's a terrible for a sport that no longer has any stars with staying power or, beyond the five weeks of the Triple Crown, any horses that can bring the game much needed attention.
At the very least, Jackson is mindful of that. On a recent NTRA teleconference, he said there is a possibility that Curlin will race next year and that he might do so because it would "help this sport." But he seemed more inclined to retire him, citing not the amount of money he would make by doing so but how Curlin, as a stallion, could help "improve the gene pool" and, therefore, help the industry that way. Be that as it may, improvements to the gene pool are not what the sport needs. It needs marketable stars that the public can latch on to and follow season after season.
I don't get rich people. What's the point of working hard and making a lot of money if you can't enjoy it? And what could be more enjoyable than owning a top quality racehorse that can go out on Saturday afternoons and win some of the greatest prizes the sport has to offer? So why are people who obviously don't need money so quick to deprive themselves of the joys of watching their horses run just so they can make more money that they don't need?
Jackson is a perfect example. In 2007, Forbes Magazine estimated that he is tied for 432nd place on the list of the world's richest people and had assets of $2.2 billion. The money to be made off of standing Curlin at stud couldn't possibly change his life. His grandchildren's grandchildren are already set for life.
At age 78, he has found himself owning a once-in-a-lifetime horse, one that clearly brings him tremendous thrills and enjoyment. He'll never have another one like him. Why would anyone -- especially someone who doesn't need the money -- want to pull the plug on that?
"This is the thrill of a lifetime for us," Jackson said when accepting Curlin's 2007 Horse-of-the-Year hardware. "This is a guy who saw Seabiscuit run in 1939. I've seen Swaps, Nashua, Determine, Silky Sullivan, Native Dancer, etc., etc., all through Secretariat, and this is a dream come true."
The dream should continue. Just 4, Curlin hasn't even hit his peak yet. He would be a monster as a 5-year-old and there's no reason to believe he still wouldn't be good as a 6 year-old. As long as he remains healthy, he shouldn't be retired until he shows the first signs that age has caught up with him and that he is slowing down. And that doesn't figure to happen for quite some time. Curlin racing at 7? Why not? Now, he is one of many good horses that have raced over the last 20 years or so. Given the chance, he can go down as one of the very best ever.
Jackson, with his wealth and his love of the sport, is in a unique position to do something very positive for thoroughbred racing. He can keep a wonderful horse going, which would be good for Curlin, good for the sport and, in a lot of ways, good for Jess Jackson. It's time that someone in this sport led by example and Jackson can be just that person. He needs to do this.
Bill Finley is an award-winning racing writer whose work has appeared in the New York Times, USA Today and Sports Illustrated. Contact Bill at wnfinley@aol.com.