KINGSTON, Jamaica - After some exciting exercise gallops, the expectation for three-year-old chestnut colt Curlin’s Affair was very high as it was the first foal of the 2016 1000 Guineas winner Nuclear Affair to grace the track on Sunday, March 7.
The Perfect Curlin offspring, ridden by Robert Halledeen, won a native-bred three-year-old maiden condition race by 1 ¼ lengths at six furlongs (1,200m) in a moderate time of 1:15.4.
Curlin’s Affair sat behind Ballatelli (Javaniel Patterson) at the off before taking control of the race approaching the distance. From there it looked as if Curlin’s Affair would dismantle the field but, instead, the chestnut colt was shortening inside the final furlong. Curlin’s Affair held on ahead of fast-finishing first-timer T Brady and Sir John.
“He is a talented colt. He shows everything in the mornings that he could be developed into something better than the average horse for sure. To run in the afternoons is a whole new experience. The truth is I thought he would have streaked off and won easily. But he got the job done, nonetheless.
“Curlin’s Affair is a young horse and like all young horses, they just need a bit of time to develop and learn the peculiar features of the game of horse racing. We also saw some greenness on him around the turn where he was hanging wide, but he has done this in the mornings as well. So, let us hope that he improves from here,” Nunes offered.
