Blazing Sevens headlines $135K Curlin
At 10h34, on July 19, 2023 • By SARATOGA
Rodeo Creek Racing’s Grade 1-winner Blazing Sevens will strive to make his Hall of Fame grandsire proud in winning the dual Horse of the Year’s namesake race in Friday’s $135,000 Curlin going nine furlongs over the main track at Saratoga Race Course.
The event for non-winners of a graded sweepstakes at one mile or over in 2023 honors the 2007-08 Horse of the Year, who became the first North American thoroughbred to reach the $10 million earnings mark.
Trained by four-time Eclipse Award winning trainer Chad Brown, Blazing Sevens is one of three contenders in the race that is sired by Curlin’s 2017 Champion 2-Year-Old Colt Good Magic, who also was conditioned by Brown.
Brown owns more Curlin conquests than any other trainer with four wins, including in 2016 with Curlin progeny Connect.
Blazing Sevens, who boasts field-best earnings of $895,250, has not raced since a hard-fought second to National Treasure in the Grade 1 Preakness on May 20 at Pimlico Race Course. In the middle jewel of the Triple Crown, Blazing Sevens was wide entering the first turn and stalked the pace down the backstretch before engaging with National Treasure in the stretch drive, coming up a head shy of victory.
Blazing Sevens burst onto the scene with a 6 1/4-length maiden victory on debut last July here before finishing a distant third in the Grade 1 Hopeful at the Spa and capturing the Grade 1 Champagne at Belmont at the Big A under Flavien Prat, who will return to the saddle for Friday’s race from post 3.
