Gowan thinks Ride On Curlin is a better horse at age 4

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Ride On Curlin had a memorable 3-year-old season last year, placing in four graded stakes, including the Preakness. It appears that his connections have more to look forward to at age 4.

Ride On Curlin was a powerful allowance winner Thursday at Oaklawn Park, where he closed with gusto to win a photo. Ride On Curlin covered six furlongs in 1:10.40 to earn a Beyer Speed Figure of 93 in his first start since finishing off the board in the Belmont Stakes in June.

“He was mowing them down,” said Billy Gowan, who trains Ride On Curlin for Dan Dougherty.

Gowan said he briefly thought Ride On Curlin might not get there as the horse broke slowly after getting in a tangle at the start of the race and hitting his hip on the gate. Ride On Curlin steadily advanced, then closed with authority in a performance that suggests he is a better horse at 4.

“I think he is,” Gowan said. “He’s filled out, matured more. He grew a whole lot over the summer. He got wider, got stouter.”

:: DRF Live: Get real-time updates and insights from DRF reporters and handicappers on Sunday

Gowan said Ride On Curlin came out of the allowance healthy and is now a candidate for the $100,000 Essex at Oaklawn on Feb. 14. The race is part of the track’s route series for older horses, and Ride On Curlin also could see action in those other races, the Grade 3, $250,000 Razorback on March 14 and the Grade 2, $600,000 Oaklawn Handicap on April 11.

“We’ll look at our options,” Gowan said. “I think a mile to a mile and a sixteenth, he’d be deadly.”

Ride On Curlin was second in last year’s Preakness and Arkansas Derby.