By ED FOUNTAINE
June 6, 2008
The dream showdown between Big Brown and Curlin, written about in Wednesday's Post, took a step closer to becoming a reality yesterday when Suffolk Downs in Boston proposed raising the purse for the Sept. 20 Massachusetts Handicap to $5 million if both horses participate. The purse would include a $1 million participation bonus for each.
The $5 million is contingent on Big Brown winning the Triple Crown, and both he and Curlin remaining unbeaten until the MassCap, run at a mile-and-an-eighth. If Big Brown wins the Triple Crown but either he or Curlin loses a race, the purse would be $3 million, with a $500,000 bonus for each.
"It's something we'd love to talk about," said Mike Iavarone, co-president of the IEAH Stable that owns Big Brown. "That's a lot of money, and Suffolk is a nice, safe racetrack. I know we'd love to run against Curlin."
Curlin's trainer, Steve Asmussen, who in The Post article expressed his eagerness to run against Big Brown, could not be reached for comment.
