Curlin can go anywhere in the world he wants to go…not many horses are going to get in his way. (NYRA photo)

The #1 rated racehorse in the world this summer is Curlin. But after you’ve won it all–he won the Breeders Cup Classic in 2007 and the Dubai World Cup this spring–what’s left?

One thought was to start Curlin in a second career as a turf horse and send him to Paris for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, the world’s richest grass race. But in his first outing on grass at Belmont last week, Curlin only finished second. So what’s next for the big chestnut?

He doesn’t know. Do you have any ideas? Apparently lots of people out there do have ideas:?In less than 48 hours, nearly 10,000 people have cast votes in an Internet poll that asks, “Where should Curlin go next?”

Jess Jackson, owner of 2007 Horse of the Year, Curlin, posted the question on http://www.stonestreetfarms.com/ on Wednesday and invited the public to let their voices be heard on Curlin’s future.

“I knew that Curlin had a lot of fans and people invested in his future but this is more than we could have ever expected,” said Mr. Jackson. “It is wonderful to see the public take interest in a horse that is changing the face of the industry for the better.”

Currently the public votes are in favor of a Turf campaign for Curlin. As of Thursday, July 17, 2008 the results were:

Question: Where should Curlin go next?Turf Campaign: 50%Dirt Campaign: 32%Synthetic Surface: 11%Retire: 7%

The poll became active at on Wednesday, July 15 and will continue to be live until July 30. The final results will be posted on July 31, 2008.

I wonder if he can jump…there’s a big horse show in Hong Kong next month!

By the way, Curlin has a separate web site just for his fans:?http://www.gocurlin.com