Right On Curlin should stay calm in Maxxam

If a horse acts up in Sam Houston Race Park's paddock before the big race, it won't be Right On Curlin.

The 5-year-old stallion is the favorite for Saturday night's Maxxam Gold Cup. He also displays the field's best race-day manners.

"That horse is always settled before he races," trainer Billy Gowan said. "They could bring ZZ Top into the paddock to blast out their greatest hits. The noise would freak most thoroughbreds. Not Right On Curlin. He'd stand around like a tame pony and enjoy the music. You can't upset him.

"We took him to the (2014) Kentucky Derby. There were 150,000 screaming people and lots of loud music. He took it all in stride."

Right On Curlin placed seventh in the Kentucky Derby behind winner California Chrome. Two weeks later, he ran second to California Chrome in the Preakness Stakes.

Like every other horse that trailed California Chrome to the finish line, Ride On Curlin could be overlooked in racing's highest circles. Owner Dan Dougherty won't overlook him. Winning the $100,000 Maxxam would boost the horse's lifetime earnings to about $855,000.

Based on Gowan's recommendation, Dougherty paid $25,000 for the son of Curlin at a yearling sale. At first concerned about the young horse's toeing in, Gowan checked with his father George, a graduate of Texas A&M's veterinary school.

"My dad said it could be a problem if a horse toes in on one side, not if he toes in on both sides," Gowan said.

The Maxxam has lured a field of 12 for one of SHRP's biggest thoroughbred nights. The program, which starts at 6:15 p.m., wraps three $50,000 events - the Jersey Lilly, the Bucharest Turf and the Texas Heritage - around the Maxxam, which is scheduled for 9:05 p.m.

Although Gowan's father is an Aggie and his mother grew up in Navasota, the Maxxam will be the trainer's first Texas race. He will try to win it with a horse figuring out who he is at age 5. Despite Right On Curlin's settled pre-race disposition, he is no cream puff.

"You've got to be careful around him," Gowan said. "You get a little close, look the other way, and he'll bite you. He can be very aggressive, especially on the track. I would call him a professional racehorse. He'll be calm before the race starts. When they come out of the starting gate, you'll see how aggressive he can be."

Hal Lundgren is a freelance writer.