Curlin finished second in his first test on a grass course. Red Rocks, who won the 2006 Breeders’ Cup Turf, took the lead in the stretch and defeated Curlin by 2 lengths in the $500,000 Man o’ War Stakes at Belmont Park on Saturday.

Curlin has dominated on dirt, winning nine times in 12 starts.

The Man o’ War was a chance for the connections to see if the 4-year-old colt could compete with top turf horses, with an eye on running in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, Europe’s premier race, at Longchamp in Paris on Oct. 5.

Those plans are less certain now.

“We just didn’t see that late kick from him today,” majority owner Jess Jackson said. “I don’t know if that was because he is still getting used to the turf, or what. My feeling right now is that he needs another turf test. We know what he can do on dirt, and that is always an option.”

Steve Asmussen, Curlin’s trainer, said, “I don’t want to rush to judgment.”

Man o' War Stakes Results and Payouts
Pgm Horse         Win   Place Show
6 Red Rocks (IRE) 14.40 4.00  2.90
7 Curlin                2.50  2.10
1 Better Talk Now             2.70
$2 Exacta (6-7) Paid $32.00, $2 Trifecta (6-7-1) Paid $76.00