Curlin's flying. Is he running?

I'm at Santa Anita, waiting with something less than breathless anticipation for the arrival of Curlin, the 2007 Horse of the Year who is supposed to get in this evening after winning Saturday's Jockey Club Gold Cup in New York. Curlin's owners haven't committed to running him in the Breeders' Cup Classic on Oct. 25 at Santa Anita because they aren't sure what to make of the Arcadia track's new synthetic oval. But sending him here, to train on the track and see if he likes the footing, is a big step toward making the Classic a titanic Curlin-Big Brown showdown.

I'm been covering the horses this weekend while our racing writer Art Wilson is away. Saturday was a blast, with six Grade I races at Santa Anita and five on TV from Belmont Park. Writing my story, I was reminded of Red Smith's assertion that there are more stories at the racetrack than anywhere else in sports.

A lot can change in the nearly four weeks before the Breeders' Cup. But with Kentucky Derby winner Big Brown aiming for the Classic, international No. 1 Curlin getting closer to a commitment, and Zenyatta 8 for 8 after her Santa Anita prep for the Oct. 24 Breeders' Cup Ladies Classic, the world's richest sports event appears to be lining up the stars it wants.

Update: Curlin arrived at Santa Anita at 5:05 p.m. Sunday, walking down a ramp from a big silver trailer, his bay coat shining in the sun, etc. He looked great considering he'd run a hard race Saturday to win the Jockey Club Gold Cup. This is the world's No. 1-ranked thoroughbred, so for racing fans it's the equivalent of the best in any sport coming to town. The half-dozen photographers on hand were racetrack veterans. Said one: "I haven't been this excited since John Henry," referring to the champion of the early 1980s.