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Curtains for Curlin

Trainer Steve Asmussen has virtually ruled out another start for American champion Curlin before he is retired to stud for the 2009 breeding season.

Owner Jess Jackson left the door open for the world's top-rated dirt performer to have one last hurrah when he confirmed the four-year-old would be retired, the Racing Post reported.

But it said Asmussen dismissed Friday week's Clark Handicap at Churchill Downs, seemingly the last available opportunity for Curlin to race again.

The Clark has lost much of its lustre this year, having been dropped down to Grade Two status with a purse cut by $100,000 to $400,000.

"We've eliminated ourselves from the Clark," Asmussen told the Louisville Courier-Journal.

"With the purse cut and it being a Grade Two, there's not enough incentive to be ready for it even if the possibility was so."

Asmussen trained Curlin to win a host of big races in the US, including last year's Breeders' Cup Classic, Preakness Stakes and Jockey Club Gold Cup - plus the Dubai World Cup in March.

AAP TURF

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