2007 Horse of the Year, Curlin will make his first ever start on the turf in Saturday’s $500,000 Man o' War Stakes at Belmont Park. Curlin is being prepped for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in France in October.

He should get a good test on Saturday in the Man o’ War with Better Talk Now and Red Rocks as part of the field. Curlin has won his last five races overall and is thought of as the best horse in the world.

"I think the question we want answered this weekend is if he's the caliber to be considered for the Arc on the turf," trainer Steve Asmussen said.

"Two previous Breeders' Cup Turf winners in the race will definitely give us that measure. We don't want to kid ourselves about his turf form before we do something as serious as venturing to France. We're definitely going to get our wish and get a true test of his turf ability."

The change to the turf is something very rare with a horse of Curlin’s quality. Most top races horses stay with either dirt or turf but the greatness of Curlin could raise another notch if he dominates on the turf.

"I give them a lot of credit for doing it," said Better Talk Now trainer Graham Motion, "It's something that we rarely see these days, people prepared to take on a challenge when there are so many opportunities to find easier spots."

The Man o’ War should be a great test for Curlin who may like the added distance. "The way he gallops out training, distance is something that excites us about him," Asmussen said.

Robby Albarado will again be aboard Curlin and Albarado himself is having a great year. He recently won the riding title at Churchill Downs.

The two main threats to Curlin on Saturday are Better Talk Now who has not won since 2007 and Red Rocks, trained by Brian Meehan.

The Man o' War will be televised live on ESPN News with a post time of approximately 5:15 pm Eastern on Saturday.