OCEANPORT, N.J. (AP) – Curlin put the finishing touches on a championship season with a stirring stretch run and splashed his way to victory in the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Monmouth Park on Saturday.

The race was marred in the final yards when European star George Washington broke down and was euthanized on the track.

Curlin, the Preakness winner, moved into contention around the final turn and swept past Hard Spun and Lawyer Ron before a cheering crowd of 41,781 that had endured a rain deluge most of the day.

In a meteoric rise to stardom, Curlin capped a sensational campaign by once again defeating Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense as well as leading older horse Lawyer Ron and all his other 3-year-old rivals. Trained by Steve Asmussen, Curlin won for the sixth time in nine starts, has never been worse than third and likely will be voted Horse of the Year.

“He showed he’s a true champion,” jockey Robby Albarado said. “He’s an amazing horse.”

The victory in the final race of the two-day, 11-race, $23 million Breeders’ Cup was tempered by yet another horrifying breakdown in one of racing’s biggest events. While Curlin and Albarado were crossing the finish line, George Washington was in distress after shattering his right front ankle.

A brown screen was brought out on the track to prevent the fans from watching, and the 4-year-old colt was put down at the request of trainer Aidan O’Brien.

“He had a fracture in his ankle and dislocated his ankle. That’s a hopeless injury,” said Larry Bramlage, the track’s on-call veterinarian. “The trainer requested that he immediately be euthanized.”

In last year’s Breeders’ Cup Distaff, Pine Island broke down and was euthanized and Fleet Indian sustained a career-ending injury. In last year’s Preakness, Derby winner Barbaro suffered catastrophic injuries at the start of the race and was euthanized eight months later.

Before the rain ended about 90 minutes before the Classic, a handful of the sport’s biggest names dominated the Breeders’ Cup, including trainers Nick Zito and Bob Baffert.

Zito won the Juvenile with War Pass, and now is the early favorite for the Kentucky Derby.

, while Baffert took the Juvenile Fillies with Indian Blessing and the Sprint with Midnight Lute.

As the sun broke through for awhile, so did trainer Todd Pletcher, who ended an 0-for-33 Breeders’ Cup run when English Channel upset 4-5 favorite Dylan Thomas in the $3 million Turf.

Jockeys Cornelio Velasquez and Garrett Gomez were two-time winners, with Velasquez winning with War Pass and then Kip Deville in the Mile and Gomez aboard both Baffert winners.

Curlin, coming off a victory over Lawyer Ron in the Jockey Club Gold Cup, finished 41/2 lengths ahead of Hard Spun, with long shot Awesome Gem third and Street Sense fourth.

The big chestnut colt covered the 1 1/4 miles in a speedy 2:00.59 over a sloppy track and returned $10.80, $5.20 and $4.20. The track record is 2:00 2/5 set in 1962 by Carry Back.

Hard Spun, the Derby runner-up who came into the race with a win over Street Sense in the Kentucky Cup Classic, returned $7.60 and $5.80. Awesome Gem returned $9.40 to show.

For Street Sense, the loss was tough to take in the final race of his brilliant career.

“I had no excuse. I had nothing but racetrack in front of me,” said Street Sense jockey Calvin Borel. “We just got outrun. I’m sad to see him go, but he’s going off to be a dad now.”

Tiago was fifth, followed by Any Given Saturday, Lawyer Ron and Diamond Stripes.

Asmussen, one of the nation’s leading trainers, adds his first Classic win to his first win in a Triple Crown race. The trainer has been impressed with every step Curlin has taken, even after he finished a dull third in the Haskell Invitational at Monmouth in August.

“He’s a big-day horse,” Asmussen said. “He settled calm and waited for things to happen.”

Off the track, the Curlin controversy carries on.

The imposing son of Smart Strike was purchased privately for $57,000 by William Gallion and Shirley Cunningham Jr., who are currently in jail on charges of conspiring to commit wire fraud in the diet drug fen-phen case. They sold controlling interest of the colt in February for a reported $3.5 million to a group composed of Jess Jackson, founder of Kendall-Jackson wines; Satish Sanan’s Padua Stables; and George Bolton.

Curlin did not run as a 2-year-old, and his second start was a victory in the Rebel Stakes. He went on to take the Arkansas Derby, and was the darling of the Kentucky Derby before finishing third. Two weeks later, the colt turned the tables on Street Sense in the Preakness.

Curlin put in a superb effort in the Belmont, but was beaten a head by Rags to Riches, who became the first filly in 102 years to win the final leg of the Triple Crown.

Asmussen gave his colt a break, taking him up to Saratoga for the summer before the Haskell. After a trip back to Saratoga, Curlin returned to New York and won the Gold Cup at Belmont Park.

$2 million Juvenile Fillies

Indian Blessing ($5.40) wasn’t bothered by a sloppy track and went wire-to-wire for a 31/2-length win over Proud Spell.

“She’s just a really good filly,” Baffert said after his first Breeders’ Cup win in five years. “When they’re that talented, they just get it done.”

Indian Blessing, a daughter of Indian Charlie, became the sixth straight betting favorite to win the Juvenile Fillies. Winning time for the 1 1-16 miles was 1:44.73.

$2 million Juvenile

Undefeated War Pass ($6.40) led all the way and beat Pyro by 41/2 lengths for Zito’s first victory in racing’s richest event since 1996, when he won the Juvenile Fillies with Storm Song.

“I always say it’s like the mini-Derby, this race,” Zito said. “So far we’ve got a mini-Derby. We’ve got to get a big Derby.”

War Pass improved to 4-0 and is a cinch to be voted 2-year-old champion. It wasn’t until this year that a Juvenile winner actually captured the Derby, with Street Sense breaking the jinx.

War Pass covered 1 1-16 miles in 1:42.76.

$2 million Filly & Mare Turf

Lahudood ($25.40) didn’t mind the soft turf course and dug in for a three-quarter length victory over Honey Ryder. Nashoba’s Key, who came into the race unbeaten in seven starts, finished fourth under 17-year old rider Joe Talamo.

Trained by Kiaran McLaughlin, who sent out Invasor to win last year’s Classic, Lahudood covered the 1 3-8 miles in 2:22.75.

$2 million Sprint

Midnight Lute ($7) closed strongly from off the pace and beat Idiot Proof by 4 3/4 lengths. The win made Baffert the eighth trainer to win at least two Breeders’ Cup races on the same day.

Midnight Lute, co-owned by Baffert’s pal Mike Pegram, covered six furlongs in 1:09.18.

$2 million Mile

Kip Deville ($18.40) gave trainer Richard Dutrow Jr. his third career Breeders’ Cup win.

The 4-year-old colt was supplemented into the race at a cost of $300,000 from owner IEAH Stables, and paid off handsomely by earning $1,420,200 with his third win in seven starts this year. Kip Deville covered the mile in 1:39.78.

$2 million Distaff

Ginger Punch ($11) gave trainer Bobby Frankel a lift with her stirring neck victory over Hystericalady. Frankel was back in California caring for his ill 8-year-old dog, Happy, and his Breeders’ Cup horses were saddled by assistant Chad Brown.

The 4-year-old Ginger Punch has won four of her last five races and likely moved ahead of Nashoba’s Key as the leading older female horse.

$3 million Turf

English Channel gave Pletcher a much-need victory, pulling away from the field for a seven-length win over Shamdinan. The 5-year-old horse, owned by New Jerseyan James Scatuorchio, scored the biggest win of a career that closes with 13 wins in 23 starts. The win was worth $1,620,000. Dylan Thomas, the 4-5 favorite, was fifth.

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On Friday’s rainy opening day, there were three upsets. Maryfield ($18) won the Filly & Mare Sprint and Corinthian ($9.40) captured the Dirt Mile on a sloppy track. Nownownow ($27.20) won the Juvenile Turf over a soft course.

AP-ES-10-27-07 1905EDT