Celebrity Status

With Curlin's recent victory in the Woodward at Saratoga, he moves into second place as the all-time money winning thoroughbred behind Cigar. Truly Curlin has demonstrated his ability and versatility, winning races all around the globe on different surfaces and under different conditions, including, medication-free in Dubai.

What is a bit perplexing to me is the fact that despite all the accomplishments, Curlin remains a "super-star" only within the thoroughbred world. He has not made the cross-over from "racehorse" to celebrity. What I mean is despite the fact that he has graced his share of Bloodhorse covers, he has not made it into "mainstream" publications like People or Time.

What does it take for a horse to become a "celebrity?" And what animals, besides horses, can you think of that have attained this status?

I'll get the ball rolling with the ones I can think of. There was Comanche, the only horse to survive Custer's Last Stand, who was subsequently revered by all; Dan Patch, the "celebrity" harness racer who made whistle stop tours across America. Seabiscuit, of course and Secretariat, both of whom made front page news with their exploits. And there was Phar Lap, a virtual national treasure in New Zealand.

Lest we forget, Barbaro was a national and international celebrity whose bout with laminitis made the disease a household word. And Man 'O War whose funeral made headlines.

Any others? I'm excluding Lassie, Rin Tin Tin,Flipper and the likes from the list because I think they were celebrities because they were on television and in the movies. I'm looking for animals who "crossed over" from their respective "fields" into mainstream celebrity culture.

I'm curious about the circumstances surrounding their ascendancy into celebrity status and whether or not there are any common events that cause the mainstream press to take notice of these animals. Is it their exploits that make them famous? If so, Curlin certainly has his share and I don't think he is a "celebrity" in the mainstream sense of the word.

Please let me know what you think. Maybe we can puzzle this out together.