NEW YORK — Curlin made it close but finished second in his first test of the turf.

Red Rocks took the lead in the stretch and held off the reigning Horse of the Year by two lengths in winning the Man o'War Stakes at Belmont Park on Saturday.

Curlin dominated on dirt, winning nine times in 12 starts. This was a chance to see if the 4-year-old colt could stick with the top turf horses with an eye on running in the Arc de Triomphe, Europe's premier race, at Longchamp on Oct. 5.

Curlin, with regular rider Robby Albarado aboard, rallied in the stretch of the 1 3-8-mile race, but was unable to catch Red Rocks, a former Breeders' Cup Turf winner who came roaring past Sudan. The winning time was 2:12.60

Curlin, the 2007 Preakness Stakes winner, entered the race with five wins in a row, including the Breeders' Cup Classic and the Dubai World Cup.