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Curlin
2007 & 2008 Horse of the Year, Champion 3 YO colt; Champion Older Horse, Racing Hall of Fame, Leading Sire
The leading North American money earner of all time until March 2016, with $10,501,800 in purses, Curlin was inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame in 2014. Curlin was named Champion Three-Year-Old Colt, Champion Older Male, and Horse of the Year twice.
Curlin sired G1 Belmont Stakes winner Palace Malice in his first crop followed by G1 Kentucky Derby contender Ride on Curlin in his second. 2015 proved to be his breakout year with G1 Travers victor Keen Ice, multiple G1 winner Curalina, G1 Santa Anita Oaks heroine Stellar Wind, G3 winner Ocean Knight, G2 Schuylerville winner Off the Tracks, and Exaggerator, who won the G2 Saratoga Special.
2016 was highlighted by Exaggerator’s G1 Preakness and G1 Haskell victories, Curalina’s G1 La Troienne and G3 Shuvee, Off the Tracks taking the G1 Mother Goose, Stellar Wind besting the great Beholder in the G1Clement L. Hirsch, and homebred Terra Promessa’s scores in the G3 Fantasy and G3 Honeybee. His progeny’s performance earned him the second spot atop the North American general sire list, and his fee was increased to $150,000.
His dominance continued in 2017 as Stellar Wind reigned over her division, taking the G1 Clement L. Hirsh for the second year in a row in addition to the G1 Beholder Mile. Curlin was also represented by Keen Ice’s G2 Suburban win, Curlin’s Approval’s win in the G2 Princess Rooney, and top Derby contender Irish War Cry’s G2 Wood Memorial victory. The year concluded with a G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile victory and Champion Two-Year-Old honors for Good Magic.
In a banner year for this leading sire, Curlin was represented by eleven individual graded stakes winners in 2019 and became the first Breeders’ Cup Classic winner to sire a Classic winner when multiple graded stakes winner Vino Rosso conquered the 2019 running in dominant fashion.
Curlin enjoyed another successful year in 2020 with six individual graded stakes winners. His runners were led by G1 winners Paris Lights and Global Campaign. He was also represented by dual G3 winner and Stonestreet bred Gladiator King, who took his talents overseas to win the Al Shindagha Sprint and Dubawi Stakes at Meydan Racecourse.
In October of 2020, undefeated Souper Sensational scored in the Glorious Song Stakes at Woodbine Racecourse to give Curlin his seventieth stakes winner.
Curlin rolled into 2021 with the same explosive momentum. Curlin was represented by a quintet of G1 winners in 2021, including four-year-old Idol, winner of the G1 Santa Anita Handicap, three-year-old Known Agenda, winner of the G1 Florida Derby, Stonestreet bred Kentucky Oaks heroine Malathaat, two-year-old filly Grace Adler, and Stonestreet Stables’ Clairiere. For her incredible 2021 season, Malathaat was named the 2021 Champion Three-Year-Old Filly.
Curlin led the general sire list by G1 winners with six in 2022. He sired an incredible three Breeders’ Cup winners on Championship Saturday: Cody’s Wish in the Dirt Mile, Elite Power in the Sprint, and Malathaat in the Distaff. In that year’s Eclipse Awards, he became the first sire to have three individual winners, with Elite Power, Malathaat, and Nest taking home hardware.
Proving the longevity of Curlin-sired horses, Clairiere, Cody’s Wish, and Elite Power all returned to both the races and the winner’s circle in 2023. Each earned G1 victories and were joined by Idiomatic, who conquered the G1 Personal Ensign and G1 Spinster in route to the Breeders’ Cup. Curlin’s progeny echoed the success of 2022 as Idiomatic, Elite Power, and Cody’s Wish earned victories at the Breeders’ Cup. For their efforts, the trio were finalists and frontrunners in their respective Eclipse Award divsions. All three took home honors, and Cody’s Wish was named the 2023 Horse of the Year.
Curlin’s legacy as a sire of sires began with G1 Travers victor Keen Ice, who sired the 2022 G1 Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike. His champion son Good Magic quickly followed suit, siring G1 Champagne Stakes winner Blazing Sevens and 2023 G1 Kentucky Derby winner Mage. Up and coming stallions Vino Rosso and Solomini were represented by both their first runners and first stakes winners in 2023.
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