Horse of the Year CURLIN On TrueNicks
Written by Alan Porter 1 | Dec 18, 2008 |
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All-time leading U.S-trained money-earning Thoroughbred Curlin (TrueNicks,SRO) recently arrived to begin his
stud at Lane's End Farm in Versailles, Ky. The leader of a vintage crop of 3-year-olds, Curlin earned Horse of the Year honors at that age. A near-13
lengths winner on his debut, he added the Rebel Stakes (gr. III) and the Arkansas
Derby (gr. II) -- by 10 1/2 lengths -- before finishing third in the Kentucky Derby
Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I), in only his fourth start. After defeating the Derby first and second,
Street Sense (TrueNicks,SRO)
and Hard Spun (TrueNicks,SRO)
, in the Preakness Stakes (gr. I), he missed by a head
in the Belmont Stakes (gr. I) after an epic dual with Rags to Riches. Against
his elders, Curlin ended the year by defeating champion older horse Lawyer Ron (TrueNicks,SRO)
for the Jockey Club Stakes (gr. I), then accounting for a field that included
Hard Spun, Street Sense, Tiago (TrueNicks,SRO), Any Given Saturday (TrueNicks,SRO), and Lawyer Ron, when scoring
by 4 1/2 lengths.
This year, Curlin has added four more grade I victories to his
record. The first of these was a 7 3/4-lengths romp in the Dubai World Cup (UAE-I). On home soil he captured the Stephen Foster Handicap, the Woodward Stakes, and the Stephen Foster (all gr. I).
Curlin is by fellow Lane's End stallion Smart Strike (TrueNicks,SRO)
-- the leading sire of 2007 and currently at the head of the table again this year --
out of the Deputy Minister mare Sherriff's Deputy. He commences his career at
a fee of $75,000.
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