Home

We already knew it, but with Rachel Alexandra's retirement it was announced again that the 2009 Horse of the Year will be bred to 2007-08 HOY Curlin (TrueNicks,SRO) in 2011. As Jess Jackson said, "We are eager to introduce Rachel to Curlin. Imagine what possibilities those two super horses might produce."

Interestingly, both horses are winners of the Preakness Stakes (gr. I). When was the last time a foal was bred from two winners of the same American classic, you may ask? The year was 1921, when 1905 Belmont winner Tanya visited Peter Pan, the 1907 winner. The union created Ragtime, a claimer who made 76 starts and raced to age 10.

A mating of two U.S. Horses of the Year has occurred much more recently, in 2008. This was the meeting of 2002 HOY Azeri and Ghostzapper (TrueNicks,SRO), the 2004 honoree—actually, the pair had met previously, on the racetrack, when Ghostzapper defeated Azeri by nine lengths in the 2004 Breeders' Cup Classic (gr. I). Their resulting filly sold for $475,000 at this year's Keeneland September sale. In 2006, Azeri was bred to the 1992 HOY A.P. Indy (TrueNicks,SRO), with that mating producing the promising colt Take Control.

Readers: what are your thoughts on the Curlin-Rachel Alexandra mating? How about the combination of Northern Dancer/Sir Ivor crosses Sherriff's Deputy and El Prado? Below is a link to the TrueNicks report and, just for fun, a poll and videos of their maiden wins.

Filed under: Pedigrees and Breeding, Sires