On The Track
Only a few days out from the 2014 Preakness Stakes, it seems an appropriate time to remember the 2007 winner of the middle leg of the US Triple Crown. Curlin ended his final year of racing with three wins from five starts, and took his total career prizemoney to a staggering US$10 million.
Curlin's Sire
Curlin is a son of the Champion sire, Smart Strike who gained most of his success through the deeds of this son. Smart Strike is a son of Mr Prospector and won the Grade 1 Philip Iselin Handicap, and Grade 3 Salvator Mile both as a 4yo. Among his other successful runners are Soaring Free, English Channel, Eye Of The Phoenix and Portcullis. Smart Strike stands at Land's End for a fee of US$125k. He is out of the Smarten mare, Classy 'n Smart who also produced stakes winners Dance Smartly, Strike Smartly and Full Of Wonder.
His Family
Curlin is out of an unraced Deputy Minister mare, Sherriff's Deputy. His second dam is the multiple stakes winning French mare, Barbarika, by the SIr Ivor stallion, Bates Motel. Barbarika was a half sister to multiple stakes winner, Lucky Lady Lauren and the stakes placed Count On Kathy. Count On Cathy has proven to be an exceptional broodmare producing Count On A Change and TV Countess. Her daughters have continued her dynasty producing black type winners like champion filly, Countess Diana, Exogenous, Count On Numbers, Fighting Countess and Prime Time TV.
His female lines traces back to the Oaks winning daughter of St Simon in Snow Marten. Her daughter, Martha Snow was sent to the US where she produced the Champion 3yo filly of 1927 in Nimba, as well as White Favor who appears in Curlin’s direct female line.
Curlin’s Pedigree
Curlin has a pedigree which is represented as a five generation outcross, meaning that no individual ancestor is repeated within the first five generations of his pedigree. The closest duplication is Native Dancer who is repeated in the 4th and 6th generations through his son, Raise A Native in Curlin’s sire line, and his daughter, Natalma who is the dam of Northern Dancer, the grand sire of Deputy Minister. Native Dancer’s sire, Polynesian is also found in Deputy Minister’s pedigree through a daughter, Grass Shack who is the stallion’s third dam.
Double Jay is also duplicated in Curlin’s pedigree. He is the dam sire of Nodouble who is the second dam sire of Smart Strike. Double Jay is also found as the sire of Curlin’s 5ht dam, Jota Jota. Nodouble is a son of the imported Australian galloper, Noholme II who in turn is a son of Star Kingdom. Sir Ivor is present in the female line of Curlin through Bates Motel, and while this cross of Sir Ivor and Star Kingdom is unusual in US pedigrees, it has had remarkable success in the Australian thoroughbred.