Not only did the great Curlin complete his personal Triple Crown with Golden Tempo’s victory in the Kentucky Derby, having now sired a winner of each of the Triple Crown races, he had a unique Derby trifecta that showcases his multi-generational influence. Golden Tempo edged Renegade, who is out of a Curlin mare. Third-place finisher Ocelli is by Curlin’s son Connect, as Curlin continues to emerge as a sire of sires. Steve Asmussen, who trained Curlin to two Horse of the Year titles in a Hall of Fame career, was beaming with fatherly pride the morning after the Derby, despite not having a horse in the race – his Chip Honcho, another son of Connect, is awaiting the Preakness Stakes. “I’m extremely happy with the results of the Derby, Curlin finally got his Derby, which was unbelievable,” said Asmussen, noting the stallion’s ties to the second- and third-place finishers. “It was a Curlin Derby.” Curlin helped put Stonestreet Farm on the map. He raced with distinction through the 2007 Triple Crown, finishing third behind champion Street Sense in the Kentucky Derby in just his fourth career start, running down Street Sense to win the Preakness Stakes, and finishing second to champion Rags to Riches in the Belmont Stakes after a pitched battle. He went on to many other major wins, including the 2007 Breeders’ Cup Classic and 2008 Dubai World Cup. :: Access the most trusted data and information in horse racing! DRF Past Performances and Picks are available now. Curlin quickly announced that he was imparting his classic stamina to his progeny, with 2013 Belmont winner Palace Malice in his first crop. He added two other classic winners in 2016 Preakness winner Exaggerator, who had been second in the Kentucky Derby, and last year’s Preakness hero Journalism, second in both the Derby and Belmont. Curlin came close in several other classics, with, chronologically, Ride On Curlin finishing second in the 2014 Preakness, Keen Ice third in the 2015 Belmont, Irish War Cry second in the 2017 Belmont, Good Magic third in the 2018 Derby, Tenfold third in the 2018 Preakness, and the filly Nest second in the 2022 Belmont. Golden Tempo races as a homebred for Phipps Stable and St. Elias Stables. He is out of the graded stakes-winning Bernardini mare Carrumba. The cross of Curlin over a Bernardini mare is responsible for Grade 1 winners Clairiere and Paris Lights, as well as Grade 3 winner Spice Is Nice, who is the dam of Grade 1 Arkansas Derby winner Renegade. “A bunch of thought went into Golden Tempo’s breeding,” Vinnie Viola of St. Elias said. “I’ve got to give [adviser] John Sparkman a huge acknowledgement here. He was very, very certain about Curlin with that mare.” Renegade is one of 53 stakes winners produced by Curlin’s daughters. He recorded the latest of those on Saturday when T O Elvis dazzled in the Grade 1 Churchill Downs Stakes on the Kentucky Derby undercard. Curlin’s Grade 1-winning son Connect, whose best runners include Grade 1 winner Rattle N Roll, continues to display Curlin’s second-generation influence on the classics. Good Magic is the sire of 2023 Kentucky Derby winner Mage and 2024 Belmont Stakes winner Dornoch in his first two crops, while Keen Ice sired 2022 Derby winner Rich Strike. Exaggerator’s best runner is Pegasus World Cup winner Skippylongstocking, who was third in the 2022 Belmont. Curlin, now 22, entered stud at Lane’s End Farm in 2009 before moving to Hill ‘n’ Dale Farm beginning in 2016 after that operation, which stands many Stonestreet-associated stallions, purchased a significant interest in him. Through May 3, Curlin is the sire of 125 stakes winners overall, and has been among the nation’s top 10 sires six times. He is the sire of 2023 Horse of the Year Cody’s Wish – whose first foals will race next year – as well as Eclipse Award champions Elite Power, Good Magic, Idiomatic, Malathaat, Nest, Stellar Wind, and Vino Rosso. It was announced in late April that Curlin would not cover mares for the remainder of this breeding season after developing an ulcer and having a brief illness. Following a period of treatment and rest, mares he bred were not checked in foal, and samples taken found his sperm to be low in count and subnormal in motility. It was decided to fully rest him, and Hill ‘n’ Dale is hopeful that the stallion, who is otherwise healthy, will be able to return to service in 2027. Regardless of Curlin’s future at stud, his legacy, particularly when it comes to the American classics, is already secured and appears to be growing stronger by the year. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.