Curlin's strong year continues at Keeneland September

Two-time Horse of the Year and consistent classic sire Curlin is enjoying a monster year in the commercial arena, and that continued at the Keeneland September yearling sale. The stallion recorded five seven-figure lots in Book 1, including a $4.1 million yearling who was the top colt of the book, to lead all sires by gross for the three-day run.

Curlin, who stands at Hill ‘n’ Dale Farm, was represented by the most expensive 2-year-old sold in North America this year, a $3.65 million colt who topped the Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream sale. Proceeding into the yearling market, he sired three seven-figure colts in a single night at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale, with a pair tying for the top price at $1.5 million. He recorded a staggering average price of $835,000 from 10 lots at that two-night sale before coming to Keeneland September. The Smart Strike stallion’s 27 yearlings sold grossed $18,825,000, outpacing Triple Crown winner American Pharoah – whose 26 sold included the sale-topping $8.2-million filly out of Leslie’s Lady – at $17,565,000. Curlin’s average price for Book 1 was $697,222, trailing only Medaglia d’Oro, whose 16 yearlings sold averaged $739,063.

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Curlin’s $4.1 million colt, who is the first foal out of New Zealand champion sprinter Bounding, was purchased by the international Godolphin operation of Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed al-Maktoum. The colt was consigned by Eaton Sales, as agent for breeder Barbara Banke’s Stonestreet Farm, which co-campaigned Curlin and maintains an interest in his stud career. Banke said that her major goal is for Curlin to achieve international success as a sire. To that end, Stonestreet, which has made forays into Australian and New Zealand racing under Banke’s leadership, purchased champion Bounding, by Lonhro and from the family of European classic winner Anthony Van Dyck, for about $1.3 million out of the 2016 Magic Millions national broodmare sale, and brought her to the United States to be paired with Curlin.

“I’ve always been trying to raise an internationally-acclaimed Curlin,” Banke said. “It’s one of my goals in life. This horse has every license to do that. I think that Curlin really deserves to be recognized in Europe as well as here.”

Bloodstock agent Anthony Stroud said Sheikh Mohammed will make decisions following this sale as to which of his purchases would be ticketed for which jurisdiction of his international operation.

Bloodstock agent Jacob West went to $1.2 million to land a Curlin half-brother to Grade 1 winner Mo Town for Robert and Lawana Low. The colt will be trained by Todd Pletcher, who conditioned Curlin’s first of two classic winners, 2013 Belmont Stakes victor Palace Malice.

“I had Palace Malice early on, so I’ve been a Curlin fan from the beginning,” Pletcher said. “And we’ve had a good year with [Curlin son] Vino Rosso winning the Gold Cup. So if you can get into a family like that by a top-class stallion with a colt who looks like that, that’s what we’re trying to do.”

Curlin’s other seven-figure lots were a $1.05 million colt and a $1.05 million filly, both purchased by Shadwell, and a $1 million colt out of Grade 1 winner Got Lucky, purchased by the partnership of Repole Stable, St. Elias, and M.V. Magnier.