Last week, Blinkers Off looked at five of the racing-age horses who can claim Curlin as their damsire.  That included a single three-year-old in Panama, Westward Star (Stephen Got Even – Thwindwhispersmary), as well as four of the two-year-olds.

This week we continue this series with a look at the rest of the Curlin mares with two-year-olds of 2016.

Daily Cast (Daily Special, by Dayjur)

Six-year-old Daily Cast had a 2014 Kentucky-bred filly, not yet named, by The Factor.  Daily Cast herself never raced, though she has a full brother named Speaker John who has.  Speaker John, was unplaced in two starts last year at age two, but has returned to the worktab at Gulfstream.  As a yearling, Speaker John did light up the sales board — he was a $280,000 RNA as a yearling at Keeneland September 2014.  Daily Cast is three quarters to Shadow Cast (Smart Strike), a graded stakes winner routing on both turf and dirt, and a seven-figure broodmare.  Though, so far, Shadow Cast’s best offspring has been Surf Cast (Storm Cat), a hard-knocking claiming sprinter on the Chicago circuit — the one horse she produced before selling to Darley for that gaudy sum.  This foal out of Daily Cast is among the first crop of The Factor’s two-year-olds.  The Factor is interesting among War Front runners, in that most War Fronts have tended to be milers or routers.  That includes the pair of stakes winners by War Front out of Smart Strike mares: Alcibiades S. (GI) winner Peace and War and Pago Hop S. winner Fila Primera.  The Factor did win the two-turn Rebel as a sophomore, but did his most brilliant work going six or seven furlongs.  The Factor’s progeny remain to be seen, just as the offspring of Curlin mares remain an unknown quantity.  But it makes sense to have bred Daily Cast, a daughter of Curlin with some other stamina in her female family, to a stud so speedy on the track.  I would expect to see this foal want two turns, but she could be anything.

French Curls (French Satin, by French Deputy)

French Curls has a two-year-old California-bred filly by Ministers Wild Cat.  This filly has not yet been named.  French Curls, now six years old, sold twice publicly and then did race.  A $30,000 yearling purchase at Keeneland September 2011, she sold for $40,000 the next year at Barretts March.  French Curls debuted the following November, and started six time in all.  Her sole win happened third out at age two, in a $25,000-$30,000 maiden claimer going seven furlongs over the Cushion Track at Hollywood.  She was claimed out of that race, found three starts in starter company at Santa Anita a bit over her head, and then bred to Ministers Wild Cat.  Of those out of French Satin, the most successful on the track to date has been Midnight Transfer (Hard Spun), a stakes winner at six and a half furlongs at age 3, and third in the 2012 San Felipe (GII) behind Creative Cause.  There is class in French Curls’s immediate family: dam French Satin won the 2002 Florida Oaks (GIII) at two turns on dirt, and hit the board in the Davona Dale (GII) at one turn.  Second dam Satin Sunrise was as durable as a horse could be, winning 23 times and hitting the board another 29 in 78 starts between ages two and seven.  She was a stakes winner at two turns on the Suffolk dirt, but also got her picture taken at one.  Satin Sunrise mostly plied her trade in the claiming ranks in New England, New York, and Florida.  She was also a success in the breeding shed; in addition to French Satin, she also produced multiple Grade I winner and stallion Lion Heart (Tale of the Cat) and graded stakes winner Connemara (Giant’s Causeway).  Ministers Wild Cat is by Deputy Minister — creating 2x4x4 inbreeding to Deputy Minister in this foal, as Curlin’s damsire is Deputy Minister as is French Satin’s grandsire.  It is not unprecedented to see classy Curlin babies inbred to Deputy Minister; Keen Ice and La Grange are both 3×3 to him, though through Awesome Again.  Though it would be surprise to see this foal want to be a truly long-winded type, mainly because of the Ministers Wild Cat, it would not be a surprise to see this foal turn out to be a sprint to middle distance type.

Garden of Eden (Ballerina, by Dancing Brave)

Garden of Eden’s two-year-old filly, sill unnamed, is by After Market.  Six-year-old Garden of Eden never raced, and has never gone through the auction ring.  Garden of Eden is half to Millenary (Rainbow Quest), Europe’s champion three-year-old stayer in 2000, a winner of the St Leger that year.  He continued racing through his eight-year-old year, and is now a stallion, mainly for National Hunt.  Another Ballerina foal, Let the Lion Roar (Sadler’s Wells), was third in the Epsom Derby in 2004.  Her family has class, and her family has stamina.  This foal’s sire, After Market, also did his best going long on the grass.  After Market is full to Courageous Cat, a millionaire turf miler.  After Market’s most prominent progeny to date include Belle Gallantey, a two-time Grade I winner going long on dirt, and Lady of Fifty, a multiple graded stakes winner at route distances over synthetics.  There have been few After Market runners out of Smart Strike mares, with the most successful being Handsome Dennis, a hard-knocking extended-sprint specialist currently running on the Florida circuit.  Still, with other After Markets going long, Curlin’s long-windedness, as well as the route proclivities in Garden of Eden’s female family, it would be no surprise if this filly grew up to want to run all day.

Miss Velocity (East Long Lake, by Sultry Song)

Miss Velocity has a two-year-old First Dude colt named Dude’s Dude.  This colt has already been through a sales ring once; he sold for $15,000 at OBS August last year.  Dam Miss Velocity, six years old in 2016, did not race.  She is half to one winner: East Hall (Graeme Hall), winner of both the Indiana Derby (GII) and the Ohio Derby in 2014, among other dirt routes.  No others among her progeny have won, but both Another Cougar (With Distinction) and Exclusive Lake (Silver Tree) are currently in training.  Sire First Dude, a son of Stephen Got Even, has progeny as old as three this year.  On the track, he liked a route of ground.  He won the 2011 Hollywood Gold Cup (GI) over a synthetic track.  The year before, he piled up GI placings in top three-year-old races: second in the Preakness, third in the Belmont, the Haskell, the Travers.  He has winners at both sprint and route distances, but his first few nips of black type have come at a mile or longer.  He sired the top two finishers in the 1 1/16 mile Florida Sire My Dear Girl S. last year (Flora Dora and Enterprising Lady), and Flora Dora finished second in the one-mile Tempted (GIII) at Aqueduct last year.  There is enough on both sides of the pedigree — including Smart Strike, 3×3 — to suggest Dude’s Dude may end up liking a route of ground.

The Gonculator (Reina Victoriosa, by Interprete) had a live foal reported in 2014, a filly.  However, that is all that is recorded about this foal, making it unlikely that she will appear on the track.  However, she does have a registered 2015 colt by Brilliant Speed, making her a mare to turn back toward next year.

Between part 1 and part 2 of this series, now you know a bit about all of the racing-age foals out of Curlin mares.  This series will continue with looks at each of the three Curlin babies who begin their stud careers this year.