American Rascal Becomes Curlin's 100th Stakes Winner

Hill 'n' Dale Farms at Xalapa's marquee sire Curlin continues gathering laurels and passing milestones. Three weeks after becoming the most successful Breeders' Cup World Championships sire by number of winners with eight, the 19-year-old son of Smart Strike landed his 100th career black-type winner. Fittingly, the century mark was reached with Stonestreet Stable's homebred American Rascal, a juvenile colt out of multiple grade 1 winner Lady Aurelia. American Rascal won the six-furlong Zia Park Juvenile Stakes by 5 3/4 lengths Nov. 28 at Zia Park. He is trained by Steve Asmussen and was ridden by Joel Rosario. American Rascal broke his maiden at Keeneland April 20 by 10 1/4 lengths with trainer Wesley Ward. His blazing debut earned him a shot in Royal Ascot's Norfolk Stakes (G2), where he was unplaced. Back in the United States, he was sent to Asmussen at Saratoga Race Course, where he worked steadily through August but would not make his second domestic start until Sept. 15 at Churchill Downs. He stalked the pace in the early going but faded to sixth. The colt regained his mojo at Zia Park where he took command in the stretch to win handily in 1:08.88. Barbara Banke's Stonestreet campaigned Curlin with partners after his first start and then on its own for his last four starts. Banke and her late husband, Jess Jackson, celebrated two Horse of the Year titles (2007, 2008) earned from winning nine graded stakes, which included seven grade 1s. Curlin won 11 of 16 starts and earned $10,501,800. Stonestreet also bred and raced Lady Aurelia, a daughter of Scat Daddy who raced primarily in Europe for Banke, George Bolton, and Peter Leidel. Lady Aurelia won the Prix Morny (G1) at Deauville and 2016 Queen Mary Stakes (G2) and 2017 King's Stand Stakes (G1) at Ascot. Curlin had an extraordinary Breeders' Cup at Santa Anita Park earlier this month, where he became the leading sire by number of winners with three for the year and also took the top spot by total Breeders' Cup winners. His winners included Elite Power, who repeated in the Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1); Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) repeat winner Cody's Wish; and Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) winner Idiomatic. Curlin is currently the second-leading North American sire with nearly $18 million in progeny earnings behind four-time leading sire Into Mischief, who leads with more than $24.2 million. Curlin has been represented this year by 10 graded stakes winners, which include five grade 1 winners. His other grade 1 winners include multiple grade 1 winner Clairiere, who won the Apple Blossom Handicap (G1) and Ogden Phipps Stakes (G1); and Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes (G1) winner Bright Future. Another significant footnote is that Curlin got his 100th stakes winner with a 2-year-old. Typically, his runners have shown their best at 3 and up, though he has sired 23 juvenile black-type winners. To date he has 8% stakes winners from named foals of racing age and has career progeny earnings of more than $143.3 million. More than half of his stakes winners have been graded/group winners, a total of 56.