BY AVALYN HUNTER
Pleasant Acres Stallions is meeting the challenge of promoting a young stallion with Curlin’s Honor, who is currently second on the Florida second-crop sire list with five winners and progeny earnings of nearly $200,000 this year including two-time winner Quizler. He is also represented by R Morning Brew, who is stakes-placed this year and won the $100,000 Desert Vixen division of the FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes last year.
While Curlin’s Honor was precocious enough to win a six-furlong maiden special weight at Keeneland as a 2-year-old, on bloodlines he was always going to need more time to come into his full powers. He is by two-time Horse of the Year Curlin, who did not start during his juvenile year but earned his championships at ages 3 and 4. Likewise, Curlin’s sire, two-time champion sire Smart Strike, reached his peak at age 4, winning the 1996 Philip H. Iselin Handicap (Grade 1).
From his dam’s side, Curlin’s Honor inherited miler speed. He is out of the winning Stormin Fever mare Franscat, also the dam of 2014 Millions Distaff Preview-winner Swinger’s Party (by Medaglia d’Oro) and 2014 Armed Forces-winner Hubba Shake (by Street Sense). Franscat is, in turn, out of Hopespringsagain (by Miswaki), a half-sister to multiple Grade 1-winner Ogygian (by Damascus), to Grade 1-placed, stakes-winner Lookinforthebigone (by State Dinner), and to Fair to All (by Al Nasr), dam of 1996 Metropolitan Handicap (G1)-winner Honour and Glory (by Relaunch). The female line traces back to Cequillo, a foundation mare for Tartan Farms and John Nerud.
Off his maiden score, Curlin’s Honor won a first level, $50,000 optional claimer at Fair Grounds and was then thrown into deep water in the 2018 Rebel (G2). That proved to be too much of a reach, but the colt rebounded to win the Listed Woodstock over six furlongs on the all-weather surface at Woodbine before finishing second in the seven-furlong Paradise Creek on the turf at Belmont Park. Three races later, he concluded his 3-year-old season with a second in the nine-furlong Ontario Derby (G3), beaten just a neck.
As a 4-year-old, Curlin’s Honor placed in five straight graded stakes races at Woodbine, running well at distances from six to eight furlongs and over both turf and synthetics. He then won an upper level, $62,500 optional claimer at eight-and-a-half furlongs on turf before turning in the best performance of his career, winning the one-mile Artie Schiller (Listed) on the Aqueduct turf. He ended his career having won or placed in 12 of 17 starts, including wins on dirt, turf, and synthetics.
A strongly-made horse who bears a marked resemblance to his sire, Curlin’s Honor is a good choice for mares who need some leg and stretch added to their foals without losing speed.
“Curlin’s Honor is a lovely-looking horse,” Pleasant Acres’ Director of Stallion services Christine Jones said. “He’s getting strong owner support, and we feel he offers very good value to Florida breeders.”
Curlin’s Honor is standing the 2025 season for $2,500 live foal.
Return to the April 9 issue of Wire to Wire
