Hall of Famer Curlin, one of North America’s most prominent sires, has had his 2026 breeding season ended by Hill ‘n’ Dale Farms after a brief illness, Thoroughbred Daily News reports.
Hill ‘n’ Dale’s John Sikura told the TDN that the 22-year-old son of Smart Strike showed signs of discomfort about 10 days ago, and veterinary examination found an ulcer outside of the horse’s stomach. Curlin was given treatment and a few days off, but he continued to have a mild fever and he was proving less able to get mares in foal.
A reproduction specialist was brought in to examine Curlin, and tests revealed that his number of live sperm cells per ejaculate and their motility were down significantly, prompting the decision to cut off the stallion’s book and give his reproductive system time to heal.
Sikura said he was hopeful Curlin would be back in service for the 2027 breeding season, and the stallion already had 20 mares confirmed in foal for the current season, and counting.
Curlin has sired 15 crops of racing age, with 788 winners and combined progeny earnings in excess of $175 million. He is the sire of 2023 Horse of the Year Cody’s Wish, who won back-to-back editions of the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, Eclipse Award winners including Vino Rosso, Idiomatic, Elite Power, and Good Magic, and classic winners Journalism, Palace Malice, and Exaggerator.
Curlin stood the 2026 breeding season for an advertised fee of $225,000.
