Eclipse Award-winning Champion Older Horse, Vino Rosso was a dominant winner of the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1). He is by two-time Horse of the Year Curlin, now an outstanding sire, and promising sire of sires, out of a Street Cry mare from a family full of black type.

From another branch of the Northern Dancer line, Curlin and sons have developed a particularly strong affinity for mares from the Storm Cat line, this cross producing more than 20 stakes winners. In addition to daughters of Storm Cat himself, this cross has produced grade one winner Grace Adler out of a mare by Newfoundland, grade one winner Rattle N Roll out of a mare by Johannesburg (sire of Scat Daddy, and a son of Hennessy, also sire of Henny Hughes– himself broodmare sire of a graded winner by a son of Curlin – and Cactus Ridge), black-type winners out of mares by Giant’s Causeway (who is represented by such as Not This Time, Creative Cause, Eskendereya, First Samuraiand Frost Giant), Tale of the Cat (sire of Tale of Ekati and Lion Heart; grandsire of Kantharos and Uncaptured), Forestry (sire of Discreet Cat and Shackleford), Stormy Atlantic, Stormin Fever, Tactical Cat, Lion Hearted, and Forest Wildcat (sire of Wildcat Heir and D’Wildcat). Daughters of Bernstein, Bluegrass Cat, Cat Thief, Freud (brother to Giant’s Causeway), Harlan (sire of Harlan’s Holiday and Menifee; grandsire of Into Mischief, Majesticperfection and Shanghai Bobby), Pure Prize and Yankee Gentleman are among other Storm Cat sources that could be considered.

Smart Strike, the sire of Curlin, had a tremendous success rate with mares from the Danzig branch of Northern Dancer. Curlin has followed that trend, with Champion Good Magic out of a mare by Hard Spun; a quartet of stakes winners out of daughters of Polish Numbers; Grade one winner Known Agenda out of a mare by Byron (from the Danehill branch) and stakes winners out of mares by Foxhound, Pine Bluff and Ascot Knight. This would also make it worth considering mares by War Front (sire of The Factor, Summer Front, Declaration of War and Hit it a Bomb), Exchange Rate, Langfuhr, Belong to Me and Bellamy Road.

There is a Curlin Grade two winner out of a mare by Dixieland Band and another out of a mare by that horse’s son, Dixie Union (sire of Union Rags). This line could also be sourced through High Cotton, Hook and Ladder and Overanalyze. Out of mares from the Nureyev branch of Northern Dancer, Curlin has a classic winner out of a mare by Royal Anthem and a stakes winner out of a mare by that horse’s sire, Theatrical, and a graded stakes winner out of a mare by Great Commotion. This also suggests trying daughters of Atticus, Fasliyev, Unusual Heat and Spinning World. From the sire line of Nureyev’s three-quarters brother, Sadler’s Wells, there is a stakes winner out of a mare by Medaglia d’Oro (sire of Violence and Warrior’s Reward). Medaglia d’Oro is by El Prado, also sire of Kitten’s Joy and Artie Schiller, and Sadler’s Wells has also been represented in North America by Magician and Capo Blanco (both by Galileo), Powerscourt and Horse Chestnut.

Curlin is out of a Deputy Minister mare, and has enjoyed exceptional success with inbreeding to that strain. Vino Rosso has a double of Deputy Minister, but that strain will be in the fourth and fifth generation of his foals, making crossing back over Deputy Minister line mares a possibility. Among likely sources are Awesome Again (sire of Ghostzapper, Paynter, Oxbow, Daheer, Toccet, Awesome of Course and Awesome Patriot), Dehere (whose son, Graeme Hall, is broodmare sire of Curlin Grade one winner Curalina), Silver Deputy (sire of Archers Bay, Badge of Silver, Spring at Last and Posse), Touch Gold, Forest Camp and French Deputy.

The cross of Curlin and sons with mares from the A.P. Indy line has produced nearly 30 stakes winners.  There are ten stakes winners out of mares by A.P. Indy himself, including Champions Malathaat and Nest, and grade one winners Idol and Global Campaign, as well as eight stakes winners, including grade one winners Paris Lights and Clairiere, out of mares by that horse’s son Bernardini (sire of Stay Thirsty and To Honor and Serve). Grade one winner Stellar Wind is out of a mare by Malibu Moon, and there is a grade two winner by Curlin out of a mare by Flatter (sire ofUpstart and Flat Out). Grade one winner Cody’s Wish out of a mare by Tapit (sire of Constitution, Frosted, Tonalist, Concord Point, Tapizar, Tapiture, Hansen and Trappe Shot). Tapit is by A.P. Indy son, Pulpit (also sire of Corinthian – broodmare sire of a Curlin line graded winner – Sky Mesa and Stroll), and it could also be worth considering mares by Congrats (a brother to Flatter) and Mineshaft (sire of Dialed In and Discreetly Mine), Jump Start, Majestic Warrior and Stephen Got Even.

A.P. Indy is by Seattle Slew, and Curlin also has classic winner Exaggerator and Champion Elite Power out of mares by Seattle Slew son, Vindication, and there is also a grade one winner out of a mare by Boston Harbor (by Capote). Curlin also has two graded stakes winners out of mares by Yes It’s True, whose grandsire Raja Baba is from the same sire line and family as A.P. Indy.

Curlin already has two stakes winners, including grade one winner Collect, out of mares by Holy Bull, and he is sire of Macho Uno (broodmare sire of a Curlin grade one winner), Flashy Bull, Woke Up Dreamin and Giacomo. Curlin has a graded stakes winner out of a mare by Indian Charlie, a son of In Excess. In Excess is also sire of Rocky Bar, Notional and Bring the Heat, and Indian Charlie is sire of Uncle Mo (sire of Nyquist, Laoban and Outwork), Adios Charlie, Bwana Charlie, Liaison and Cinco Charlie.