We live in a world where there are so few things we can really count on: the proverbial death and taxes, of course. And Old Faithful, the reliable geyser in Yellowstone that erupts every ninety minutes, to the awe and admiration of tourists who don’t realize they’re standing on a spot that may explode into magma and boulders and unbreathable ash at any moment. But in the thoroughbred world, there are some stallions that can be counted on, and Thursday, May 17, exemplified that.
Let’s start with Curlin, twice Horse of the Year, who had fallen on hard times just a few years ago, not producing runners as expected. His last year standing at Lane’s End, you could have bred to him for $25,000. I begged a client with a graded stakes winning mare to take advantage of that—it seemed to me he was due to hit it big. And he did. Lane’s End had done a masterful job getting good mares to him, and just as his owners moved him to Hill ‘n’ Dale, the Curlins started running, and they haven’t stopped. Curlin won the Preakness S.-G1, so it’s only right that there are two Curlins going into the starting gate at Pimlico for the Preakness of 2018, and on May 17, a Curlin colt owned by Mike Repole and trained by 
Todd Pletcher won an allowance by 7 ¼ lengths in the slop—that colt is named, rightfully, Legit, and was bred by David Greathouse II, of the illustrious Greathouse family that once stood Clever Trick and others. Curlin is number six on the leading stallions list, one notch ahead of Tapit, whose $300,000 stud fee is twice that of Curlin’s. An addendum: on Friday, May 18, Irish War Cry won the Pimlico Special-G3.
I’ve written before about my love for Malibu Moon, and like death and taxes, you can count on him. On that same Thursday, a Malibu Moon first time starter, bred by Tom VanMeter and others, and owned by Let’s Go Stable (and trained by Todd Pletcher as well) won a Maiden Special Weight at Belmont that was packed with star-studded talent. Outshine is his name, and he is representative of that terrific cross of Malibu Moon on an Unbridled’s Song mare. Malibu Moon loves the addition of all of the speed from In Reality and his relatives that you find in Unbridled. Outshine was shining from early on, as he was a $260,000 Keeneland November weanling, and a $625,000 Keeneland September yearling. Winning four wide, by 2 ¾ lengths in the five furlong contest, this two-year-old is clearly one to watch. Like Curlin, Malibu Moon is now a perennial on the leading sires list, now at number nine, and well worth his $75,000 stud fee at Spendthrift Farm.
One more two-year-old showed his stuff on a Maiden Special Weight at Churchill on Thursday, this time a More Than Ready colt named Sir Truebadour, by four lengths. Trained by Steve Asmussen, bred by Two Stamp Stables, and owned by Whispering Oaks Farm, this $300,000 Fasig Tipton Saratoga August yearling came through beautifully. He is a full brother to another More Than Ready achiever, grade one winner Regally Ready, and from the family of Septieme Ciel, among many 
others. The redoubtable More Than Ready gets racehorses that go long and short, dirt and turf, are precocious yet stick around. Fourteenth on the leading sires list, his $75,000 stud fee also seems reasonable, and Winstar has managed his career beautifully. He marks his offspring, which are usually compact, almost coal black, and very nicely made with short backs and attractive heads.
The thoroughbred business frequently seems to be all about the latest star stallion newly gone to stud, and first crops—it’s as fickle as the fashion world. There are, however, old faithfuls breeders can depend on, and on May 17, 2018, they showed they are alive and kicking, and worth their weight in gold.
— Roberta Smoodin