Queen of the Turf Tepin confirmed in foal to champion Curlin

Two-time champion racemare Tepin has been bred to 2008 Horse of The Year Curlin and is confirmed in foal.

The mare’s owner, Robert Masterson, had not originally intended to breed to his six-time top-level winner this year, having retired her so late in the season. Time was only called on her racing career in mid-April.

However, with Tepin starting to come in season, a shortlist of potential suitors was quickly narrowed down to two - and ultimately the opportunity to mate the daughter of Bernstein with the Hill 'N' Dale Farm resident proved too strong a draw.

"Because it is getting late in the season, we basically had a one-shot try," Masterson told bloodhorse.com. "You never know when you take a mare off the racetrack if you'll get the chance. Had she not gotten in foal, we would not have tried again.

"John Sikura at Hill 'N' Dale was extremely cooperative and treated her as if she was one of his own mares," he added. "[Curlin's] conception percentages were strong and he's a quality stallion, so it was the right spot to take a shot."

Given that Tepin's finest moments on the racecourse came on grass, including a memorable success in the 2016 Queen Anne Stakes, Masterson is already eyeing up future matings with the best Europe has to offer, with both Galileo and Frankel mooted as potential covers further down the line. "Both of them would be great possibilities going forward," he said.

Tepin won 13 of her 23 career starts, amassing $4,437,918 in prize-money over the four campaigns she spent under the care of trainer Mark Casse.

Curlin, a 13-year-old son of Smart Strike, is standing his second season at Hill 'N' Dale at a fee of $150,000, having spent a seven-year spell at Lane's End Farm, from where he sired the likes of Palace Malice, Keen Ice and Irish War Cry.