Thoroughbred Race Horse Champion Curlin May Be Sold
Posted by: Malok in Equestrian Communities in Lexington Kentucky, Equestrian Communities in Louisville Kentucky, Fayette County, Jefferson County, Kentucky Farms, Lexington Kentucky Horse Farms, Louisville Kentucky Horse Farms, Thoroughbred
Thoroughbred race horse champion and Horse of the Year Curlin may be sold to settle a lawsuit that stems from the diet drug combination Fen-Phen.
The primary owner of the horse is Stonestreet Stables, who’s owner is Jess Jackson (a noted winemaker and horse breeder). Stonestreet Stables owns an 80% stake in the horse.
The remaining 20% owners of Curlin are attorneys Shirley Cunningham Junior and Bill Gallion who acted as representatives of 400 plaintiffs in the Fen-Phen lawsuit that claim they were harmed by using the products. And now those 400 plaintiffs are claiming that their attorney representatives defrauded them out of as much as $64.4 million in the 2001 settlement.
And taking it a step further, a judge has ruled that those plaintiffs are entitled to the 20% stake that the 2 attorneys have in the horse.
Estimates put the value of Curlin in the $45 million range - or possibly even higher. Rick Porter, who recently sold Curlin’s rival Hard Spun to Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum for an undisclosed amount, estimates that Curlin’s value would be a minimum of $60 million.
It is believed that there is an agreement to sell the horse - but in order to provide a clear title to prevent subsequent claims against the horse, is to hold a public auction. [Under Kentucky law, a public auction provides the purchaser clear title to the horse.]
Curlin is currently being boarded at Steve Asmussen’s barn located at Churchill Downs in Louisville Kentucky.
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