By Associated Press
Lexington, KY – Rachel Alexandra is going to be a mom.
The 2009 Horse of the Year is in foal with an expected due date of Feb. 1, 2012.
Stonestreet Farm announced the pregnancy Monday, two weeks after the 2009 Preakness winner was bred to two-time Horse of the Year winner and stablemate Curlin.
The two horses mated in a breeding shed at Lane's End Farm, near Versailles, Ky., on Feb. 21. The gestation period takes almost a year, with the earliest chance to find out the sex coming at around the two-month mark.
Owner Jess Jackson was not available for comment, but he's been anticipating getting two of racing's biggest names together since he purchased Rachel Alexandra days after her record run in the 2009 Kentucky Oaks.
He has said that any future offspring from the two stars could produce a "super horse." His wife, Barbara Banke, called it a "privilege" to bring the two greats together.
Rachel Alexandra captured 2009 Horse of the Year honors in spectacular fashion, becoming the first filly in over 80 years to beat the boys in the Preakness then backing it up with wins in the Haskell and the Woodward. It was all part of an 8-0 campaign that ranks among the greatest ever.
She struggled regaining her form in 2010, winning just two of five races. Jackson retired her last September, saying it was time to "reward her with a less stressful life." By then she'd become a crossover star.
Off the track, Jackson used her success to help raise money for various charitable causes, including cancer research by auctioning off items related to Rachel.
There was little doubt her first chance at becoming a broodmare would be with Curlin. The 2007 and 2008 Horse of the Year, a Preakness winner in his own right, stands for $40,000 at Lane's End following a brilliant career in which he set a North American record by winning over $10.5 million in purses.
He was retired at the end of the 2008 season following a fourth-place finish in the Breeders' Cup Classic, the only time he finished out of the money.
"Rachel Alexandra and Curlin are true champions," Banke said last month. "Both horses embody that intangible equine ideal that separate mere horse from legend. Both Jess and I are so pleased that these powerful bloodlines will pass to future generations."