Rachel Alexandra foals a colt by Curlin

Rachel Alexandra, the 2009 Horse of the Year, produced her first foal on

Sunday, a colt by two-time Horse of the Year Curlin.

The 125-pound colt, a bay, was foaled at 2:40 pm (EST) at Stonestreet Farm

near Lexington, Kentucky. Stonestreet, the nom de course of the late Jess

Jackson and his widow Barbara Banke, campaigned the foal's superstar parents.

The colt took his first steps an hour and an half later. Emblazoned with a

white star, the alert colt bears a striking resemblance to his mother. Click

here to see the first

photo posted on the Stonestreet Twitter page, and

here for another.

Rachel Alexandra and her colt are doing well, according to Stonestreet Farm

manager Gary Megibben.

"Rachel is a natural mother, and took to the colt immediately," Megibben

said.

Banke was told of the breaking news while preparing to cheer on her San

Francisco 49ers in the NFC title game at Candlestick Park.

"I am thrilled with the good news of Rachel's safe delivery and health of the

handsome colt that resembles her," Banke said. "For me and my children, this

colt represents Jess' dream -- to raise and race the best.

"Co-owner Hal McCormick and I look forward to watching him develop and are

excited to see him carry the Stonestreet silks as his Mom and Dad did before

him."

Curlin and Rachel Alexandra, both Preakness winners, met in the breeding shed

at Lane's End near Versailles, Kentucky, on February 21, 2011. When she was

first pronounced in foal, her expected foaling date was February 1, 2012.

Rachel Alexandra, who became the first three-year-old filly to earn Horse of

the Year honors since World War II-era Hall of Famers Twilight Tear (1944) and

Busher (1945), retired following her four-year-old campaign with $3,506,730 in

earnings from her 19-13-5-0 mark.

By virtue of her match with Curlin, Rachel Alexandra has a further historical

parallel with Twilight Tear, who began her broodmare career by visiting fellow Calumet Farm superstar Whirlaway.

Though Curlin didn't sweep the Triple Crown like Whirlaway, he nevertheless

has this in common with the Hall of Famer: both set earnings records in the

course of their careers. Whirlaway held the distinction of being the first to

bankroll $500,000, ultimately retiring with a world-record $561,161 to his

credit. Curlin currently ranks as North America's all-time leading earner,

brandishing $10,501,800 in his account.

The Curlin-Rachel Alexandra foal sports 3 x 5 inbreeding to Mr. Prospector,

as well as 5 x 5 inbreeding to Sir Ivor and a triple dose of Northern Dancer (5

x 5 x 5).

Rachel Alexandra will be bred to Bernardini in 2012. That Darley stallion

covered Rachel's archrival for the Horse of the Year title, Zenyatta, last year.

After losing the hotly contested vote in 2009, Zenyatta went on to become Horse

of the Year for 2010, and is due to deliver her first foal this spring as well.