Tale of the Cat, top stallion and racehorse, dead at 30

Stalwart stallion Tale of the Cat, the sire of more than 100 stakes winners, has died at age 30 due to the infirmities of old age, Coolmore announced in a release on its website Monday.

“Tale of the Cat has been at Ashford for 25 years, so was very much part of the family,” manager Dermot Ryan said in the release. “He was a great character who was loved by all, and I would like to thank [stallion manager] Richard Barry and all of his staff past and present who cared for him over the years both during his stud career and during his retirement.”

Tale of the Cat, by Storm Cat, won five of nine starts during his own racing career, and only missed the board once. His biggest win came in the King’s Bishop (now the H. Allen Jerkens Stakes), then a Grade 2 event, in the summer of 1997 at Saratoga. He also finished third in the 1997 and 1998 editions of the Grade 1 Vosburgh, and, stretching out, was second to Awesome Again in the Grade 1 Whitney Handicap in 1998.

Tale of the Cat is responsible for 118 career stakes winners through June 23, with progeny earnings totaling more than $146.9 million. His runners are led by Gio Ponti, who earned three Eclipse Award trophies while winning seven Grade 1 events.

Tale of the Cat’s other top runners in the U.S. include Eclipse champion She’s a Tiger, Breeders’ Cup Distaff winner Stopchargingmaria, and Grade 1 winners Cat Moves, Lion Heart, My Trusty Cat, and Tale of Ekati.

Gio Ponti went on to sire Eclipse champion sprinter Drefong, now a promising young sire in Japan. Meanwhile, Tale of Ekati is the sire of the exciting young stallion Girvin and Lion Heart’s successful sons at stud include Kantharos – represented by good sons in his own right including Bucchero – to keep the sireline alive. Tale of the Cat also leaves a lasting legacy as a broodmare sire, with runners produced by his daughters including U.S. Grade 1 winners Declassify, Dortmund, It’s Tricky, and Sailor’s Valentine.

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