Prominent international sire Tale of the Cat, whose progeny prevailed at the elite level in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, has died at 30 due to the infirmities of old age, Ashford Stud announced on its website June 24.
Out of an immensely powerful female family, Indian Creek, Philip Freeman, and Hugo Lascelles bred the son of leading North American sire Storm Cat. Tale of Cat was out of the Mr. Prospector winner Yarn, a full sister to grade 1 winner Preach, who is the dam of prominent sire Pulpit. Yarn also produced Tale of the Cat's half brother and English and Irish highweight and multiple group 1 winner Minardi; stakes winner Spunoutacontrol, the dam of multiple graded stakes winner Fed Biz; and, Myth, the dam of United States and European champion 2-year-old male and prominent sire Johannesburg.
Tale of the Cat did his part to build on his family's racing legacy by winning three of five starts during his debut season at 3 that included winning the King's Bishop Stakes (G2) and a third in the Vosburgh Stakes (G1). Racing primarily for Phantom House Farm and trainer John Forbes, he picked up two more wins at 4 and finished second in the Whitney Handicap (G1) to eventual Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) winner Awesome Again and was third again in the 1998 Vosburgh.
Tale of the Cat would make a bigger impact as a stallion. He entered stud at Ashford in 1999, joining a deep stallion class that included Distorted Humor, Awesome Again, Elusive Quality, Grand Slam, Indian Charlie, and Stormy Atlantic, to name a few. He held his own as the leading sire of his freshman class by number of winners and stakes winners. As a second-crop sire, he finished 2003 ranked third by progeny earnings but again the leader of his class by number of stakes winners with 12.
Ashford shuttled Tale of the Cat for nine seasons Down Under, sending him one year to New Zealand and the other years to Australia. He would sire 109 black-type winners, which include 47 graded/group winners and four champions worldwide.
His most accomplished runner was multiple U.S. champion Gio Ponti, who won seven career grade 1 stakes on his way to earning champion grass horse and champion older horse honors in 2009 and in 2010 adding a second champion grass horse title. Gio Ponti retired to stud with more than $6.1 million in earnings.
Tale of the Cat's other top performers include 2013 Eclipse champion 2-year-old filly She's a Tiger; multiple grade/group 1 winners Stopchargingmaria and Lion Heart; and grade/group 1 winners Cat Moves, Gathering (AUS); Glamour Puss (NZ), My Trusty Cat, Tale of Ekati, and Tell A Tale (AUS).
"Tale of the Cat was a brilliant servant, he was a wonderful stallion and has turned into a very good broodmare sire. He was a great horse to get a young mare off to a good start," said Ashford manager Dermot Ryan. "Tale of the Cat has been at Ashford for 25 years, so was very much part of the family. He was a great character who was loved by all, and I would like to thank 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."
