Hold That Tiger, Van Nistelrooy to Ashford

French group I winner Hold That Tiger and Van Nistelrooy, an Irish group II winner, will stand the 2004 season at Ashford Stud near Versailles, Ky. The Kentucky-bred colts, who commanded seven-figure prices at Keeneland, are sons of Storm Cat out of multiple stakes producers.

"With all the success Storm Cat is enjoying as a sire of sires, it's great to have two more of his sons coming to Ashford," said director of sales Aisling Duignan.

Hold That Tiger, bred by Ten Broeck Farm and a $1.1 million November weanling in 2000, became well known to North American race fans with a closing third-place finish in the 2002 Bessemer Trust Breeders' Cup Juvenile (gr. I) for Michael Tabor and Sue Magnier, whose husband, John, is the managing partner of Ashford's parent firm, Coolmore Stud. In Europe as a juvenile, Hold That Tiger won the Grand Criterium-Lucien Barriere (Fr-I) and Anheuser Busch Railway Stakes (Ire-III). This year, Hold Your Tiger ran second behind Mineshaft in the Woodward Stakes (gr. I).

Retired with three wins from 10 starts and earnings of $644,235, Hold That Tiger is a half-brother to Belmont Stakes (gr. I) winner Editor's Note and two other stakes winners. His dam, Beware of the Cat (by Caveat), is a stakes winner. His fee is $15,000.

Van Nistelrooy, whose retirement from racing was announced over the summer, commanded $6.4 million at the 2001 September sale, the highest price of the year for a yearling. As a 2-year-old,
Van Nistelrooy won the Galileo E.B.F. Futurity Stakes (Ire-II) and Flame of Tara Tyros Stakes and ran second in the Aga Khan Studs National Stakes (Ire-I). He initially raced for Sue Magnier, then for
her in partnership with Robert and Janice McNair's Stonerside Stable. Bred by Stonerside, Van Nistelrooy won three of six starts and earned $229,980.

Produced from the Halo mare Halory, Van Nistelrooy is a half-brother to four graded stakes winners. His fee is $7,500.