Woodford Reserve Bourbon S.
(T 8.5f ,)
GIO PONTI
(B h,
117
lb) $93,000
Tale of the Cat —Chipeta Springs , by
Alydar
B—Kilboy Estate, Inc.,
KY.;
O—Castleton Lyons;
T—Christophe Clement
Nownownow
(B h,
121
lb) $30,000
Whywhywhy —Here and Now (FR) , by
Exit to Nowhere
B—Fab Oak Stable,
KY.;
O—Fab Oak Stable;
T—Patrick L. Biancone
Caberneigh
(DK B/ g,
117
lb) $15,000
E Dubai —Smashing Halo , by
Halo
B—Hokuyou Farm,
KY.;
O—John Metcalf;
T—Dale L. Romans
Margins: 1½, ¾, 1. Others: Your Round 117($7,500) , Fire Lookout 117($4,500) , Woodland Flood 117 , Spice House 117 . Winning Jockey, Ramon A. Dominguez.
Four days after the death of Castleton Lyons owner Tony Ryan, the late Irishman’s juvenile colt Gio Ponti provided a nice memorial run in capturing the Oct. 7 Woodford Reserve Bourbon Stakes at Keeneland.
With the victory, the son of Tale of the Cat also showed he had no problems shipping from Belmont Park, where he broke his maiden Sept. 7.
Gio Ponti bested six other 2-year-olds in the $150,000 Bourbon, including favored Nownownow, and covered the 11¼16 miles of turf in 1:45.92.
“It’s been an unbelievable week for us,” said Stuart Fitzgibbon, commercial manager of Castleton Lyons. “We lost the founder and chairman of the farm this week; he battled a lung illness. He was definitely watching from above.”
Gio Ponti was bred in Kentucky in the name of Kilboy Estate, an Irish-based stud farm owned by Ryan’s son, Shane.
Gio Ponti was consigned by Gabriel Dixon, agent, to this year’s Fasig-Tipton Florida March 2-year-old sale, but he failed to meet his reserve when the bidding stopped at $45,000.
Gio Ponti is out of the stakes-placed Alydar mare Chipeta Springs, who was last bought for $250,000 by the Castleton Group at the 2005 Keeneland January mixed sale. Consigned by Paramount Sales, agent, she was carrying the stakes winner.
A daughter of group I Argentine stakes winner Salt Spring (by Salt Marsh), Chipeta Springs is a half-sister to Salty Gal (by Cox’s Ridge), who is the dam of two graded stakes-winning full brothers by Broad Brush: grade I victor Mongoose and grade III winner Hesanoldsalt.
Several of Chipeta Springs’ foals have sold for more than $200,000 at auction, including stakes winner Fisher Pond, who was bought for $800,000 by Eugene Melnyk at the 2000 Keeneland September yearling sale. Fisher Pond was consigned by Gayno Stables through Lazy E Ranch, agent.
Chipeta Springs’ last two foals, a yearling filly and a colt, foaled May 18, are both by Malibu Moon, who stands at Castleton Lyons near Lexington. The yearling filly was bought for $190,000 by trainer Tim Ritchey, agent, at this year’s Keeneland September yearling sale from Legacy Bloodstock, agent.
Kept at Castleton Lyons, Chipeta Springs is not in foal for 2008.
Tale of the Cat is the sire of 43 stakes winners. Among his 15 added-money winners of 2007 are Tale of Ekati (gr. II), Ashley’s Kitty (gr. III), Bantry Bay (Aust-III), and Purrealist (Aust-III). Tale of the Cat stood the 2007 season at Coolmore’s Ashford Stud near Versailles, Ky., for $37,500.—E.M
