Tale of the Cat Blood Abound at Karaka

Tale of the Cat Blood Abound at Karaka

Tell A Tale's brilliance in the Group 2 HS Dyke Avondale Guineas added further value to the exploits of Tale of The Cat (USA) in Australasia.

Tell a Tale (Tale of the Cat x Cheeky Veronica, by Sir Tristram) sat last in the feature race in New Zealand at the weekend, with jockey Troy Harris calm and cautious, bringing the liver chestnut wide so not to be caught in traffic problems as they rounded the home bend. Tell a Tale, trained by Mark Walker, was widest of all but he had significant galloping room and duly unleashed for Harris without much coercion.

Tell a Tale's sire Tale of the Cat (Storm Cat - Yarn, by Mr. Prospector) first stood in Australasia at Windsor Park Stud in Cambridge in 1999. While his sire is renown for precocity and speed, he is from a magnificent female family that features Group 1 sires Round Table (Princequillo), Johannesburg (Hennessy), Pulpit (A.P. Indy), and Robellino (Roberto). Tale of the Cat just stood the one season in New Zealand but his blood has been seized upon by breeders.

Tale of the Cat's only New Zealand season resulted in 106 foals with an enviable 95 (90%) making it to the racetrack, a statistic demonstrating progeny's soundness when crossed over New Zealand mares. Of these, 95 Tale of the Cat runners, 68 (72%) won races, amassing 232 wins, an average of 3.4 wins apiece. Seven (7% stakes winners to runners) of these won stakes races, four in Group races, including Glamour Puss (Group 1 Salinger Stakes and SAJC Goodwood Handicap), Ubiquitous, and two young stallions now at stud in New Zealand, Falkirk (Windsor Park Stud) and Scaredee Cat (Waikato Stud).

The Karaka yearling sales will offer buyers the greatest opportunity of any sale in the Southern Hemisphere to access the blood of Tale of the Cat, with some 64 yearlings either by him or one of his sons. Tale of the Cat himself will be represented by 12 at the Karaka Sales Series including:

Lot 12: B.C. Tale of the Cat x Golden Bridge (Gold Brose) - Curraghmore Stud
·         A half brother to Group 1 New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders Stakes winner Arlingtonboulevard (Spinning World)
·         Gordon Cunningham of Curraghmore Stud describes the colt as "a good quality individual, a real sprinter-miler type, with great credentials being by Tale of the Cat out of a Group 1 producing dam".

Falkirk (ex Madam Valeta, by Palace Music) won the Group 2 Theo Marks H. (1300m) beating Grand Armee and Private Steer, before going on to finish a very unlucky fourth in Takeover Target's Royal Ascot Kings Stand Stakes (1000m) in England. The terrific sprinter will be represented by 32 at the Karaka Yearling Sales.

Rodney Schick of Windsor Park Stud says come January buyers can expect to see "a line up of very mature, precocious types by Falkirk. He really has stamped his yearlings, and they are very much in the Tale of the Cat mould".

Scaredee Cat (ex Last Lady, by Centaine) will be represented by his second crop yearlings at Karaka 2009, after a strong first crop created significant interest in 2008 including a record priced colt for $300,000 at the Select Sale.

Winner of the Group 2 Ascot Vale Stakes (1200) in the second fastest time ever, Scaredee Cat is represented by 15 yearlings at Karaka 2009.

Mark Chittick of Waikato Stud says he has had plenty of positive feedback from trainers with Scaredee Cat two-year-olds in work, "They are big, strong, well muscled and look like runners." With eight of his stock aiming towards the Karaka Million, Scaredee Cat is showing early promise to be a sire in the mould of his father.

Le Bec Fin (ex Romanee Conti) is the final son of Tale of the Cat to be represented at the Sale. The Hallmark Stud stallion has left a group winner (Skirmish) already with his oldest crop being three year olds. The half-brother to Melbourne Cup-Caulfield Cup double winner Ethereal will be represented by five yearlings at Karaka 2009.

Mark Baker of Hallmark Stud is ecstatic with the start that Le Bec Fin has made to his stud career highlighting the fact that he has had five individual three year old winners this season already, including a Group 2 winner from just 10 foals to race. He said buyers can expect "quality, well muscled and very correct individuals" from the Le Bec Fin yearlings at the Sale.

Finally, Ainsley Downs will offer a half-brother to Tell A Tale (Group 1 NZ 2000 Guineas and Group 2 Avondale Guineas winner) at the 2009 Premier Sale. Lot 407, the colt by exciting first season sire Snippetson (Snippets) is described by owner Courtney Howells as "A colt with real presence about him, he is an impressive, athletic colt, with a great head and a good length of rein."

The 2009 Karaka National Yearling Sales Series is set to begin on 26 January.

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