Written May 2008
Tale of the Cat is from the same family as GONE WEST, ROUND TABLE, ATAN (sire of SHARPEN UP), ALCIDE, AUREOLE and KNOWN FACT. Round Table is in the pedigrees of SIR TRISTRAM, DON’T SAY HALO and POMPEII COURT. Sir Tristram’s son GROSVENOR has both Round Table and Aureole. Aureole and Alcide are both present in COSSACK WARRIOR mares.The Sir Tristram line is already working for Tale of the Cat in Australasia. Stakes winners Ubiquitous and Hulachine and stakes placegetters Catscan, Purrfection and Our Kitty are examples.
Tale of the Cat’s pattern of Bold Ruler 4 x 5 and Eight Thirty on his sixth remove means that he should appreciate mares carrying WAR ADMIRAL and PRINCE JOHN, who work well with this pair. SUCCESS EXPRESS contributes Prince John and sex balances Eight Thirty. PALACE MUSIC, RIVOTIOUS and SALIERI also offer Prince John. Group Two winner Falkirk is out of a Palace Music mare.
CENTAINE mares have a great record with Tale of The Cat. Glamour Puss (Group One) and Scaredee Cat (Group Two) are out of Centaine mares.
Tale of the Cat has four lines to the influential mare La Chica – three through Native Dancer and the other through What A Pleasure. SNIPPETS mares contribute Native Dancer and Misty Day, a 3/4 brother to What A Pleasure.
Nijinsky II has a great record with the Storm Bird line. He can be sourced via ROYAL ACADEMY, CAERLEON (sire of ALQUOZ), WESTERN SYMPHONY, SHADEED, WHISKEY ROAD, SERHEED, YEATS and SEA ROAD, amongst others. SW’s Tale of Ekati and Resplendency carry Nijinsky II; SW El Cuento is from a Royal Academy mare and multiple SW Go Kitty Go is out of a Shadeed mare.
Nijinsky’s three-quarter brother The Minstrel is also known to work well with Storm Bird. Daughters of MASTERCLASS, PALACE MUSIC and his son NATURALISM are therefore appealing.
Son of Damascus, AMALGAM, and grandsons GILDED TIME, SALIERI and FOREST GLOW should also be interesting with Tale of the Cat, as he has done well with this line. His Group One winner My Trusty Cat is out of a Private Account mare (Damascus), while a fellow stakes winners, Resplendency and Quick Draw, also carry Damascus. His Group One placegetter Catcominatcha is out of a RED RANSOM mare, whose damsire is Damascus).
RIBOT has worked well with Tale of the Cat’s sire line. DANEHILL, EL MOXIE, MORCON, GREEN LINE EXPRESS, KALA DANCER, SEA ROAD, STAR WATCH and BOUCHER are sources of Ribot. Tale of The Cat has two stakes winners out of PLEASANT COLONY (Ribot) mares.
BLUSHING GROOM has worked well with Storm Cat. NASSIPOUR and REDDING mares are therefore sought after for Tale of the Cat. Stakes winner Uppity Kitty is out of a Mt. Livermore (Blushing Groom) mare. Blushing Groom’s grandson QUEST FOR FAME also sex balances Nijinsky (5 x 5), Raise a Native, Bull Page and Spy Song.
The MR. PROSPECTOR line is also appealing for Tale of The Cat. Spellbinder (Quiet American) and Catboat (Afleet) are Group winning progeny whose dams are from this line.
The HALO line has had black type success with Tale of the Cat, via SUNDAY SILENCE, DON’T SAY HALO and SOUTHERN HALO.
