Gio Ponti (horse)

Last updated
Gio Ponti
SireTale of the Cat
Grandsire Storm Cat
DamChipeta Springs
Damsire Alydar
Sex Stallion
Foaled2005
Country United States
Colour Bay
BreederKilboy Estate
Owner Castleton Lyons
Trainer Christophe Clement
Record29: 12-10-1
Earnings$6,169,800 [1]
Major wins
Bourbon Stakes (2007)
Hill Prince Stakes (2008)
Sir Beaufort Stakes (2008)
Virginia Derby (2008)
Manhattan Handicap (2009)
Frank E. Kilroe Mile Handicap (2009)
Man o' War Stakes (2009, 2010)
Arlington Million (2009)
Shadwell Turf Mile Stakes (2010, 2011)
Breeders' Cup placings:
2nd: Breeders' Cup Classic (2009) &
Breeders' Cup Mile (2010)
Awards
American Champion Male Turf Horse (2009, 2010)
American Champion Older Male Horse (2009)
Last updated on March 25, 2010

Gio Ponti (foaled February 28, 2005 in Kentucky) is an American Thoroughbred race horse who was the Champion Turf Horse in 2009 and 2010, and finished second to Zenyatta in the 2009 Breeder's Cup Classic. He was sired by Tale of the Cat, a son of Storm Cat, out of the stakes-placed Alydar mare Chipeta Springs, making him half-brother to stakes-winner Fisher Pond.

Contents

During his racing career, Gio Ponti was owned by Castleton Lyons and trained by Christophe Clement. [2]

Racing career

Named for a well-known Italian artist and architect, Gio Ponti began racing in the silks of Shane Ryan's Castleton Lyons Farm under trainer Christophe Clement and broke his maiden in his first start as a two-year-old at Belmont Park, winning by 2½ lengths. He was then entered in the Bourbon Stakes at Keeneland in his second start, where he scored the first stakes win of his career. After an unplaced effort in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf, he was given time off to prepare for his 3-year-old campaign.

At 3, Gio Ponti gained graded stakes success in the G3 Hill Prince Stakes at Belmont, the G2 Virginia Derby at Colonial Downs, and the G3 Sir Beaufort Stakes at Santa Anita. He was also runner up in the G2 Del Mar Derby at Del Mar and the G2 Jamaica Handicap at Belmont. By the end of his three-year-old year, he had $820,800 in career earnings over turf and synthetic surfaces.

At age 4, the bay colt won four consecutive Grade One races: the Frank E. Kilroe Mile Handicap, Manhattan Handicap, Man o' War Stakes, and Arlington Million, making him one of the favorites for the Breeders' Cup Turf. After an upset [3] in the Turf Classic Invitational, his owners decided to point him towards the Breeders' Cup Classic instead, which was run at a more favorable distance of 1¼ miles, as opposed to the Turf's 1½ mile distance. However, Gio Ponti lost to the then-undefeated mare Zenyatta. [4]

Shortly after the Breeders' Cup Classic, Gio Ponti's connections announced he would remain in training for 2010 and be pointed toward the Dubai World Cup. He started the year with a second in the Tampa Bay stakes. In the Dubai World Cup, he was boxed in and then went to the far outside, finishing fourth. [5]

In 2010, Gio Ponti first raced at Belmont Park, where he was second in the Manhattan Handicap, and first in the Man O' War Stakes. He then ran in the Arlington Million but lost to Debussy. At Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky, under jockey Ramon Dominguez he won the Shadwell Turf Mile Stakes, earning a spot in the Breeders' Cup with a "Win and You're In" berth. In the 2010 Breeders' Cup Mile, Gio Ponti ran second to the future U.S. Racing Hall of Fame mare Goldikova. As Clement once put it, "He is very well educated - ladies first." His efforts earned him the title of Eclipse Male Turf champion for the second straight year.

In 2011, Gio Ponti won the Grade 1 Shadwell Mile, finished second in the Arlington Million and Man O' War, and ran fourth in his fourth Breeders’ Cup start, this time in the Mile. He earned $6.1 million in 28 starts, making him one of the richest Thoroughbreds in America of all time.

Pedigree

Pedigree of GIO PONTI
Sire
Tale of the Cat
Storm Cat Storm Bird Northern Dancer
South Ocean
Terlingua Secretariat
Crimson Saint
Yarn Mr. Prospector Raise A Native
Gold Digger
Narrate Honest Pleasure
State
Dam
Chipeta Springs
Alydar Raise A Native Native Dancer
Raise You
Sweet Tooth On-and-On
Plum Cake
Salt Spring (ARG)Salt Marsh Tom Rolfe
Saline
Jungle Mythologic (ARG)Mount Athos (GB)
Jungle Queen (ARG)

Race record

FinishRaceDateDistanceJockeyTimeMarginGradeTrackNotes
4th Breeders' Cup Mile 11/05/20111 mi Ramon A. Dominguez 1:37.052I Churchill Downs
1st Shadwell Turf Mile Stakes 10/08/20111 mi Ramon A. Dominguez 1:34.171I Keeneland
2nd Arlington Million 08/13/2011114 mi Ramon A. Dominguez 2:07.01212I Arlington Park
2nd Man o' War Stakes 06/09/2011138 mi Ramon A. Dominguez 2:14.06214I Belmont Park
3rd Manhattan Handicap 05/11/2011114 mi Ramon A. Dominguez 2:06.32I Belmont Park
5th Dubai World Cup 03/26/2011114 mi Ramon A. Dominguez 2:05.94I Meydan
2nd Breeders' Cup Mile 11/06/20101 mi Ramon A. Dominguez 1:35.16134I Churchill Downs
1st Shadwell Turf Mile Stakes 10/09/20101 mi Ramon A. Dominguez 1:35.061I Keeneland
2nd Arlington Million 08/21/2010114 mi Ramon A. Dominguez 2:03.011/2I Arlington Park
1st Man o' War Stakes 07/10/2010138 mi Ramon A. Dominguez 2:16.20NeckI Belmont Park
2nd Manhattan Handicap 06/05/2010114 mi Ramon A. Dominguez 1:59.461/2I Belmont Park
4th Dubai World Cup 03/27/2010114 mi Ramon A. Dominguez 2:03.83114I Meydan Racecourse
2ndTampa Bay Stakes02/20/20101116 mi Ramon A. Dominguez 1:42.16NoseListed Tampa Bay Downs
2nd Breeders' Cup Classic 11/07/2009114 mi Ramon A. Dominguez 2:00.621I Santa Anita Park
2nd Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational 10/03/2009112 mi Ramon A. Dominguez 2:41.22134I Belmont Park
1st Arlington Million 08/08/2009114 mi Ramon A. Dominguez 2:04.19114I Arlington Park
1st Man o' War Stakes 07/11/2009138 mi Ramon A. Dominguez 2:12.56134I Belmont Park
1st Manhattan Handicap 06/06/2009114 mi Garrett K. Gomez 2:02.91112I Belmont Park
1st Frank E. Kilroe Mile Handicap 03/07/20091 mi Ramon A. Dominguez 1:33.65NoseI Santa Anita Park
5th Strub Stakes 02/07/2009118 mi Garrett K. Gomez 1:48.22112II Santa Anita Park
1st Sir Beaufort Stakes 12/26/20081 mi Garrett K. Gomez 1:34.92112III Santa Anita Park
7th Hollywood Derby 11/30/2008114 mi Garrett K. Gomez 2:01.43212I Santa Anita Park
2nd Jamaica Handicap 10/04/2008118 miA Garcia1:49.753/4II Belmont Park
2nd Del Mar Derby 08/31/2008118 mi Garrett K. Gomez 1:46.681/2II Del Mar Racetrack
1st Virginia Derby 07/19/2008114 mi Garrett K. Gomez 2:02.22NoseII Colonial Downs
1st Hill Prince 06/06/20081 mi Garrett K. Gomez 1:35.032III Belmont Park
8th Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf 10/26/20071 mi Ramon A. Dominguez 1:40.488Listed Monmouth Park
1st Bourbon Stakes 10/07/20071116 mi Ramon A. Dominguez 1:45.92112Listed Keeneland
1stMaiden Special Weight09/07/20077 furlongs Garrett K. Gomez 1:22.01212 Belmont Park

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References

  1. "Gio Ponti Profile". www.equibase.com. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
  2. http://www.registry.jockeyclub.com/registry.com/%5B%5D
  3. "Interpatation Beats Gio Ponti". Daily Racing Form . 2009-10-03.
  4. "It's All Zenyatta in the BC Classic". Bloodhorse. 2009-11-07.
  5. "Gio Ponti to Race in 2010". Bloodhorse. 2009-11-13.