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Gio Ponti
Gio Ponti
Sire	Tale of the Cat
Grandsire	Storm Cat
Dam	Chipeta Springs
Damsire	Alydar
Sex	Stallion
Foaled	2005
Country	United States
Colour	Bay
Breeder	Kilboy Estate
Owner	Castleton Lyons
Trainer	Christophe Clement
Record	29: 12-10-1
Earnings	$6,169,800
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.

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

Race record

Finish	Race	Date	Distance	Jockey	Time	Margin	Grade	Track
4th	Breeders' Cup Mile	11/05/2011	1 mi	Ramon A. Dominguez	1:37.05	2	I	Churchill Downs
1st	Shadwell Turf Mile Stakes	10/08/2011	1 mi	Ramon A. Dominguez	1:34.17	1	I	Keeneland
2nd	Arlington Million	08/13/2011	11⁄4 mi	Ramon A. Dominguez	2:07.01	21⁄2	I	Arlington Park
2nd	Man o' War Stakes	06/09/2011	13⁄8 mi	Ramon A. Dominguez	2:14.06	21⁄4	I	Belmont Park
3rd	Manhattan Handicap	05/11/2011	11⁄4 mi	Ramon A. Dominguez	2:06.32		I	Belmont Park
5th	Dubai World Cup	03/26/2011	11⁄4 mi	Ramon A. Dominguez	2:05.94		I	Meydan
2nd	Breeders' Cup Mile	11/06/2010	1 mi	Ramon A. Dominguez	1:35.16	13⁄4	I	Churchill Downs
1st	Shadwell Turf Mile Stakes	10/09/2010	1 mi	Ramon A. Dominguez	1:35.06	1	I	Keeneland
2nd	Arlington Million	08/21/2010	11⁄4 mi	Ramon A. Dominguez	2:03.01	1/2	I	Arlington Park
1st	Man o' War Stakes	07/10/2010	13⁄8 mi	Ramon A. Dominguez	2:16.20	Neck	I	Belmont Park
2nd	Manhattan Handicap	06/05/2010	11⁄4 mi	Ramon A. Dominguez	1:59.46	1/2	I	Belmont Park
4th	Dubai World Cup	03/27/2010	11⁄4 mi	Ramon A. Dominguez	2:03.83	11⁄4	I	Meydan Racecourse
2nd	Tampa Bay Stakes	02/20/2010	11⁄16 mi	Ramon A. Dominguez	1:42.16	Nose	Listed	Tampa Bay Downs
2nd	Breeders' Cup Classic	11/07/2009	11⁄4 mi	Ramon A. Dominguez	2:00.62	1	I	Santa Anita Park
2nd	Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational	10/03/2009	11⁄2 mi	Ramon A. Dominguez	2:41.22	13⁄4	I	Belmont Park
1st	Arlington Million	08/08/2009	11⁄4 mi	Ramon A. Dominguez	2:04.19	11⁄4	I	Arlington Park
1st	Man o' War Stakes	07/11/2009	13⁄8 mi	Ramon A. Dominguez	2:12.56	13⁄4	I	Belmont Park
1st	Manhattan Handicap	06/06/2009	11⁄4 mi	Garrett K. Gomez	2:02.91	11⁄2	I	Belmont Park
1st	Frank E. Kilroe Mile Handicap	03/07/2009	1 mi	Ramon A. Dominguez	1:33.65	Nose	I	Santa Anita Park
5th	Strub Stakes	02/07/2009	11⁄8 mi	Garrett K. Gomez	1:48.22	11⁄2	II	Santa Anita Park
1st	Sir Beaufort Stakes	12/26/2008	1 mi	Garrett K. Gomez	1:34.92	11⁄2	III	Santa Anita Park
7th	Hollywood Derby	11/30/2008	11⁄4 mi	Garrett K. Gomez	2:01.43	21⁄2	I	Santa Anita Park
2nd	Jamaica Handicap	10/04/2008	11⁄8 mi	A Garcia	1:49.75	3/4	II	Belmont Park
2nd	Del Mar Derby	08/31/2008	11⁄8 mi	Garrett K. Gomez	1:46.68	1/2	II	Del Mar Racetrack
1st	Virginia Derby	07/19/2008	11⁄4 mi	Garrett K. Gomez	2:02.22	Nose	II	Colonial Downs
1st	Hill Prince	06/06/2008	1 mi	Garrett K. Gomez	1:35.03	2	III	Belmont Park
8th	Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf	10/26/2007	1 mi	Ramon A. Dominguez	1:40.48	8	Listed	Monmouth Park
1st	Bourbon Stakes	10/07/2007	11⁄16 mi	Ramon A. Dominguez	1:45.92	11⁄2	Listed	Keeneland
1st	Maiden Special Weight	09/07/2007	7 furlongs	Garrett K. Gomez	1:22.01	21⁄2		Belmont Park