Pedigree

Tale of Ekati is a beautifully bred specimen, boasting a pedigree laced with high-quality speed as well as classic stamina. The speed is supplied by his sire, Tale of the Cat. A son of the mighty Storm Cat, Tale of the Cat scored his biggest career victory in the seven-furlong King's Bishop S. (G2) at Saratoga, where he set a pressured pace through taxing fractions before kicking clear by 5 1/2 lengths. The royally bred dark bay won at up to 1 1/16 miles but found 1 1/8 miles to be a shade too far. In his two attempts at that distance, Tale of the Cat finished fourth in the 1997 Haskell Invitational H. (G1), in only his third career start, and was runner-up in the Whitney H. (G1) the following season. The lightly raced colt retired with five wins, one second and two thirds from just nine outings, and has compiled a successful record at stud. His leading performer, the multiple Grade 1-winning millionaire Lion Heart, stayed a bit farther than his sire did. A gutsy winner of the nine-furlong Haskell, Lion Heart finished second to Smarty Jones in the 2004 Kentucky Derby (G1). Another son of Tale of the Cat, Spellbinder, managed to win going 1 1/8 miles in the San Antonio H. (G2). Tale of the Cat's other top runners have tended to excel at shorter distances, including My Trusty Cat, who captured the seven-furlong Humana Distaff H. (G1), and the multiple Australian Group 1 queen Glamour Puss, who defeated males in a pair of major sprints. Tale of the Cat's progeny are responsible for an Average Winning Distance of 6.8 furlongs.

The reserves of stamina come courtesy of Tale of Ekati's dam, Silence Beauty (Jpn). Although she failed to win from three starts in Ireland, her bloodlines are faultless. Silence Beauty is a daughter of Hall of Famer Sunday Silence, who garnered the 1989 Kentucky Derby, Preakness S. (G1), Super Derby (G1) and Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) en route to Horse of the Year honors. Exported to Japan, Sunday Silence became a breed-shaping sire whose offspring swept all before them. Among his champions are Japanese Horse of the Year Deep Impact, who stayed two miles, as well as accomplished marathoners Zenno Rob Roy, Heart's Cry, Manhattan Cafe and Dance in the Dark. Sunday Silence is also making a lasting impact through his daughters, who have produced such international Group 1 celebrities as Admire Moon (End Sweep), Pop Rock (Helissio), Eye Popper (Soccer Boy) and Shadow Gate (White Muzzle [GB]).

Silence Beauty is a half-sister to champion, nine-time Grade 1 heroine and $1.3 million earner Sky Beauty (Blushing Groom [Fr]), a perfect two-for-two at 1 1/4 miles when taking the 1993 Coaching Club American Oaks (G1) and Alabama S. (G1). Silence Beauty and Sky Beauty are out of Maplejinsky (Nijinsky II), herself the queen of the Alabama in 1988. Further back, the female line is characterized by speed. Tale of Ekati's third dam is champion sprinter Gold Beauty (Mr. Prospector), who also produced the outstanding sprinter Dayjur (Danzig), England's Horse of the Year in 1990 and a near-misser in the Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) after jumping shadows.

Tale of Ekati is inbred to three colossal classic influences. His pedigree features 3 x 4 inbreeding to Mr. Prospector, 4 x 4 to Northern Dancer, and 5 x 3 to the great Nijinsky II, the last winner of England's Triple Crown in 1970.