Seventh Aussie 2YO Winner for Tale of the Cat

30th May 2007

Accomplished sire Tale of the Cat produced his seventh individual Australian juvenile winner this season when smart filly Jellicles (2f Tale of the Cat - Songfest, by Unbridled's Song) scored an easy win over 1100 metres at Ipswich on Wednesday.

A $150,000 Magic Millions purchase from the draft of Oakwood Farm for owner Kevin Dixon, Jellicles improved sharply on a close up fourth on May 16 to record her first win from four starts for Brisbane trainer Kelly Schweida.

Bred by the Bax family, Jellicles is the second foal of the Unbridled’s Song mare Songfest, a half-sister to Group Three winner Swiss Echo.

Tale of the Cat shuttled to New Zealand for one season in 1999 leaving Group One winner Glamour Puss, plus six other stakes-winners, however did not return to the Southern Hemisphere again until 2003, when he visited Coolmore Australia in the Hunter Valley.

Popular with breeders on the back of the deeds of that first NZ conceived crop, Tale of the Cat covered 153 mares with the resulting foals now two year-olds.

His first Aussie crop includes seven local winners highlighted by Group Three winner Bantry Bay, also another stakes-winner in New Zealand in El Cuento, plus a smart South African winner called Street Cat, who finished fourth to Seventh Rock in the Group One Gold Medallion at Scottsville last Sunday.

Tale of the Cat returns to Australia this spring at a fee of $33,000.