Group Two Virginia Derby to Gio Ponti

20th July 2008

Exciting three year-old Gio Ponti (3c Tale of the Cat x Chipeta Springs, by Alydar) maintained his impressive strike rate when capturing the Group Two Virginia Derby at Colonial Downs on Saturday.

Sent out second elect, the Cristophe Clement trained colt stalked the pace in third and fourth spot before unleashing a powerful finishing burst that carried him to a nose win over Court Vision in the mile and a quarter event on turf.

Raced by Castleton Lyons, Gio Ponti was a stakes-winner last season at two and now has the overall record of four wins from five starts with prizemoney of $640,800, his lone defeat coming on a wet track at the Breeders Cup meeting at Monmouth when unplaced in the BC Juvenile Turf

A half-brother to stakes-winner Fisher Pond, Gio Ponti is from the stakes-placed Alydar mare Chipeta Springs, a daughter of Argentinian Group One winner Salt Spring.

Gio Ponti is one of eight stakes-winners in North America for Tale of the Cat this year.