2008 Wood Memorial Stakes
Tale of Ekati was a tough, hard knocking colt who carried the colors of one of racing's most colorful owners through several seasons of top class competition. He was foaled in 2005, a son of the speedy stallion Tale of the Cat out of the Sunday Silence mare Silence Beauty. He raced for Charles Fipke, the Canadian diamond mining tycoon whose eclectic ownership included horses around the world, and he was trained by veteran horseman Barclay Tagg, the Hall of Famer who had won the 2003 Kentucky Derby with Funny Cide.
Tale of Ekati built up his classic credentials in the spring of 2008 with a gritty win in the Jerome Stakes, then a powerful victory in the Wood Memorial Stakes at Aqueduct. The Grade 1 Wood was the signature win of his three year old campaign and earned him a spot in the Kentucky Derby, where he ran a credible race in the field won by Big Brown. He also took on the eventual Belmont Stakes winner Da' Tara through the summer Triple Crown season, never quite getting the win he wanted but always running with class.
He came back even better as a four year old in 2009. Tale of Ekati turned in his finest performance in the Cigar Mile Handicap at Aqueduct, the Grade 1 mile championship for older horses on dirt. He flew home in the stretch and won going away, picking up the second Grade 1 of his career and confirming his place among the top mile distance horses in the country. The win was a wonderful Christmas season present for Charles Fipke and Barclay Tagg, who had been patient with the colt throughout his career.
After his racing days, Tale of Ekati retired to stud and stood in Kentucky and later in other parts of the world during his stallion career. He sired several stakes winners and passed along his durability to a number of useful runners. Tale of Ekati is remembered as a model of consistency at the top level, the kind of honest Grade 1 winner who showed up race after race and gave Charles Fipke and Barclay Tagg plenty of memorable afternoons in the winner's circle.
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