Winter's Tale (horse)

Winter's Tale (1976–2002) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse.

Background

Winter's Tale bred by owner Paul Mellon, his sire was U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee, Arts and Letters, a son of a European superstar, the undefeated runner and British Champion sire, Ribot. His dam, Christmas Wind, was a Canadian daughter of E. P. Taylor's sire, Nearctic, the sire of the legendary Northern Dancer. He was conditioned for racing by Hall of Fame trainer MacKenzie Miller,

Racing career

Winter's Tale began racing at age three in 1979 and, because he was a gelding, continued to race through age seven. In 1980, he had an outstanding year, winning many of the top dirt races for older horses in the pre-Breeders' Cup era. At Belmont Park, he began a four race win streak with a seven length victory in the June 15th Nassau County Handicap.^[1] Then, in what the New York Times headlined as a "Most Perfect Ride", jockey Jeffrey Fell rode Winter's Tale to victory in the July 4, 1980 Suburban Handicap on the same Belmont track.^[2] He then won the July 19th Brooklyn Handicap^[3] and although he suffered shin problems, in September Winter's Tale earned his eighth win from eleven career starts with a resounding victory in the Marlboro Cup at Belmont Park.^[4]

In 1983, at age seven, Winter's Tale won his second Nassau County Handicap and his second Suburban Handicap.

Retirement

Winter's Tale was retired from racing to Paul Mellon's farm in Virginia, where he died in 2002 at age twenty-six.

References

• Winters' Tale's pedigree and partial racing stats