Cat Thief
Encyclopedia
Cat Thief is an American
Thoroughbred
racehorse
. Regally bred, he is the son of Storm Cat
, an outstanding Champion
sire and the grandson of both the 20th Century's most important sire, Northern Dancer
and whose damsire was the legendary U.S. Triple Crown champion, Secretariat
. Cat Thief's dam was the multiple stakes winner, Train Robbery, a daughter of U.S. Racing Hall of Fame
inductee Alydar
.
Conditioned for racing by Hall of Fame trainer, D. Wayne Lukas
, at age two Cat Thief won two of his seven starts including the Lane's End Breeders' Futurity
. He was then third behind winner Answer Lively
in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile
. As a three-year-old, Cat Thief made thirteen starts. He ran third to winner Charismatic
in the 1999 Kentucky Derby
and seventh to Charismatic in the Preakness Stakes
. Under jockey Pat Day
, Cat Thief went on to win the Swaps Stakes
and at Gulfstream Park
in Florida
Pat Day was aboard him again for the most important win of his career, the Breeders' Cup Classic
.
Cat Thief made ten more starts in 2000 but did not earn a win and was retired to stud
at his owner's Overbrook Farm for the 2001 season.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Thoroughbred
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
racehorse
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
. Regally bred, he is the son of Storm Cat
Storm Cat
Storm Cat was an American Thoroughbred stallion whose breeding fee during the peak of his stud career was $500,000, the highest in the world. As such, he was one of the few horses with a 24-hour armed guard....
, an outstanding Champion
Champion
A champion is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition.There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and world championships, and even further divisions at one or more of these levels, as in soccer. Their champions...
sire and the grandson of both the 20th Century's most important sire, Northern Dancer
Northern Dancer
Northern Dancer was a Canadian-bred Thoroughbred racehorse and the most successful sire of the 20th Century. The National Thoroughbred Racing Association calls him "one of the most influential sires in Thoroughbred history"....
and whose damsire was the legendary U.S. Triple Crown champion, Secretariat
Secretariat (horse)
Secretariat was an American Thoroughbred racehorse, that in 1973 became the first U.S. Triple Crown champion in 25 years, setting new race records in two of the three events in the Series—the Kentucky Derby , and the Belmont Stakes —records that still stand today.Secretariat was sired by Bold...
. Cat Thief's dam was the multiple stakes winner, Train Robbery, a daughter of U.S. Racing Hall of Fame
National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and trainers...
inductee Alydar
Alydar
Alydar was a chestnut colt and an American thoroughbred race horse who was most famous for finishing a close second to Affirmed in all three races of the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, a feat not achieved before or repeated since.-Racing career:Trained by John M...
.
Conditioned for racing by Hall of Fame trainer, D. Wayne Lukas
D. Wayne Lukas
Darrell Wayne Lukas is a former educator who became one of the most successful horse trainers in American Thoroughbred horse racing history and a U.S...
, at age two Cat Thief won two of his seven starts including the Lane's End Breeders' Futurity
Lane's End Breeders' Futurity
The Breeders' Futurity Stakes is an American Grade I Thoroughbred horse race held annually in early October at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky. Currently offering a purse of $500,000, the race is open to two-year-old horses and is run at a distance of one and one-sixteenth miles on the...
. He was then third behind winner Answer Lively
Answer Lively
Answer Lively was an American Champion Thoroughbred racehorse owned and bred by John Franks, a Louisiana oilman and winner of a record four Eclipse Awards for Outstanding Owner....
in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile
Breeders' Cup Juvenile
The Breeders' Cup Juvenile is a Thoroughbred horse race for 2-year-old colts and geldings raced on dirt. It is held annually at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships....
. As a three-year-old, Cat Thief made thirteen starts. He ran third to winner Charismatic
Charismatic (horse)
Charismatic is a stallion Thoroughbred horse, and is known as one of the closest challengers to the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing since the last winner, Affirmed, accomplished the feat in 1978. He was trained by D. Wayne Lukas, and famously ridden in the Triple Crown races by Chris Antley...
in the 1999 Kentucky Derby
Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter mile at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry...
and seventh to Charismatic in the Preakness Stakes
Preakness Stakes
The Preakness Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held on the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade I race run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs on dirt. Colts and geldings carry 126 pounds ; fillies 121 lb...
. Under jockey Pat Day
Pat Day
Patrick Alan "Pat" Day is an American jockey. He is a four-time winner of the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey and was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1991...
, Cat Thief went on to win the Swaps Stakes
Swaps Stakes
The Swaps Stakes is a race for Thoroughbred horses run annually at Hollywood Park Racetrack in Inglewood, California. The race is open to three-year-old horses willing to race one and one-eighth miles on the dirt. A Grade II event, it carries a purse of $350,000.Run in mid July, this race is...
and at Gulfstream Park
Gulfstream Park
Gulfstream Park Racing & Casino is a racetrack and county-approved racino in Hallandale Beach, Florida, in the United States. During its annual meet, which spans December through April, it is one of the most important venues for horse racing in America....
in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
Pat Day was aboard him again for the most important win of his career, the Breeders' Cup Classic
Breeders' Cup Classic
The Breeders' Cup Classic is a Grade I Weight for Age thoroughbred horse race for 3 year olds and older run at a distance of 1¼ miles on dirt. It is held annually at a different racetrack as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships...
.
Cat Thief made ten more starts in 2000 but did not earn a win and was retired to stud
Stud (animal)
A stud animal is a registered animal retained for breeding. The terms for the male of a given animal species usually imply that the animal is entire—that is, not castrated—and therefore capable of siring offspring...
at his owner's Overbrook Farm for the 2001 season.