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

racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...

Background

Winter's Tale was bred by owner

Paul Mellon Paul Mellon (June 11, 1907 – February 1, 1999) was an American philanthropist and an owner/breeder of thoroughbred racehorses. He is one of only five people ever designated an "Exemplar of Racing" by the National Museum of Racing and Hall ...

. 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 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 A gelding is a castrated male horse or other equine, such as a pony, donkey or a mule. Castration, as well as the elimination of hormonally driven behavior associated with a stallion, allows a male equine to be calmer and better-behaved, makin ...

, continued to race through age seven. In 1980, he won many of the top dirt races for older horses in the pre- Breeders' Cup era. At

Belmont Park Belmont Park is a major thoroughbred horse racing facility in the northeastern United States, located in Elmont, New York, just east of the New York City limits. It was opened on May 4, 1905. It is operated by the non-profit New York Racin ...

, he began a three-race win streak with a record seven and three-quarter length victory in the June 15

Nassau County Handicap The Nassau County Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Belmont Park in Elmont, Nassau County, New York. A Grade III event, it is open to three-year-old fillies willing to run the distance of seven furlongs on dirt. The ...

. 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 The Suburban Stakes is an American Grade II Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. Open to horses age three and older, it is now run at the mile distance on dirt for a $700,000 purse. Named after the City and Su ...

, also at Belmont. He then won the July 19th

Brooklyn Handicap The Brooklyn Invitational Stakes (formerly known as the Brooklyn Handicap) is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in early June at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York, on Long Island. It currently is a Grade II event open to four-year-ol ...

and although he suffered shin problems, in September Winter's Tale earned his eighth win from eleven career starts with a victory in the Marlboro Cup at Belmont Park. 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

{{reflist
Winters' Tale's pedigree and partial racing stats
1976 racehorse births 2002 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in Virginia Racehorses trained in the United States Thoroughbred family 6-b