After looking at a list of leading fifth crop sires, the first three were a roundup of the usual suspects: Uncle Mo in the lead, of course, who stands at Ashford for $125,000; Twirling Candy in second, who stands at Lane’s End for $25,000; Trappe Shot third, standing at Claiborne for $7500. But I’d wager you’d never guess what stallion is firmly in fourth place: Gio Ponti, the only stallion standing at Castleton Lyons Farm in Lexington, Kentucky, for only $5000.

A 2005 foal by Tale of the Cat out of the Alydar mare Chipeta Springs, he was a stakes winner at two, three, four, five and six, making 29 starts, winning 12, placing in 10, and showing in one, earning over six million dollars in the course of this iron-legged career. More than this, though, was the grade one talent of this horse: at four, he won the grade one Arlington Million S., the grade one Man ‘o War S., the grade one Manhattan H., and the grade one Frank E. Kilroe Mile H., a remarkable achievement. But he was thought of as a turf horse, as all those wins were indeed on turf, and not given enough credit for his ability to win on a variety of tracks. He shipped all over the country, and he won.

Even more remarkable, his owner, the master of Castleton Lyons Farm, entered him in the Breeders’ Cup Classic-G1, against the formidable and thrilling Zenyatta…on dirt. And this game little horse, up against the amazon, finished an exciting second, proving he was not just a turf horse, and, one would think, improving his chances at stud. He went on to win, place or show in so many graded stakes races, and so many grade one races, including a repeat win in the Man ‘o War S.-G1, that he should have been a natural for a top class, much sought-after stud.

Instead, his sale prices didn’t set the world on fire, nor did his first couple of crops (as one would assume would happen to a horse who so excelled at four, five and six), and his appeal faded. Many stud farms would have sold him to Korea or Saudi Arabia, and washed their hands of him, but Castleton Lyons demonstrated a loyalty and belief in their horse that must be commended in this day and age of giving up way too quickly on stallions.

Then came Drefong, a son of Gio Ponti and a running machine. A grade one winner like his dad, he started nine times and won six, earning over one-and-a-half million dollars. This year, Gio Ponti’s leading earner is America’s Tale, a grade two winner who seems to have inherited his sire’s iron-leggedness, as he’s already started 18 times, and has been in the money ten of those. Other stakes winners include Sir Dudley Digges, Zanotti and Miss Technicality.

Plainly, it’s time for breeders to take a hard look at Gio Ponti, who is looking like the buy of the century in terms of value and ability. A handsome, well made horse like his father, Tale of the Cat, and an iron-legged race horse on both dirt and turf, he may be the most bang for your buck you can get for your mare. Castleton Lyons is quietly offering a first rate horse at stud, at a bargain price. A horse who would have won the Breeders’ Cup Classic valiantly, if not for the entry in the race of one of the greatest race mares of all time. If you are looking to breed yourself a race horse, look no further than Gio Ponti.

-- Roberta Smoodin