Cat Thief (foaled January 30, 1996, in Kentucky) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse, who won the 1999 Breeders' Cup Classic.
Since the death of 1996 winner Alphabet Soup on January 28, 2022, Cat Thief is the oldest Breeders' Cup Classic winner that is still alive.
Background Cat Thief was sired by 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 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.
Career
1998 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.
1999 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.
2000 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.
Results DateTrackRaceFinished2 year old4/22/1998KeenelandMaiden Special Weight6th7/1/1998Ellis ParkMaiden Special Weight2nd8/1/1998SaratogaMaiden Special Weight1st8/21/1998SaratogaAllowance2nd9/11/1998Belmont ParkAllowance2nd10/18/1998Keeneland(Lane's End) Breeders' Futurity1st11/7/1998Churchill DownsBreeders' Cup Juvenile3rd3 year old1/31/1999Gulfstream ParkHutcheson Stakes3rd2/20/1999Gulfstream ParkFountain of Youth Stakes2nd3/13/1999Gulfstream ParkFlorida Derby3rd4/10/1999Keeneland(Toyota) Blue Grass Stakes2nd5/1/1999Churchill DownsKentucky Derby3rd5/15/1999PimlicoPreakness Stakes7th5/29/1999Belmont ParkMetropolitan Handicap6th7/18/1999Hollywood ParkSwaps Stakes1st8/8/1999Monmouth ParkHaskell Invitational Handicap2nd8/28/1999SaratogaTravers Stakes7th9/25/1999Turfway ParkKentucky Cup Classic Handicap3rd11/6/1999Gulfstream ParkBreeders' Cup Classic1st12/26/1999Santa AnitaMalibu Stakes3rd4 year old1/15/2000Santa AnitaSan Fernando Breeders' Cup Stakes2nd2/6/2000Santa AnitaSan Antonio Handicap2nd3/4/2000Santa AnitaSanta Anita Handicap6th4/8/2000Oaklawn ParkOaklawn Handicap3rd5/13/2000PimlicoPimlico Special5th6/17/2000Churchill DownsStephen Foster Handicap3rd7/9/2000Hollywood Park(Sempra Energy) Hollywood Gold Cup5th8/6/2000SaratogaWhitney Handicap2nd9/16/2000Turfway ParkKentucky Cup Classic Handicap6th11/4/2000Churchill DownsBreeders' Cup Classic7th
Pedigree
References
Cat Thief's pedigree and partial racing stats Full pedigee information, racing details, and leading runners sired at the Thoroughbred Times Interactive Stallion Directory