BloodHorse.com

Tale of Ekati broke his maiden impressively at first asking last July at Belmont. He stamped his credentials further with a win the Futurity (gr. II), also at Belmont. After a wide trip in the Bessemer Trust Breeders' Cup Juvenile (gr. I), where he wound up fourth, trainer Barclay Tagg took him to Florida for the winter. Training at Palm Meadows, Tale of Ekati returned this year in the Louisiana Derby (gr. II), finishing a non-threatening sixth after a poor break. Somewhat forgotten by the public after that performance, he came back to upset War Pass in the Wood Memorial (gr. I), strengthening Tagg's Derby hand. The veteran conditioner won the Derby with his first starter in the race, Funny Cide in 2003, and subsequentely saddled Showing Up (2006) and Nobiz Like Shobiz (2007) to off-the-board finishes.

Racing History

By Steve Haskin

Good things normally are worth waiting for, so, to all the Tale of Ekati fans, have patience. This is not to imply that waiting until the March 8 Louisiana Derby (gr. II) to make one's 3-year-old debut is ideal, but this is the schedule trainer Barclay Tagg has mapped out.

In the past, top 2-year-olds often didn't debut until March, but that was when horses were given stronger foundations. Tale of Ekati has had only one two-turn race, and that was a toss-out performance in the Bessemer Trust Breeders' Cup Juvenile (gr. I) in the slop. And nowadays, horses that debut in March will, in the vast majority of cases, have only two starts before the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I). That also is not ideal.

But Tale of Ekati does have one thing in his favor-raw talent. After blowing his field away by 81/4 lengths in his debut at Belmont Park, he ran a big race to finish second behind Ready's Image in the Sanford Stakes (gr. II), run in a sharp 1:09.90. Then came the seven-furlong Futurity Stakes (gr. II) at Belmont, in which Tale of Ekati turned in one of the most impressive performances by a 2-year-old last year.

After hitting the side of the gate and dropping back to last, he was rushed up between horses into third. Racing on the inside, he was trapped with nowhere to go in the stretch. When a small hole opened along the rail, jockey Eibar Coa steered him abruptly to the inside and he burst to the lead. Once he struck the front, he actually was taken in hand, cruising past the wire by a length in 1:22.33.

That race alone suggested this is a special horse. With only two starts before the Derby, and making his debut against Pyro, he'll have to be. Even so, don't count him out.

By Avalyn Hunter

During 2007, Tale of Ekati wrote a brief but impressive story for himself, winning the Futurity Stakes (gr. II) during a four-start campaign. Whether he can write as good a follow-up for 2008 is anyone's guess.

Tale of Ekati is by 1997 King's Bishop Stakes (gr. II) winner Tale of the Cat, whose son Lion Heart ran second to Smarty Jones in the 2004 Kentucky Derby (gr. I). A son of Storm Cat out of Yarn, by Mr. Prospector, Tale of the Cat is closely related to 2001 U.S. and European champion juvenile Johannesburg, who is by Storm Cat's son Hennessy out of Yarn's daughter Myth (by Ogygian). To date, Tale of the Cat has been more a source of speed than stamina.

Tale of Ekati may get more help in the stamina department through his dam, Silence Beauty. A Japanese-bred daughter of 1989 Horse of the Year Sunday Silence, Silence Beauty is a half-sister to 1994 champion older female Sky Beauty (by Blushing Groom), whose 13 graded stakes wins include the 10-furlong Coaching Club American Oaks (gr. I) and the Alabama Stakes (gr. I). The half-sisters' dam, Maplejinsky, was also an Alabama winner, taking the historic race in 1988, and was sired by 1970 English Triple Crown winner Nijinsky II out of 1982 champion sprinter Gold Beauty (by Mr. Prospector), also the dam of the brilliant sprinter and multiple European champion Dayjur.

Tale of Ekati has yet to prove that he has inherited enough stamina to stay classic distances, but there is no question about the quality of his breeding, which doubles up on the most important American classic influences of the late 20th century: Northern Dancer and Mr. Prospector. The colt is, in fact, inbred 4x6x4 to Northern Dancer and has an additional line of Northern Dancer's granddam Almahmoud through Halo (out of Cosmah, out of Almahmoud), sire of Sunday Silence. Tale of Ekati is also inbred 3x4 to Mr. Prospector via Yarn and Gold Beauty.

By Claire Novak

The year was 1991. The place was a frozen tundra just south of the Arctic Circle. The man, Charles Fipke, was a geologist whose sole goal had been to find diamonds in the north of Canada.

Fipke's dream became reality when he and partner Stewart Blusson discovered a vast diamond field in the Lac de Gras region. Seven years later, Canada's first diamond mine-Ekati-opened in the Northwest Territories. The mine, in which Fipke retains 10%, now accounts for 4% of the world's diamond production.

This year, Fipke seeks a different treasure- a victory in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I). His homebred Tale of Ekati, trained by Barclay Tagg, is the first potential Derby contender to emerge from Fipke's 27-year tenure in the Thoroughbred industry. Still, the lengthy journey to the Derby has been a fulfilling one for the enthusiastic owner.

Born in Alberta, Canada, Fipke developed an interest in horses while riding as a child. Today, those who know him best testify about his genuine love for his runners. According to respected Canadian breeder R.J. Bennett, Fipke's zeal for producing top-caliber homebreds is especially strong.

"He called me one day from the track and said, 'My horse won the race, but I sort of cheated,' " Bennett recalled. "I asked what he meant, and he said, 'Well, I bought this one.' In his mind, he has to raise (his winners) to be a successful horseman."

Of course, every breeder has to start somewhere. Fipke's first racehorse was an Irish Ruler filly purchased in 1982 for $1,500 from the Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society's British Columbia fall yearling sale. While disappointing on the track (she failed to hit the board in five starts), the filly Fipke named Boldest Spirit retired to produce Travelling Spirit, British Columbia's champion 2-year-old in 1991. Fipke's top runners include Dimontina, second in the George C. Hendrie Handicap (Can-III), and 2-year-old Not Bourbon, winner of the Bull Page Stakes in October of 2007. To date, his best homebred has been champion and grade I winner Perfect Soul, now standing at Darby Dan Farm near Lexington for $15,000. Out of the Secretariat mare Ball Chairman, by Sadler's Wells, the horse earned more than $1.5 million in his 3-year career and was Canada's champion turf male in 2003.

"Perfect Soul is a classic illustration of the old saying, 'breed the best to the best and hope for the best,' " said John Phillips, managing partner at Darby Dan. "Chuck sought out one of the best Secretariat mares because he believed Secretariat was the best broodmare sire in the world, and he took that mare to what he believed was the best sire in the world."

Fipke splits his horses between trainers Roger Attfield (Canada), Barclay Tagg and Bob Baffert (U.S.), and John Oxx (Ireland). He owns approximately 50 broodmares, the majority of which are kept at Darby Dan. His yearlings are sent to J.B. McKathan in Ocala, Fla.

“He’s a great sportsman with a genuine love for his horses,” said Bennett. “Sometimes he’ll go into the stall and just groom them. He’s not your typical owner just sitting in a box. I’ve known him for years and he’ll deal hard with you, but he won’t cheat you. He’s very passionate about the sport.”

That passion shines through in the colt named after Fipke’s great discovery. Ekati, translated from the language of the Dogrib and Dene peoples of the Northwest Territories, means “fat lake” and refers to the quartz rock that is found in the area. The white mineral veins are said to resemble caribou fat, which is seen as a symbol of great value to the Aboriginal natives of northern Canada.

According to Darby Dan stallion director Ryan Norton, Fipke couldn’t value his runners more.

“When Tale of Ekati won the Futurity Stakes (gr. II) at Belmont, some reporter joked he must have set a record for hugging his horse the most from the track to the winner’s circle,” Norton said. “We all wonder: what would he do if he won the Derby?”

Phillips said Fipke is ecstatic to have bred a horse that is on the Derby trail.

“This is what Chuck is all about; the exploration of genetic
perfection and the challenge of producing something excellent that he generates himself,” he said. “He wants to have a racehorse that is a result of his understanding, comprehension, and insight of the industry. He’s intense. He works hard and is committed to achieving that goal.”

By Claire Novak

Eee-bar. I-bar. Aye-bar. Eibar Coa doesn't care what you call him-or what you think of him. His bold edge, which some call egotism, is just self-confidence. The unforgiving techniques he employs on the racetrack are carefully-honed race-riding skills. And his intensely competitive side is an inborn trait that brought him success in other athletics, such as judo and basketball.

Launching his career as a U.S. jockey in 1993 after riding in Venezuela, Coa returned to his native country in 1994, but came back to the U.S. with guns blazing in 1996. He holds riding titles at multiple tracks, including Gulfstream and Calder, is currently the leading rider for Gulfstream's 2007-08 meet, and was the leading rider in New York by races won in 2006 and 2007.

Surprisingly, the 37-year-old had only one previous Derby mount-Eye of the Tiger-in 2003. They finished fifth, a position Coa hopes to better when he rides Tale of Ekati in this year's Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I).

And, by the way, the correct pronunciation is "Ay-bar."

Height: 5'3"

Weight: 112

Career wins: 3,589

Born: Feb. 15, 1971, Monagas, Venezuela

Residences: Cooper City, Fla., and Laurence Harbor, N.J.

Family: Son Keibar

Favorite sport: “Basketball. I played for maybe six or seven years.”

Favorite food: Spanish

Most hated chore: “I’m a handyman. I do everything around the house. Unless I really can’t do it, I like to take care of things myself.”

I can’t live without: “My cell phone.”

The fastest I’ve ever driven was: “115 miles per hour, coming from OBS in Ocala to Miami. The rental cars are the fastest ones on the street because you don’t give a s--t about them so you go as fast as you can. Anyway, I had a good reason. I had to bring the rental car back before twelve and I was running late, but I made it.”

Another active rider I admire is: “Edgar Prado. First of all, we’re friends, and secondly, I think he’s very smart when he rides.”

If I could trade careers with another professional athlete, I would be: "Michael Jordan."

One thing I wish people knew about being a jockey: “Nobody knows what happens behind closed doors. We work hard all year-round—some of us do make good money, but it’s all year-round work and dedication, so a lot of times we’re not enjoying our lives and families. And even if you have money in your pocket, you can’t enjoy your dinner.”

The best part about winning the Derby this year would be: “Dedicating the race to my whole family. I don’t really have one person that I would dedicate it to, but for sure, I’ve got to put together my whole family because of the support I get from them. It takes teamwork.”