Frisky Cat’s mother wasn’t much of a racehorse, but his sire, Tale of the Cat, was a multiple graded stakes winner, as was his damsire, Dynaformer.  It seemed reasonable to expect that Frisky Cat, foaled in 2009, might be a moderate success on the racetrack.

But, not infrequently, even horses with good bloodlines don’t find their way to the winner’s circle often enough to make them a sound investment. Raced and bred by Fox Ridge Farm, Frisky Cat finished 10th in his first race, and his trainer, Pat Kelly, tried everything to get him to win. He ran him short, he ran him long. He ran him on dirt, he ran him on turf. Finally, in his eighth start, Frisky Cat got his first win…which would also be his last.

Last fall, after a seven-month layoff and three more winless races, Frisky Cat had had enough, Kelly decided; it was time for him to find a new job.

“It was better to find a home for him,” said Kelly, “than to try to go too far with him.”

Continue reading at Forbes.com…