The first foal by Arrowfield Stud shuttler Gio Ponti was born at Huntington Stud in Canada on Friday.

The chestnut colt is from Kissin Party (Kissin Kris) and his owner Dan Mooney reported the youngster has “good size, bone and great quality.”

Gio Ponti (Tale of the Cat) is based at Castleton Lyons Stud in Kentucky.  His northern fee is $20,000 and Arrowfield priced him similarly at $22,000 (inc gst) last year.

Trained by Christophe Clement, Gio Ponti was a Group 1 winner of the Belmont Man o’ War Stakes (2), Keeneland Turf Mile (2), Santa Anita Kilroe Mile, Belmont Manhattan Hcp and Arlington Million.

He was runner-up to Zenyatta in the 2009 Breeders’ Cup Classic and a year later was second to Goldikova in the Breeders’ Cup Mile.