Tag: Top News

Top Sire Kitten’s Joy Dead at 21

Kitten's Joy (El Prado {Ire}–Kitten's First, by Lear Fan), twice the leading general sire in the United States and a perennial top-five turf sire, passed away from an apparent heart attack July 15 in his paddock at Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa, where he'd served mares since 2018. He entered stud in 2006 at his owners' Ken and Sarah Ramsey's Ramsey Farm.

The blaze-faced chestnut was nearly sold, but was ultimately retained by the Ramseys after bidding stalled out at $95,000 at the 2003 OBS April Sale, and it proved a fortuitous decision, as Kitten's Joy–named in honor of the late Sarah Ramsey–won nine times and was never worse than second in 12 starts on the grass for trainer Dale Romans, including victories in the 2004 GI Secretariat S. and GI Turf Classic ahead of a runner-up effort in the GI Breeders' Cup Turf. Named that year's Eclipse-winning turf male, Kitten's Joy also annexed the 2005 GII Firecracker Breeders' Cup H.–his only win over a mile–first off a nine-month hiatus and closed his career with an unlucky runner-up effort behind Powerscourt (GB) (Sadler's Wells) in the GI Arlington Million. He retired with a record of 9-4-0 from 14 trips to the races and earnings of $2,075,791.

An Instant Hit…

Despite his penchant for the grass and a skeptical breeding public despite a live female family, Kitten's Joy was well-supported early days–including a large number of mares Ramsey sourced via the claiming box–and he sired better than 300 foals from his first three North American crops.

“I claimed everything I could lay my hands on,” Ken Ramsey told Andy Beyer in a Washington Post article in 2013.

At the end of his first season covering mares, Dreaming of Anna (Rahy), a daughter of Kitten's Joy's multiple stakes-winning and Grade III-placed half-sister Justenuffheart (Broad Brush), was sewing up an Eclipse of her own in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. Along with Justenuffheart's MGSW sons Lewis Michael (Rahy) and Justenuffhumor (Distorted Humor), Kitten's Joy's half-sister Precious Kitten (Catienus) was in the process of building a multiple Grade I resume of her own and would go on to become the dam of GSW and Classic-placed Divining Rod (Tapit).

Before long, 'Kitten'-named horses carrying the Ramseys' trademark red-and-white colors with the capital R, were getting their pictures taken left and right, to the tune of 78% winners to starters from those first three crops.

Ramsey turned his offspring over to the likes of Chad Brown, Romans and Mike Maker, who trained Kitten's Joy's first winner at the graded level when Dean's Kitten–a son of the former $5,000 claimer Summer Theatre–took out the 2010 GII Lane's End S. over the Turfway Poly. The latter was one of six black-type winners from the first crop of Kitten's Joy, while his next crop yielded 11 SWs and 5 GSW, including GII Del Mar Derby hero Banned.

Stephanie's Kitten, a maternal granddaughter of the Ramseys' outstanding turf distaffer Bail Out Becky (Red Ransom) and out of a mare by $50,000 Ramsey claim Catienus, was another to showcase the budding versatility of Kitten's Joy, as the homebred won the GI Darley Alcibiades S. over the Keeneland all-weather and followed up in the GII Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. Stephanie's Kitten was one of 15 Kitten's Joy stakes winners in 2011, five at the graded level, and helped her sire achieve his first top 10 finish on the general sires' list while finishing the year as leading third-crop stallion and leading sire of 2-year-olds.

Making A Stallion, At Home and Abroad…

The first 16 and fully 54 of the first 68 stakes winners sired by Kitten's Joy were each bred by the Ramseys. Overall, Kitten's Joy has been represented by 111 black-type winners, 53 at the graded/group level and 15 top-level scorers. The stallion celebrated a banner day Aug, 17, 2013, when three horses struck in Grade I events–Big Blue Kitten in the GI Sword Dancer Invitational S. at Saratoga and Real Solution (Arlington Million) and Admiral Kitten (Secretariat S.) at Arlington. With champion Big Blue Kitten, one of 25 black-type winners that season, leading the way, Kitten's Joy topped the general sire list for the first time.

The sire's offspring continued to excel at the highest level in the U.S., with Divisidero winning the GI Turf Classic on two occasions, Sadler's Joy scoring in the Sword Dancer and Bobby's Kitten, Oscar Performance and Stephanie's Kitten posting wins in various Breeders' Cup events.

By now, Kitten's Joy's tremendous domestic success–he was the leading turf sire each year from 2013 through 2018–had gotten the attention of the international racing community, and his sons, in particular, began to leave their mark on foreign soil. Hawkbill, a $350,000 purchase by Godolphin out of the 2014 Keeneland September sale, defeated his elders in the G1 Coral-Eclipse S. in 2016 and would go on to add the G1 Longines Dubai Sheema Classic in 2018, exploits which landed Kitten's Joy a second trip to the top of the sires' premiership, no easy feat for a turf horse. Hawkbill now stands at Darley's satellite operation in Japan.

Qatar Racing's late Roaring Lion, a $160,000 KEESEP acquisition, won the G2 Royal Lodge S. and was second in the G1 Racing Post Trophy at two in 2017 before winning the Eclipse, G1 Juddmonte International S., G1 Irish Champion S. and G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. He was also beaten two lengths into third in the 2018 G1 Investec Derby.

Kameko also carried the Qatar Racing colors to win the G1 Vertem Futurity Trophy in 2019 and the 2020 G1 QIPCO 2000 Guineas at Newmarket. Kitten's Joy has also been represented by MGSW/G1SP Gendarme and GSW Dashing Blaze in Japan.

While clearly a better sire of turf runners, Kitten's Joy was represented as recently as 2021 by GI TVG Pacific Classic hero Tripoli and is also responsible for treble dirt Grade III winner Csaba.

In October 2017, Ramsey announced that John Sikura's Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa had acquired a 50% stake in Kitten's Joy after intimating that he might sell the stallion to European interests.

“The road to success is always under construction,” Ramsey told TDN's Bill Finley in 2017. “In this case, there were some detours. In the end, I feel like we made the right decision for all concerned. We were offered more money by at least one other farm. But the horse came first and everyone in the Ramsey family agreed that Hill 'n' Dale was the best fit for him.”

Kitten's Joy stood his first year at Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa at $60,000 and received a bump to $75,000 for 2019. His first crop of Hill 'n' Dale-conceived foals proved popular at auction in 2020, with a son of Joyful Victory (Tapit) fetching ¥105 million ($982,000) at the JRHA Select Sales in Japan and a daughter of Joya Real (Eddington) bringing $800,000 at KEESEP. He stood the 2022 breeding season at a fee of $50,000.

Kitten's Joy currently sits second among leading turf sires. His current flag-bearer is 'TDN Rising Star' New Year's Eve, winner of the GIII Edgewood S. in May. He is the broodmare sire of 28 stakes winners, 11 at the graded/group level, including Grade I winners Channel Cat (English Channel), Fire At Will (Declaration of War) and the recently sold First Constitution (Chi) (Constitution).

When asked by Beyer what has made Kitten's Joy so reliable a stallion, Brown told Beyer in the previously referenced Post article, “To be a top racehorse, you have to be physically gifted, but it also takes an incredible mental constitution. You have to be focused to train every day. One after another, the Kitten's Joys carry that trait. They're tough-minded horses. They never get sour. They can't wait to train, and they drag their riders to get to the track.”

“It was an honor and a privilege to have been entrusted to advance the career of what I believe to be one of the most important international turf sires of this century,” said Sikura. “This stallion is a tribute to one the modern era's most creative minds, namely Ken Ramsey. This horse was a part of our family but perhaps even more so to the Ramsey family. This is a great loss to the industry and to the Ramseys.”

“It is devastating to lose both my wife and her favorite horse in such a short period of time,” Ken Ramsey said. “My wife said 'this horse will bring us a lot of joy' and he certainly did. John Sikura was as good a partner as anyone could ever hope for. Kitten's Joy was the horse of a lifetime. His name will be in pedigrees for generations to come.”

 

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Once Again, Chad Brown is Loaded for the Diana

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY – It is pretty much impossible to overstate just how invested trainer Chad Brown is in the Diana S., the first Grade I of the Saratoga season, which will be run on Saturday.

Brown earned the first Grade I victory of his career when Zagora (Fr) (Green Tune) prevailed in 2011. He has won the race five more times, all in a row, for a stakes record six. He has entered the race for 13 consecutive years and had at least one horse in the top three for 11 straight years, a streak that ended last year.

The depth and strength of the turf fillies in Brown's stable is no secret and was made clear again this summer when he was responsible for 10 of the 14 nominations for the race. He will saddle four of the six horses that were entered, three of them owned or co-owned by Peter Brant. Brown also had four starters in 2019 when his runners swept the top three spots.

Brown's lineup for the 1 1/8-mile race Saturday is led by Brant's unbeaten Bleecker Street (Quality Road). The seven-time winner earned her first Grade I in the New York S. June 10 at 1 1/4 miles. Bleecker Street will start from post three, just to the inside of Brant and Michael Tabor's Rougir (Fr) (Territories {Ire}), who is making her third start in the U.S. Rougir was a Group 1 winner in France last year. Brant's speedy In Italian (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) drew the outside. She was most recently third to stablemate Regal Glory (Animal Kingdom) in the GI Just A Game S. On the rail is Klaravich Stable's Technical Analysis (Ire) (Kingman {GB}), winner of the GIII Lake George S. and GII Lake Placid S. at Saratoga last summer.

Brown said his crew of 4-year-old Diana runners have arrived at the race from a variety of directions.

“There are the horses that we develop from scratch, so to speak, like a Bleecker Street that we had as a baby,” Brown said. “We bought her across the street [at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga 2019 Yearling Sale for $400,000], Mr. Brant and I. She's an overachiever. When we bought her, we thought she was going to be a dirt horse. She didn't really train well on it. We started her off kind of at 'Triple A' down there between Monmouth and the Meadowlands and then she just got good. And we gave her a shot in the big leagues, and this horse is undefeated.

“Then we have some European horses to go along with her that are really good. You know, like Rougir and Technical Analysis and In Italian.”

Brown said that many of his turf stakes fillies arrive as young horses and grow in his program.

“You go through the list and they're all different types of horses,” he said. “Fluffy Socks is a homebred with a modest pedigree. She's by Slumber (GB). Bleecker Street is a horse we bought across the street. Yes, there's some European horses that we bought. Technical Analysis I bought as a yearling and broke her. In Italian was the same. Rougir was a horse Mr. Brant paid a lot of money for. It gets a little bit misconstrued in the press sometimes, like 'these guys get sent the best horses.' We develop them.”

Though he nominated Regal Glory for the Diana, Brown has a more ambitious plan for the multiple Grade I winner he has handled throughout her career. Brown trained her for her breeder, Paul Pompa, and recommended that Brant buy her at the dispersal following Pompa's death.

“Probably run against the boys in the GI Fourstardave. I have another horse for the race, Masen (GB) (Kingman {GB}). They're probably going to have to run against each other. I think at this point, Regal Glory, I think she's best at a mile, a mile and a sixteenth. I really do. My long-term target for her is the Breeders' Cup against the boys at a mile. So, I'm leaning that way, but not for certain.”

Saturday's Saratoga card also features a loaded renewal of the GIII Sanford S. for 2-year-olds. 'TDN Rising Stars' Forte (Violence) and Andiamo a Firenze (Speightstown) lead the way in the 12-horse field following sparkling debuts downstate.

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Fasig-Tipton’s NY-Bred Catalogue Available

Fasig-Tipton, which this week released the catalogue for its select Saratoga Sale, has also made the New York-Bred Yearlings catalogue available. The sale has 283 yearlings entered for the Aug. 14-15 event, which will take place in the Humphrey S. Finney Pavilion in Saratoga. The Sunday session will begin at 7 p.m. with the Monday session scheduled for noon.

“The New York-Bred Yearlings sale annually offers the best of the New York-bred crop, and this year's catalogue is very strong in terms of sire power and quality individuals,” said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning. “Over $60 million will be distributed in purse money, incentives, and awards for New York-breds this year. In addition, there are new purse enhancements and incentives for the New York Stallion Stakes Series and New York-Sired bonus programs that will go into effect next year. This is a very exciting time to own a New York-bred.”

The catalogue, which features GISW Americanrevolution (Constitution) on the cover, is ready online and will also be available in the Equineline sales catalogue app. Print catalogues are also available.

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Saratoga Returns With Eventful Opening Day

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY – Like it was putting on a comfortable pair of shoes, racing oh-so easily slipped back into Saratoga Race Course Thursday for what turned into a warm, bright, feel-good season opener.

The 10-race program that started during a brief rain storm before playing out in sunshine, did not deliver the expected storybook type of result in the featured GIII Schuylerville S., though. Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas, absent from America's oldest track for two seasons, watched Summer Promise (Uncle Mo), the 6-5 favorite, finish second to Just Cindy (Justify) in the six-furlong stake for 2-year-old fillies.

The New York Racing Association announced its paid attendance at 28,466 and the all-sources handle at $21,764,922. In 2021, the attendance was 27,760 and the handle was $21,935,534.

Lukas, 86, and his wife Laurie watched the replay several times in their clubhouse box after Summer Promise ended up 2 1/4 lengths behind the Clarkland Farm homebred.

“I didn't think that the bump at the middle of the stretch helped,” Lukas said. “But I don't think it affected us all that much. I think that she was just a little bit short. I think she needed the race. I was surprised because I trained on her pretty good. But this is a new surface, a deeper surface and I think that she needed to maybe be tighter.”

Wearing a big, white cowboy hat and aviator glasses as he sought his first Saratoga graded stakes win since Sporting Chance's (Tiznow) score in the 2017 GI Hopeful S., Lukas said the well-bred BC Stables filly just wasn't up to the challenge in her second career start and first venture into stakes company. Lukas said he was eyeing the Schuylerville even before she won her debut by five lengths on June 25 at Churchill Downs.

Lukas will be back in stakes company July 23 when his GI Kentucky Oaks winner Secret Oath (Arrogate) returns to competition in the GI Coaching Club American Oaks.

Two races before the 104th Schuylerville, named for a small town east of Saratoga Springs, favored Tarabi (First Samurai), trained by Cherie DeVaux, won the inaugural running of the Wilton. The Wilton for 3-year-old fillies was significant and drew a fair amount of attention because it was the first mile dirt race run at the track in 30 years and the first out of a chute in 50 years.

NYRA officials decided during the winter to rebuild the Wilson Chute, which was in use from 1902 through 1972. It was torn down to make room for parking. In 1992, NYRA ran 25 mile races from a starting gate on the first turn. That experiment was scuttled after the one season because of complaints that horses starting from inner post positions had an unfair advantage.

Starting from post six in the field of seven under Javier Castellano, Tarabi sat just off the pace, took the lead inside the three-sixteenths pole and prevailed by three-quarters of a length in 1:38.53.

Trainer Todd Pletcher, who saddled the runner-up Goddess of Fire (Mineshaft) and two others in the field, had no complaints.

“I thought the race went smoothly,” he said. “The fractions seemed a little slow. I wonder how accurate the time was. It seemed kind of slow for these type of fillies to be going that slow. As far as the race, the way it unfolded, it looked like a pretty fair race.”

The addition of the chute enables NYRA to schedule dirt races as a distance between seven furlongs and 1 1/8 miles and run one-mile turf races moved to the main track at the same distance.

“Mile and an eighth races, we've had a lot of success there,” Pletcher said. “I'm not going to judge it so soon. I didn't see a huge need for it, but maybe it will turn out to be a good thing. We'll see.”

During and after the fifth race, “Bones” Lafaro of Milton, NY, a small town in the Hudson Valley near Poughkeepsie, was the ringleader of a raucous crowd of approximately 50 friends and relatives who saluted their late friend, Freddy Butwell, with the Freddy B. Memorial Race.

“Me and Freddie were elementary school friends. High school friends. We grew up together and played basketball and other sports together,” Lofaro said. “Freddie passed away from complications of COVID this past year. He would always invite me to the track when he had a place up here. For the last six, seven years I'd come up. He loved to be here. I thought it was just a great way to repay him. His wife was here today. We had a great time. This is a great experience. He loved Saratoga.”

As an added bonus, Lofaro said that Butwell was a friend of a co-breeder of the winning horse, the favorite Majority Partner (Unified), trained by Jeremiah Englehart. Majority Partner paid $5.60 to win and the way the Freddy B. Memorial Race crew celebrated, it was clear that many of them had tickets on the winner.

Lofaro said that he and Butwell often came to Saratoga for opening days and that it was especially nice that the memorial race was held on the first day of the season.

Though he acknowledged being disappointed with the outcome of the Schuylerville, Lukas said he enjoyed being back at Saratoga with a big, loud crowd.

“It was wonderful,” he said. “Racing needs this enthusiasm and excitement and it only happens here. Keeneland, here and Del Mar are the racetracks where you get some kind of atmosphere. It felt like the old times.”

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