Hipodromos y caballos - Racetracks and horses BloodStockReview2013 | Page 31

K I T T E N’S A C R A C K E R

out of Kitten’s First, by Lear Fan, Kitten’s
Joy was trained by Dale Romans to win the
2004 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational
and Secretariat Stakes. That year another
Ramsey flag-bearer, Roses In May, took
the Whitney Handicap en route to Dubai
World Cup victory the following March.
“We kept the right one,” says Ramsey
of the decision to sell Roses In May to
Japan. “Kitten’s Joy was a champion and
the first five stallions in his sire line are
all champions. Then his first three dams
are either Grade 1 winners or have
produced a Grade 1 winner.”
With Kitten’s Joy installed at Ramsey
Farm for the 2006 season at a fee of
$25,000, Ramsey used the revenue
generated by the earnings won by Roses In
May and his subsequent sale to stock up
on suitable mates. And given that 14 of the
stallion’s stakes runners are out of mares
containing Hail To Reason blood, it did
not take long to unearth a successful cross.
“We were trying to get well-bred
mares, what we call ‘has beens’ rather
than ‘never beens’,” says Ramsey, a retired
businessman whose most recent venture
was a cellular telephone network. He used
his encyclopaedic knowledge of the form
book to target particular fillies in the
claiming ranks. “They had to have correct
conformation and some back-quality
class to the pedigree. A lot of the time it’s
difficult to claim a filly with a strong first
dam, but we’d look as long they had a
good second or third dam.
“Mark has an excellent eye. If he
didn’t like them when they came to the
farm they’d go back to the track.”
So what makes Kitten’s Joy so good?
Sarah Ramsey attributes his success to
the toughness, will to win and versatility
exhibited by his progeny while highlighting
the importance of the farm’s facilities,
such as the state-of-the-art
underwater treadmill and
vibrating platform, said to
increase bone density. The
1,215-acre property,
bought in 1994, also has
the Jessamine Creek
Ken and Sarah Ramsey:
confident in their
stallion’s ability
racingpost.com/ipad

1 31

The state-of-the-art treadmill on the
1,215-acre Ramsey Farm in Kentucky

running through it, allowing the horses
constant access to natural spring water.
The next chapter of Kitten’s Joy’s stud
career is likely to take on an international
flavour. Ramsey has already successfully
campaigned his progeny in Italy with
Gianluca Bietolini and in Ireland with
Dermot Weld.
Determined to one day win at
Royal Ascot after coming close with
Cannonball in the 2009 Golden Jubilee
Stakes, Ramsey is relishing the prospect
of sending a larger group of ‘Kittens’ to
race in Europe, one of whom could be
this year’s Just A Game Stakes heroine
Stephanie’s Kitten.
Plans are also on the horizon to stand
a son of Kitten’s Joy. “Not everyone can
afford the stud fee,” says Partridge, “but
they’ll sure breed to a son. It’s tough to
stand a turf horse over here but Kitten’s
Joy is making it easier to do that.”
Ramsey adds: “It’s been amazing, a
homebred stallion. That’s what has made
it so enjoyable.” 

Dam who beat
odds from start
THE fact Kitten’s Joy was born at all is
remarkable given Ken Ramsey was advised
to put down his dam, Kitten’s First, after the
daughter of Lear Fan suffered a pelvis injury in
her second start for Bill Mott. )