2004 Eclipse Award Champion Male Turf Horse
May 8 - Kitten's Joy
Ken and Sarah Ramsey raced him and even stood him as their only stallion for a while at their farm before he later stood at Hill ‘n Dale. Kitten was Ken's nickname for Sarah, and thus, Kitten's Joy is a tribute to her.
The Boxer, the Kitten and the Rabbit:
So, how does the aircraft carrier the USS Boxer figure into this story? Ken served on the USS Boxer for a while and raced a horse by that name. Up at Saratoga USS Boxer was racing and won. Joe, a friend of mine via Dave Whelihan said that his father served on the USS Boxer so, we headed over to the winner's circle to congratulate Ken and introduce Joe. I had painted Kitten's Joy for the book, A Brush With Greatness, and had a quote from Ken but we have been playing rabbit getting it sold. Playing rabbit is when the chase ends up in the bushes. Ken is good at the game.
Right there in the winner's circle at Saratoga, I noticed that Michael Blowen was standing there as well, and I knew Ken had been a good supporter of Old Friends. So, I told Ken the paintings were $______ and if he did it right now, I'd give $1,000 to Old Friends in his name. Finally, the rabbit came out of the bush.
To finish the chasing rabbits’ story, I told Michael that I could write the check or give him $1,000 worth of the books, A Brush With Greatness, at the wholesale price. Michael was more than happy to put the book in the Old Friends gift shop and quickly doubled the money. Tricks are for kids and sometimes grownups like to play too, especially when everybody wins.
Kitten's Joy was a brilliant turf champion and one of the most influential American grass sires of the modern era. He was foaled in 2001 and trained by Dale Romans for owners Ken and Sarah Ramsey of Ramsey Farm. His sire was El Prado, a top turf stallion and a son of Sadler's Wells, and his dam was Kitten's First, a daughter of Lear Fan. He carried a deep European pedigree built for class on the grass.
Kitten's Joy put together a brilliant three year old season in 2004. He won a string of important turf stakes, including the Secretariat Stakes at Arlington Park, the Virginia Derby, and the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational at Belmont Park. The wins came against the best turf horses of his generation, and he kept improving with every start. At the end of 2004, he was named the Eclipse Award Champion Male Turf Horse, the top honor in his division.
He came back as a four year old in 2005 with hopes of adding a Breeders Cup Turf to his record, but injuries cut that campaign short. He retired with 9 wins from 14 starts and earnings of over 2 million dollars. Kitten's Joy never won a Breeders Cup race, but his Eclipse championship and his deep stakes resume placed him among the very best American grass horses of his era.
The biggest legacy of Kitten's Joy came at stud at Ramsey Farm in Kentucky. He became the leading turf sire in North America for many years and was the leading general sire in 2013 by progeny earnings. His best runners included Big Blue Kitten, who won the Sword Dancer Stakes and the United Nations Stakes; Stephanie's Kitten, a multiple Grade 1 winner and Breeders Cup champion; Bobby's Kitten, who won the 2014 Breeders Cup Turf Sprint; and Real Solution, who took the Arlington Million. Kitten's Joy passed away in 2022. His influence on the American turf scene runs as deep as any sire of his time, and his sons and daughters continue to carry his name to the winner's circle around the world.
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