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Kenneth and Sarah Ramsey have done a tremendous job with their stallion, Catienus, a Storm Cat son whom they claimed, then sent out to win a minor stakes, run second in the Suburban Handicap (gr. II), two renewals of the Saratoga Breeders' Cup Handicap (gr. II) and place third in the Whitney Handicap (gr. I). Catienus has never been a fashionable stallion, but has sired 20 stakes winners in his first six crops - most of them for the Ramsey's - including grade I winners Precious Kitten and Dawn of War.

Now the story is repeating itself with the Ramsey's Champion Turf Horse Kitten's Joy. He fits into the Sadler's Wells story, as he is by El Prado (IRE) (TrueNicks,SRO) . An untypical son of Sadler's Wells - a grey who was Champion Two-Year-Old in Ireland - El Prado became a surprise sire success in the U.S., earning a Leading Sire's crown. Of course El Prado's potential as a sire of sires was quickly established by the achievements of his son Medaglia d'Oro (TrueNicks,SRO).

Kitten's Joy doesn't yet have a Rachel Alexandra to his name, but what he does have is five first crop two-year-old stakes winners, three of whom tallied at the weekend. Last Saturday at Retama Park, Lisa's Kitten won the M2 Technology La Senorita Stakes, and Kera's Kitten took the Sky y El Joven Stakes, Both are now heading to the Breeders' Cup. The following day, another Kitten's Joy offspring, Dean's Kitten, won the Vision Stakes at Belmont, with Shrimp Dancer, also by Kitten's Joy, third.

Lisa's Kitten (TrueNicks A++) is out of a mare by Woodman, with a second dam by Devil's Bag (a brother to Saint Ballado, who is broodmare sire of Sweet Kitten, a Kitten's Joy who has won two graded stakes in Puerto Rico). Kera's Kitten is out of a mare by Dixieland Band, with a second dam by His Majesty. This third weekend stakes winner for Kitten's Joy, Dean's Kitten (TrueNicks rated A++), is out of Ide a son of Forty Niner. This is rather interesting, as Medaglia d'Oro has two stakes winners, including Rachel Alexandra, out of mares by Roar, also a son of Forty Niner.

Filed under: Sire Lines, Pedigrees and Breeding, Recent Winners, Emerging Nicks, Sires, 2-Year-Olds