Champion Kitten's Joy retired

Kitten's Joy retires with two Grade 1 victories  (Michael J. Marten/Horsephotos.com)

Ken and Sarah Ramsey's homebred KITTEN'S JOY (El Prado [Ire]), last year's

champion turf horse and a leading contender for the Breeders' Cup Turf (G1) on

October 29 at Belmont Park, has been retired from racing due damaged cartilage

in his left knee. The four-year-old will enter stud next year at Ramsey Farm

near Nicholasville, Kentucky.

Kitten's Joy was taken out of consideration for Saturday's Joe Hirsch Turf

Classic Invitational S. (G1) and was sent to the farm last week for evaluation

after trainer Dale Romans noticed something amiss. The chestnut finished second

as the 4-5 favorite in the Arlington Million (G1) on August 13 and worked five

furlongs in 1:02 2/5 over a firm inner turf course at Belmont Park on September

12. Kitten's Joy captured the one-mile Firecracker Breeders' Cup H. (G2) on July

4 at Churchill Downs in his seasonal debut.

In 2004, Kitten's Joy opened the year with a victory in the Tropical Park Derby (G3)

before annexing the Palm Beach S. (G3),

American Turf S. (G3), Virginia Derby (G3) and Secretariat S. (G1). He defeated

older horses by 2 1/2 lengths in the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational and

then finished a close second in the Breeders' Cup Turf at Lone Star Park. He

underwent surgery to remove a bone chip from the same knee at the conclusion of

his 2004 campaign.

Over three seasons of racing, Kitten's Joy compiled a record of 14-9-4-0 and

earned $2,075,791.

A grandson of Sadler's Wells, Kitten's Joy is a half-brother to multiple

stakes winner Justenuffheart (Broad Brush), the dam of promising two-year-old

Lewis Michael (Rahy). He is out of the winning Lear Fan mare Kitten's First, a

half-sister to 2000 United Nations H. (G1) winner Down The Aisle (Runaway

Groom). His third dam, One Lane (Prince John), produced 1977 Mother Goose S.

(G1) heroine Road Princess (*Gallant Man), the dam of 1992 Goodwood H. (G2)

winner Reign Road (Sovereign Dancer).