Bobby's Kitten ace sprinter-miler from Theatrical family

BOBBY'S KITTEN (USA) - 2011 bay horse

The early stallion sons of Sadler's Wells (by Northern Dancer) achieved mixed results at stud but one of the handful who stood out was El Prado, an Irish Group 1 winner who went to stud in the USA. The grey was out of the Group 1 Irish 1000 Guineas scorer Lady Capulet (by Sir Ivor), he sired 83 stakes winners and one of the most influential of those is his son Kitten's Joy.

The Grade 1 star and Ramsey Farm stallion is well-established as being one of the leading sires in the US, his European representatives include this year's Group 1 Coral-Eclipse scorer Hawkbill, and he is also responsible for one of the most intriguing new additions to the European stallion ranks: Bobby's Kitten, who will stand at Lanwades Stud.​

His best win came in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint, where he got up near the line to beat No Nay Never by half a length, and his sole European start resulted in a runaway success in a six-furlong listed contest at Cork, so there might be a temptation to view him solely as a sprinter and to have expectations that his best progeny will excel in that division. But these would not be accurate perceptions of this high-class prospect.

Bobby's Kitten was just as effective at a mile, as one would expect of a Kitten's Joy horse who comes from the immediate family of the Grade 1 stars Paradise Creek (by Irish River), Wild Event (by Wild Again), Forbidden Apple (by Pleasant Colony), David Junior (by Pleasant Tap) and Eden's Moon (by Malibu Moon).​

He is the best of four multiple winners for his dam, Celestial Woods (by Forestry), and that triple scorer's quartet includes the listed race winner Major Magic and the high-class eight to 10-furlong horse Camelot Kitten. All are full-brothers to her Grade 1 star.

The latter is a Chad Brown-trained three-year-old and, like the others, was bred by Kenneth and Sarah Ramsey. The most recent of his four graded wins came over nine furlongs at Belmont Park in early October, his Grade 2 wins have both been over eight and a half furlongs, and he was only beaten by a total of one and three-quarter lengths when fourth to Deauville in the 10-furlong Grade 1 Belmont Derby Invitational Stakes in July.

The aforementioned list of Group/Grade 1 stars all appear under third dam North of Eden (by Northfields) – the first three are her sons and she is the grandam of the latter pair. And, as many will remember, the more famous of her two high-class siblings was Theatrical (by Nureyev), the Group 1 Irish Derby runner-up who went on to sweep six Grade 1s and the turf horse Eclipse Award in the USA before going on to becoming a leading international sire.

With the right mares, Bobby's Kitten could certainly get some top-notch sprinters, but the overall picture of his racing record and pedigree is that of a horse who has the potential to become a successful sire of milers and middle-distance horses. He was a Grade 1-placed eight-and-a-half furlong Grade 3 scorer as a juvenile so he also appeals as a stallion who could get some high-class late season juveniles too.

​BOBBY'S KITTEN (USA) – b.2011 – Kitten's Joy – Celestial Woods, 6 wins inc Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (Gr1), Pilgrim Stakes (Gr3), Penn Mile Stakes (L), Cork Stakes (L), 2nd National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame Stakes (Gr2), 3rd Woodbine Mile Stakes (Gr1), Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (Gr1). Sire in England. First foals in 2018.