SIRE LINE
KITTEN’S JOY
Sire of Group/Grade 1 winners ADMIRAL KITTEN (USA), BIG BLUE KITTEN (USA), BOBBY'S KITTEN (USA), CHIROPRACTOR (USA), DIVISIDERO (USA), HAWKBILL (USA), HENLEY’S JOY (USA), KAMEKO (USA), KITTEN'S DUMPLINGS (USA), OSCAR PERFORMANCE (USA), REAL SOLUTION (USA), ROARING LION (USA), SADLER'S JOY (USA), STEPHANIE'S KITTEN (USA), and 36 Gr.2/Gr.3 winners.
The Leading Turf sire in North America from 2013-2019. Won Turf Classic Invitational Gr.1, Secretariat Stakes Gr.1, Breeder’s Cup Handicap Gr.2, Virginia Derby Gr.3, American Turf Gr.3, Palm Beach Stakes Handicap Gr.3.
DAM LINE
1st Dam
SWEETER STILL (IRE), placed once at 2 years and £1,571; also won 5 races in U.S.A. at 3 and 5 years and £160,727
including Senorita Stakes, Hollywood Park, Gr.3, Sandy Blue Handicap, Del Mar, L., China Doll Stakes, Santa
Anita, L. and Light Hearted Stakes, Delaware Park, placed 3 times including second in Providencia Stakes,
Santa Anita, Gr.2 and third in Honeymoon Handicap, Hollywood Park, Gr.2; dam of 1 winner:
KAMEKO (USA), see above.
Catchingsnowflakes (USA) (2014 f. by Galileo (IRE)), unraced; dam of a winner:
THE WACO KID (IRE) (c. by Mehmas (IRE)), 2 races at 2 years, 2024 and £66,133 including Somerville Tattersall Stakes, Newmarket, Gr.3 and placed once including third in Flying Scotsman Stakes, Doncaster, L, fourth in Acomb Stakes, York, Gr.3.
2nd Dam
BELTISAAL (FR), placed 5 times in France at 3 years; dam of 10 winners:
KINGSBARNS (IRE) (c. by Galileo (IRE)), 2nd top rated 2yr old in Europe in 2012, won 2 races at 2 years and
£278,924 including Racing Post Trophy, Doncaster, Gr.1, placed third in Qipco Queen Elizabeth II Stakes,
Ascot, Gr.1; sire.
SWEETER STILL (IRE), see above.
BELLE ARTISTE (IRE) (f. by Namid (GB)), won 2 races at 2 and 3 years and £72,209 including Derrinstown Stud
1000 Guineas Trial, Leopardstown, Gr.3.
GIMLI’S ROCK (IRE) (g. by Rock of Gibraltar (IRE)), won 3 races from 3 to 5 years and £109,133; also won 7
races over hurdles to 8 years and £106,138 and won 1 race over fences at 6 years including WKD Core
Hurdle, Down Royal, Gr.2, placed third in Red Mills Trial Hurdle, Gowran Park, Gr.2.
3rd DAM
ITTISAAL, placed 4 times at 2 and 3 years; dam of 7 winners including:
KAFHAR (GB) (c. by In The Wings), Top rated 3yr old in Italy in 1996 (9.5-10.5f.), won 3 races in Italy
including Premio Botticelli, Rome, L., placed third in Premio Guido Beradelli, Rome, Gr.2; sire.
TOHO VENUS (JPN), won 1 race in Japan and placed 8 times; dam of winners.
TOHO CHASER (JPN), 8 races in Japan including NST Sho, Niigata, L.
The next dam HOUSE TIE, won 1 race at 3 years and placed 4 times; dam of 6 winners including:
TEA HOUSE, won 4 races including Cornelscourt Stakes, Leopardstown, L., placed fourth in Prix Chloe,
Evry, Gr.3; dam of winners.
DANISH (IRE), Jt 4th top rated 3yr old filly in France in 1994, 6 races at home, in France and U.S.A.
including Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Stakes, Keeneland, Gr.1, Saratoga Breeders’ Cup
Handicap, Saratoga, Gr.3, Prix La Sorellina, La Teste Buch, L. and My Charmer Handicap, Calder, L.,
placed second in Flower Bowl Handicap, Belmont Park, Gr.1 and third in Flower Bowl Handicap,
Belmont Park, Gr.1; grandam of AFRICAN STORY (GB), Jt Champion older horse in Europe in 2014, 8
races in France and U.A.E. including Emirates Airline Dubai World Cup, Meydan, Gr.1, Emirates Airline
Al Maktoum Challenge R3, Meydan, Gr.1, Etisalat Godolphin Mile, Meydan, Gr.2 and Emirates Sky
Cargo Burj Nahaar, Meydan, Gr.3 (twice).
ACE (IRE), 3 races including Desmond Stakes, Leopardstown, Gr.3, placed second in Prince of Wales’s
Stakes, York, Gr.1 and John Deere Breeders’ Cup Turf, Belmont Park, Gr.1 and third in Tattersalls Gold
Cup, Curragh, Gr.1, Prix Ganay, Longchamp, Gr.1 and Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Inv. Stakes, Belmont
Park, Gr.1; sire.
HAWKEYE (IRE), 3 races including Desmond Stakes, Curragh, Gr.3, placed third in Queen Elizabeth II
Stakes, Ascot, Gr.1, Prix du Moulin de Longchamp, Longchamp, Gr.1 and Gran Premio di Milano,
TEISHEBAINI (IRE), 2 races in Italy including Premio Daumier, Rome, L., placed second in Premio Divino
Amore, Rome, L. and Premio Nearco, Rome, L.
Butter Knife (IRE), unraced; grandam of CONTEMPORARY (IRE), 2 races in France including Prix Miesque,
Maisons-Laffitte, Gr.3; third dam of OTTONE (GB), 3 races in Italy including Premio Primi Passi,
Milan, Gr.3.
ACADEMIC, won 3 races in France and U.S.A. including Prix de la Ville de Trouville, Deauville, L., placed third
in San Juan Capistrano Invitation Handicap, Santa Anita, Gr.1; sire.
Bag O’Rhythm, won 3 races, placed third in Moet & Chandon Zukunfts-Rennen, Baden-Baden, Gr.2.
Jamaican Punch (IRE), ran twice on the flat; dam of winners.
MUSTIQUE DREAM (GB), 2 races and placed 5 times; grandam of RIP VAN WINKLE (IRE), Champion 3yr
old miler in Europe in 2009, Champion older horse in Europe in 2010 (9.5-10.5f.), 5 races including
Juddmonte International Stakes, York, Gr.1, Sony Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, Ascot, Gr.1, BGC Sussex
Stakes, Goodwood, Gr.1 and Tyros Stakes, Leopardstown, Gr.3, placed second in Coral Eclipse Stakes,
Sandown Park, Gr.1, Tatts Millions Irish Champion Stakes, Leopardstown, Gr.1, Sony Queen Elizabeth
II Stakes, Ascot, Gr.1 and Sussex Stakes, Goodwood, Gr.1; sire, LE VIE INFINITE (IRE), 7 races in Italy
including Premio del Piazzale, Milan, Gr.3; sire; third dam of STAR OF EMARAATY (IRE), 2 races at 2
years, 2020 including Sweet Solera Stakes, Newmarket, Gr.3, FLEET REVIEW (USA), 3 races including
Dubai Duty Frees Dash Belgrave Stakes, Curragh, L., placed second in Juddmonte Middle Park Stakes,
Newmarket, Gr.1 and third in Darley July Cup Stakes, Newmarket, Gr.1.
Bloodstock consultant Michael Youngs takes a detailed look into the sire line of Tweenhills' dual Gr.1 winner and new sire for 2021, Kameko...
Sadler’s Wells was active for no less than 22 seasons resulting in 12 Leading Sire titles in the UK. From more than 1,700 runners he sired five sons who still have major active sire-lines in the Northern Hemisphere. In Europe they are Galileo and Montjeu, as well as In The Wings and High Chaparral (whose legacy is more likely to be in the Southern Hemisphere) plus El Prado in North America.
The race records of the dams of these five sons are instructive. Galileo is out of the exceptional Gr.1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (12f) winner Urban Sea. Montjeu is out of Gr.1 Prix Royal Oak (15.5f) runner-up Floripedes. In The Wings is from Gr.2 Ribblesdale Stakes (12f) winning High Hawk and High Chaparral from an unraced Darshaan daughter of Arc third Kozana. Only two of these five sons to be Gr.1-winning two-year-olds were Gr.1 Racing Post Trophy winner High Chaparral and Champion Irish two-year-old El Prado, whose dam Lady Capulet won the Gr.1 Irish 1000 Guineas on her racecourse debut.
El Prado became North American Champion Sire in 2002. Although principally a turf sire he also succeeded on dirt with his progeny including multiple Gr.1 winner and leading sire Medaglia d’Oro, himself sire of champions such as Rachel Alexander and Songbird. Medaglia d’Oro’s Gr.1-winning son Violence in turn sired three Gr.1 sprint winners in North America, including Volatile who recorded the highest Beyer speed figure for 2020. But El Prado already had a perennial ‘top five’ sire with turf champion Kitten’s Joy, a son of the multiple Gr.1 winner-producing blue hen Kitten’s First, a daughter of Roberto’s Gr.1 Prix Jacques le Marois winner Lear Fan. Despite his offspring’s propensity for turf, Kitten’s Joy followed his sire’s footsteps and topped the North America General Sires list in 2018.
El Prado’s sire-line legacy looks assured, and it differs from the other Sadler’s Wells sons in its predilection for speed; El Prado would not have flourished in America otherwise. Medaglia d’Oro has sired 21 Gr.1 winners, 13 of whom are out of Stakes-winning mares. Kitten’s Joy has sired 14 Gr.1 winners but only two are out of Stakes-winning mares and only one from a Group/Graded Stakes winner – that being Kameko.
According to Timeform, the highest-rated El Prado line males are Roaring Lion (Rating 130), Medaglia d’Oro (129), Kameko and Kitten’s Joy (both 128). Of these, only Kameko won a Gr.1 at two. Kameko’s genetic imprint is that of a miler stemming from his grandsire El Prado as well as Kameko’s Gr.3-winning miler dam, herself a daughter of a Gr.1 2000 Guineas winner. This places Kameko on the median for the breed and, combined with his correct conformation and tremendous constitution, he will fit a very wide range of mares.
