Sadler’s Wells is Taking Root in America

By Jack Werk

I’m not one to say I told you so, but ok, I’ll say it just this one time – I told you so! Check out my blog post Kitten’s Joy is on the Prowl from Aug. 14, 2009, when El Prado’s champion turf son Kitten’s Joy had ZERO Stakes Winners to his name. After this weekend, with 3 NEW SWs, he now has 5 SWs! That’s the best among all freshman sires to date, and Kitten’s Joy is 2nd on the freshman sire list by progeny earnings through Tuesday, too, with $911,061 in earnings to $994,330 for leader Roman Ruler.

In that post, I wrote, “Kitten’s Joy is showing early signs of becoming another successful son at stud for his excellent sire, a son of the legendary Sadler’s Wells,” and I also wrote, “He’s siring true to his pedigree and racing form. All his winners to date in North America have won on either turf or synthetics! And, more importantly, they’ve won some pretty good maiden specials over a distance of ground.” It’s really for this reason that I projected Kitten’s Joy’s 2yos would come on. They were coming to hand early and racing pretty well in sprints, but they just figured to love the stretch out – especially on turf! – and they have!

All three of Kitten’s Joy’s SWs this weekend came over a distance on turf, but he also has had a SW over a distance on dirt, too. From what I’ve read, he’s going to have at least two – and maybe three – runners in the Breeders’ Cup, which would have been harder to predict than Mine That Bird winning the Derby! Let’s face it, this horse was not exactly bred to ‘blue hens,’ so he’s pretty much doing it on his own.

Actually, he’s had some help, and this is part of the reason for this post. Four of Kitten’s Joy’s 5 SWs are bred and owned by Ken and Sarah Ramsey, who bred, raced, and stand the sire. The Ramseys are breeders from the past, in this regard. They own the mares, the stallion, and the babies, and they race a steady stream of homebreds. It’s a great formula for making a non-commercial stallion, especially a turf horse like Kitten’s Joy.

Coolmore's Legendary Sadler's Wells

This is exactly what Frank Stronach did with El Prado, who is establishing the Sadler’s Wells line in North America with Medaglia d’Oro – and now with Kitten’s Joy. El Prado, you may remember, entered stud in 1993 while standing for just $7,500. Nine years later he had become North America’s Leading Sire by Progeny Earnings for 2002 and ranked 2nd to A.P. Indy the following year. During El Prado’s early years at stud Stronach heavily supported El Prado with his own mares.

It’s interesting to note that my client Chuck Fipke, who bred, raced and now stands the Sadler’s Wells stallion Perfect Soul, is using the same formula of Stronach and the Ramseys. He’s purchased over 50 mares at auction to breed to Perfect Soul, and he’s racing most of the progeny. Don’t forget that the first North American classic winner for the Sadler’s Wells line was Chuck’s Not Bourbon, who won the Queen’s Plate last year. Not Bourbon was a homebred sired by Chuck’s homebred Sadler’s Wells stallion Not Impossible – Perfect Soul’s full brother.

This year, the Sadler’s Wells line was represented by its 2nd North American classic winner when Medaglia d’Oro’s Rachel Alexandra won the Preakness. Then, Perfect Soul joined his full brother as a classic sire when Chuck’s Perfect Shower won the 12f Breeders’ Stakes – the last leg of the Canadian Triple Crown and the 3rd North American classic winner for the Sadler’s Wells line in two years!

I don’t believe that Kitten’s Joy or Perfect Soul – as grass horses – would have stood a chance to succeed here without the major support of their owner/breeders. Medaglia d’Oro was a little different, because he was a dirt horse, but his success is an indicator that the Sadler’s Wells line can make the transition to the American racing environment. Kitten’s Joy is following in his footsteps and figures to get even better with better mares, and I wouldn’t rule out Perfect Soul yet. He had an impressive 2-year-old winner (first-time starter) at Woodbine Sunday, and as you’d suspect, the colt was bred and is raced by Chuck! One thing I can tell you for sure is that the mares that produced Perfect Soul’s second crop are better than those who produced his first crop, and the mares that produced Perfect Soul’s third crop are better than those who produced his second crop!

(Footnote: Kitten’s Joy was named eMatings Stallion of the Week for W/E 10/25/09)

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