phidippus clarus is a species of jumping spider ( family salticidae ) found in old fields throughout eastern north america .

it often waits upside down near the top of a plant , which may be useful for detecting prey , and then quickly jumps down before the prey can escape .

the spider is one of 60 species in the genus phidippus , and one of about 5,000 in the salticidae , a family that accounts for about 10 % of all spider species .

p. clarus is a predator , mostly taking insects , other spiders , and other terrestrial arthropods .

like other jumping spiders , it has vision more acute than a cat and ten times more acute than a dragonfly .

the eyes are used to locate prey and rivals , and find and court mates .

all spiders have sensors for smell , taste , touch and vibration protruding through their cuticle ( " skin " ) .

p. clarus , a relatively large salticid , takes prey up to the size of an adult earwig .

in an experiment , p. clarus was offered as many fruit flies as it could eat , and in four-hour sessions individuals took 17 flies on average – while one took 41 .

when p. clarus males compete for females , the winners are those that produce the most vibrations on the surface and those that are largest .

the average clutch is 135 eggs .

unlike most of the genus phidippus , p. clarus females die after one brood has left the nest .

p. clarus is parasitized by the californian wasp aporinellus completus and by mermithid nematodes .

in an experiment in 2006 , p. clarus showed promise for controlling the fourlined plant bug , poecilocapsus lineatus , which severely damages the commercially grown sweet basil .

phidippus clarus

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phidippus clarus keyserling , 1884 [ 1885 ]
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the potential of a jumping spider , phidippus clarus , as a biocontrol agent .
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jumping spider ( phidippus clarus ) pouncing on a hoverfly ( digitally enhanced ) . north america .
the potential of a jumping spider , phidippus clarus , as a biocontrol agent . - pubmed - ncbi
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phidippus clarus , u , face redo , pg county _ 2013 - 07 - 30 - 16 . 53 . 20 zs pmax
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jumping spider - phidippus clarus live adult jumping spiders photographed at northern illinois . family salticidae - jumping spiders spider index | spider main | orb web | cobweb
immatures of other phidippus species could be mistaken for a female of this species , or the male might be mistaken for the female of phidippus johnsoni .
oscillogram of a male phidippus clarus ( a ) courtship vibration and ( b ) aggressive courtship vibration signal . male courtship vibrations are relatively longer in duration compared with male aggressive courtship vibrations .
for instance , in the jumping spider phidippus clarus , which the researchers examined in a separate study , the adult ' s digestive system is in the spider ' s cephalothorax—its head and body cavity .
mating strategy of phidippus johnsoni ( araneae : salticidae ) . 1 . pursuit time and presistence
kasumovic , m , 2010 , ' vibratory communication in the jumping spider phidippus clarus : substrate - borne courtship signals are important for male mating success ' , ethology , vol . 116 , pp . 990 - 998
kasumovic , m , 2010 , ' vibratory communication in the jumping spider phidippus clarus : polyandry , male courtship signals , and mating success . ' , behavioral ecology , vol . 21 , pp . 1308 - 1314
p . clarus is parasitized by the californian wasp aporinellus completus and by mermithid nematodes . in an experiment in 2006 , p . clarus showed promise for controlling the fourlined plant bug , poecilocapsus lineatus , which severely damages the commercially - grown sweet basil .
i had almost forgotten that i had taken video of this handsome little male phidippus clarus . note the beautiful metallic scales between the red regions of the abdomen . for more spider photography and videos , head on over to urltoken
the behavioral ecology of jumping spiders ( phidippus sp . ) : laboratory
by chad d hoefler
snetsinger r . 1955 . observations on two species of phidippus . entomological news 66 : 9 - 15 .
the mating strategy of phidippus johnsoni ( araneae : salticidae ) . 2 . sperm competition and the function of copulation
edwards , g . b . 1981 . sound production by courting males of phidippus mystaceus ( araneae : salticidae ) . psyche 88 ( 3 - 4 ) : 199 - 214 ( male and female phidippus mystaceus , anterior views )
males have red lateral stripes on abdomen and white stripes on the dorsal portion of the palp ( femur , patella , tibia ) . female not vividly colored as in other phidippus species and might be confused with immatures of several phidippus .
the behavioral ecology of jumping spiders ( phidippus sp . ) : laboratory and field studies of mating behavior and space use
i finally found a phidippus clarus jumping spider . there are several color and pattern variations of this species , i was so glad to find out that we have the red and orange variations around the area i live . i hope to find a male in the near future .
common name : regal jumping spider scientific name : phidippus regius c . l . koch ( arachnida : araneae : salticidae )
edwards , g . b . and d . e . hill . 1978 . representatives of the north american salticid fauna . peckhamia 1 ( 5 ) : 110 - 117 ( female agassa cyanea , female ballus n . sp . , male corythalia canosa , male eris flava , female euophrys diminuta , male evarcha falcata , male habrocestum bufoides , male habrocestum pulex , male and female hentzia grenada , male hentzia mitrata , male lyssomanes viridis , male maevia michelsoni , female and black form male maevia inclemens , male and female marpissa bina , male marpissa pikei , male marpissa lineata , male metacyrba floridana , female metaphidippus castaneus , male and female metaphidippus galathea , male neon nellii , male neonella vinnula , female peckhamia americana , male and female habronattus georgiensis , male and female habronattus brunneus , male and female habronattus calcaratus , male and female habronattus carolinensis , male pellenes wrighti , female phidippus apacheanus , female phidippus cardinalis , male and female phidippus clarus , female phidippus otiosus , male and female phidippus pulcherrimus , female phidippus purpuratus , male phidippus putnami , female phidippus richmani , female phidippus regius , female salticus scenicus , male sarinda hentzi , female sassacus papenhoei , male sitticus cursor , female synemosyna petrunkevitchi , male and female thiodina sylvana , male tutelina n . sp . , female tutelina similis , male and female zygoballus rufipes )
adults exhibit sexual dimorphism . immatures have different coloration from adults , and may look very similar to immatures of other phidippus species .
this video shows a large jumping spider , an adult female phidippus clarus , as it feeds upon an araneid or orb - weaving spider , acasesia hamata . a . hamata normally rests on top of rolled leaves on herbaceous plants during the day , where it is vunerable to attack by these large jumping spiders ( salticidae ) .
senthurran sivalinghem , michael m . kasumovic , andrew c . mason , maydianne c . b . andrade , damian o . elias ; vibratory communication in the jumping spider phidippus clarus : polyandry , male courtship signals , and mating success , behavioral ecology , volume 21 , issue 6 , 1 november 2010 , pages 1308–1314 , urltoken
anonymous . 1981 . currents , science 81 , 2 ( 1 ) : 7 ( male phidippus mystaceus , rare morph , anterior view ) .
jackson rr . 1977 . courtship versatility in the jumping spider phidippus johnsoni ( araneae : salticidae ) . animal behavior 25 : 953 - 957 .
nice sharp images . be mindful of your white balance though . looks like you were using a tungsten light source , which most cameras have difficulty handling automatically , so you might try to setting the white balance manually before shooting . i can probably fix this series if you like . this is a phidippus clarus . appears to be an immature male .
edwards , g . b . 1981 . the regal jumping spider , phidippus regius ( araneae : salticidae ) . florida dept . agric . cons . serv . , div . plant ind . , entomol . circ . 223 : 1 - 3 ( male and 2 female phidippus regius , dorsal views )
beal , k . g . 1986 . backyard predators - jumping spiders . timeline , ohio hist . soc . 3 ( 3 ) : 42 - 47 ( photo credits of female phiale guttata , male and female phidippus audax , male phidippus pulcherrimus , female salticus scenicus , and female tutelina similis ) .
edwards , g . b . 1978 . two new southern phidippus ( araneae : salticidae ) . florida entomol . 61 ( 2 ) : 77 - 82 .
edwards , g . b . 1994 . neotype designations for the type species of phidippus ( araneae : salticidae ) . insecta mundi 8 : 143 - 144 .
figure 1 . adult male regal jumping spider , phidippus regius c . l . koch . photograph by g . b . edwards , division of plant industry .
revision of the jumping spiders of the genus phidippus ( araneae : salticidae ) . occ . pap . of the florida state coll . of arth . 11 : 156
roach , s . h . 1988 . reproductive periods of phidippus species ( araneae , salticidae ) in south carolina . j . arachnol . 16 : 95 - 101 .
when p . clarus males compete for females , the winners are those that produce the most vibrations on the surface and those that are largest . contests between females involve less displaying , and physical fights between females are more likely to end in injury or death . the most successful males choose the largest females , as these produce the most eggs and most quickly . if a female that has mated already then finds a larger male , she will often mate again with the larger male . the average clutch is 135 eggs . unlike most of the genus phidippus , p . clarus females die after one brood has left the nest .
jumping spiders can leap up to 50 times their own length by powerfully extending the third or fourth pairs of legs , with the longer forelimbs extended to grasp the prey . p . clarus , a relatively large salticid , takes prey up to the size of an adult earwig . in an experiment , p . clarus was offered as many fruit flies as it could eat , and in four - hour sessions individuals took 17 flies on average – while one took 41 .
edwards gb . 1975 . biological studies on the jumping spider , phidippus regius c . l . koch . m . s . thesis , university of florida . 64 p .
revision of the jumping spiders of the genus phidippus ( araneae : salticidae ) g . b . edwards , ph . d . 2003 . florida department of agriculture and consumer services .
carico , j . e . , editor . 1991 . journal of arachnology , volume 19 ( 3 numbers ) , ( cover photograph , female phidippus mystaceus , anterior view ) .
edwards , g . b . 1981 . sound production by courting males of phidippus mystaceus ( araneae : salticidae ) . psyche 88 ( 3 - 4 ) : 199 - 214 .
figure 2 . adult female , gray form , regal jumping spider , phidippus regius c . l . koch . photograph by g . b . edwards , division of plant industry .
figure 3 . adult female , orange form , regal jumping spider , phidippus regius c . l . koch . photograph by g . b . edwards , division of plant industry .
in this study , we examine courtship signaling of the jumping spider , phidippus clarus , and our primary goal was to test the hypothesis that vibratory courtship signals carry information about male size and that females choose males based on properties of vibratory courtship behavior . phidippus clarus are found throughout eastern north america ( edwards 2004 ; hoefler 2007 ; elias et al . 2008 ) where males and females build and live in silken nests ( hibernacula ) in rolled up leaves ( hoefler and jakob 2006 ; hoefler 2007 ; hoefler 2008 ) . phidippus clarus have a temporally restricted breeding season , mating in early to mid - july , and laying eggs in mid - to late august ( hoefler 2007 ; elias et al . 2008 ) . during the early part of the breeding season , adult males wander in search of hibernacula - dwelling immature females . males cohabit with these females , defending them against intruding males , and then attempt to mate with the females after they mature ( hoefler 2007 ; elias et al . 2008 ; kasumovic et al . 2009 ) . in the latter part of the season , when most females have mated at least once , males wander and may encounter further mating opportunities outside of hibernacula . like other jumping spiders , p . clarus produce substrate - borne vibrations ( gwynne and dadour 1985 ; maddison and stratton 1988a , 1988b ; elias et al . 2003 , 2008 ; elias , hebets , and hoy 2006 ; elias , hebets , hoy , maddison , et al . 2006 ) , many of which are produced along with visual signals ( multimodal signaling ) .
figure 4 . saw palmetto , a typical substrate for the regal jumping spider , phidippus regius c . l . koch . photograph by g . b . edwards , division of plant industry .
edwards gb . 1980 . taxonomy , ethology , and ecology of phidippus ( araneae : salticidae ) in eastern north america . ph . d . dissertation , university of florida . 354 p .
the behavioral research presented here revolves around jumping spiders ( araneae : salticidae ) belonging to the genus phidippus . i studied the foraging behavior of p . audax . my findings suggest that foraging p . audax do not use chemical cues left by prey , while the wolf spider pardosa milvina in the same experimental setup does respond to chemical cues . i studied movement patterns and the use of navigational beacons in the jumping spider p . clarus . i measured the degree of nest site fidelity with individually marked spiders and a grid of artificial nest tubes . i tested whether females used beacons to find their nests . i demonstrated that p . clarus are likely to need navigational skills , and are able to use beacons as a method of navigation . i examined the use of p . clarus as a biocontrol agent , and my results suggest that jumping spider predation is effective at reducing pest numbers and has a positive effect on plant performance . lastly , i explored the role of male mate choice and size - assortative mating in p . clarus . i discovered that males and females pair assortatively for size , and adult males exhibit preferences for large females , which mature before smaller females . female size is strongly correlated with the number of spiderlings that emerge . ^
edwards , g . b . 2004 . revision of the jumping spiders of the genus phidippus ( araneae : salticidae ) . occasional papers florida st . coll . arthropods 11 : 1 - 156 .
male jumping spiders ( phidippus clarus ) size one another up before engaging in a fight—whether the aggression is based on rights to mating or territory—and in many cases , the pre - fight displays are sufficient to deter physical contact . the males do not nest but instead wander between female nests looking for opportunities to mate . the females , on the other hand , are not nomads—they build nests from silk and leaves in which they wait while they draw closer to sexual maturity .
wright , s . 7 august 1990 . arachnophilia . san jose mercury news , science & medicine section , pg . 1 ( photo credit of female phidippus otiosus feeding on a cabbage looper larva ) .
edwards , g . b . 1990 . anecdotal field notes of florida phidippus ( araneae : salticidae ) , with notes on territoriality in p . regius . peckhamia 2 ( 6 ) : 96 - 100 .
edwards , g . b ( 2004 ) .
revision of the jumping spiders of the genus phidippus ( araneae : salticidae )
. occasional papers of the florida state collection of arthropods 11 : vii , 1–156 .
hoefler , chad d ,
the behavioral ecology of jumping spiders ( phidippus sp . ) : laboratory and field studies of mating behavior and space use
( 2005 ) . doctoral dissertations available from proquest . aai3193909 . urltoken
cokendolpher , j . c . and g . b . edwards . 1992 . four florida widows . florida wildlife 46 ( 6 ) : 9 - 12 ( photo of female phidippus audax with orange spots , dorsal view ) .
edwards , g . b . 2001 . revision of the jumping spiders of the genus phidippus ( araneae : salticidae ) . occ . pap . florida st . coll . arthr . 11 , 152 pp . ( submitted ) .
phidippus regius is one of the few spiders that can be sexed in the early instars . juvenile females of more southern populations attain a scale cover as early as the 3rd instar ; males are stark black and white throughout their life cycle .
edwards , g . b . ( 2004 ) . revision of the jumping spiders of the genus phidippus ( araneae : salticidae ) . occasional papers of the florida state collection of arthropods 11 : 1 - 156 . - - show included taxa
spiders , particularly assemblages of species , have been shown to be effective in reducing pest insects and crop damage in field crops and orchards . we investigated the potential for a single jumping spider species to reduce pests in a greenhouse setting . we placed three treatments in large enclosures : 1 ) control treatment of only sweet basil , ocimum basilicum l . ; 2 ) sweet basil and a phytophagous pest , fourlined plant bug , poecilocapsus lineatus ( f . ) ( heteroptera : miridae ) ; and 3 ) sweet basil , fourlined plant bug , and jumping spider phidippus clarus ( keyserling 1884 ) . after 1 wk , jumping spiders reduced the number of plant bugs . plants exposed to plant bugs alone were significantly shorter than either control plants or plants exposed to plant bugs and spiders . chlorophyll concentration did not significantly differ across treatments . we discuss the feasibility of using p . clarus and similar salticids in biocontrol .
peckham , g . w . & peckham , e . g . ( 1901a ) . spiders of the phidippus group of the family attidae . transactions of the wisconsin academy of sciences , arts and letters 13 : 282 - 358 . - - show included taxa
edwards , g . b . 1981 . the regal jumping spider , phidippus regius ( araneae : salticidae ) . florida dept . agric . cons . serv . , div . plant ind . , entomol . circ . 223 : 1 - 3 , 4 f .
edwards , g . b . and r . r . jackson . 1993 . use of prey - specific predatory behaviour by north american jumping spiders ( araneae , salticidae ) of the genus phidippus . j . zool . ( lond . ) 229 : 709 - 716 .
edwards , g . b . and r . r . jackson . 1994 . the role of experience in the development of predatory behavior in phidippus regius , a jumping spider ( araneae : salticidae ) from florida . new zealand j . zool . 21 : 269 - 277 .
a secondary goal of our study is to examine polyandry in p . clarus as it is currently unknown whether females remate during the late stages of the breeding season . it has been suggested that multiple mating in p . clarus is unlikely ( hoefler 2007 ) due to the brief mating season and possible first male sperm precedence predicted by the morphology of the sperm storage organs ( eberhard et al . 1993 ; hoefler 2007 ) and the fact that males of a congener leave sperm plugs in females ( jackson 1980 ) . first male sperm precedence is also consistent with the intense contests that occur between males over access to virgin females ( hoefler 2007 ; elias et al . 2008 ; kasumovic et al . 2009 ) . however , at the end of the breeding season , wandering males may encounter mated females , and because sperm precedence is rarely absolute ( elgar 1998 ; simmons and siva - jothy 1998 ; eberhard 2004 ) , males may increase their fitness through additional copulations if females will accept them . thus , our second goal is to examine whether p . clarus females remate and whether this is mediated by vibratory signals .
edwards , g . b . 1979 . rebuttal of objections to designation of attus audax hentz , 1845 , as type species of phidippus koch , 1846 ( aranea ) . z . n . ( s . ) 1904 . bull . zool . nomencl . 36 ( 1 ) : 4 - 5 .
we examined the importance of male courtship and female mating status in mating success in the jumping spider p . clarus . we demonstrate that mating success in p . clarus ( both virgin and mated females ) is dependent on high courtship vibration rates and that vibration rate is correlated with male size . thus , both virgin and mated females may be indirectly assessing male size through courtship vibration rates . size is likely an important predictor of fitness in this species as larger heavier males are more successful in male–male competitive contexts ( hoefler 2007 ; elias et al . 2008 ; kasumovic et al . 2009 ) . we also show that female p . clarus mate multiply throughout the breeding season . remating occurred , but with longer latencies , as courtship duration almost doubled in cases where females mated a second time , suggesting that mated females were not as willing to mate as virgin females , which may be an indication of mated females becoming “choosier . ” although several studies demonstrate that substrate - borne vibrations are necessary for successful copulation in spiders ( scheffer et al . 1996 ; parri et al . 1997 ; hebets and uetz 1999 ; parri et al . 2002 ; elias et al . 2005 ; elias , hebets , and hoy 2006 ; hebets 2008 ; uetz et al . 2009 ) , this is one of only a few that shows that information about male phenotype is encoded by the vibratory signals and that variation in signal rate is linked to mating success ( shamble et al . 2009 ; rundus et al . 2010 ) .
this video contains six different sequences of predation upon spiders and flies by an adult female phidippus princeps from greenville county , south carolina , usa . these spiders are common inhabitants of old fields near forest margins , and move between nest sites on herbaceous plants and sites on nearby trees . they feed on a wide variety of spider and insect prey , including conspecifics , at all phases of their life cycle .
except for two pantropical species ( edwards 1979 ) , the jumping spider most frequently encountered in florida is phidippus regius c . l . koch . this species is aptly named in terms of its size , as it is the largest jumping spider in eastern north america . the species is found in the southeastern u . s . , the greater antilles , and the bahamas , but is most common in peninsular florida .
phidippus regius individuals are known to feed on a wide variety of other arthropods . smaller immatures feed heavily on diptera , while older juveniles and adults feed on large orthoptera and hemiptera , and larval and adult lepidoptera ( edwards 1980 ) . a male of p . regius was collected while feeding on an adult of diaprepes abbreviatus ( linnaeus ) , a pest of citrus and sugarcane ( d . gowan , collector ) .
phidippus regius is found in most field and open woodland habitats , but not within mature hardwood forest . smaller immatures usually are found in the herbaceous zone , but subadults and particularly adults favor palms and palmettoes in semiarid habitats . where palms are absent , shrubs and trees are inhabited by the older stages . adults seem to prefer substrates with relatively monoplanar surfaces and are frequently found on walls of buildings ( edwards 1980 ) .
the mating system of p . clarus is highly complex and provides an opportunity to study the importance of signals during different phases of the mating period . elias et al . ( 2010 ) have suggested that in p . clarus , there is a shift in the mating system from “male–male competition” and “male mate choice” to “female mate choice” due to changes in the sex ratio throughout the breeding season . during the early part of the mating season , when the sex ratio is male biased , male mating success is determined by male–male competition , where larger and heavier males that signaled more were more likely to win contests and mate with larger , early maturing , and highly fecund females ( elias et al . 2008 ; hoefler 2008 ; kasumovic et al . 2009 ) . during mid - season , when the sex ratio becomes even or female biased , male mating success is determined by female choice , where males that have higher signaling rates ( indicating male phenotypic quality ) successfully copulate with both virgin and mated females ( shown in this study ) . furthermore , changes in female mating status is correlated with those in female threshold ( indicated by increased latency to copulate ) , and we suggest that males might be responding to this behavioral shift by changing their signaling behavior as male courtship signaling rates and aggressive courtship vibration proportions varied between virgin and mated females ( shown here ) . in addition , elias et al . ( 2010 ) have demonstrated that male p . clarus prevented from producing substrate vibrations can also achieve matings and suggest the importance of visual signals during courtship . the importance of vibratory signals has only recently been appreciated ( virant - doberlet and cokl 2004 ; cocroft and rodriguez 2005 ; hill 2008 ) , and the ubiquity of vibratory communication makes it essential to understand the form , function , and processing of vibratory information .
as with all jumping spiders , p . regius uses its excellent vision to locate prey and potential mates . prey is caught by jumping on it , hence the common name of the family . males court females with a species - specific dance in which the leg fringes are displayed ( edwards 1975 ) . the chelicerae are also believed to be of use in recognition between the sexes , as no other jumping spiders within the geographic range of the genus phidippus have iridescent chelicerae .
our results that a significant proportion of p . clarus females ( 53 % ) will mate multiply are surprising as it was previously thought that the mating system was primarily driven by male–male competition and that males only gained fitness through guarding females ( hoefler 2007 , but see jackson 1981 ) . studies have shown that despite the high cost of polyandry ( pomiankowski 1987 ) , females of many species engage in multiple mating ( arnqvist and nilsson 2000 ; jennions and petrie 2000 ) . in mating systems like in p . clarus where the female can only assess mates sequentially , females can increase the genetic quality of their offspring by remating if a subsequent male proves to be superior to her first ( the “trade - up hypothesis” ; halliday 1983 ; gabor and halliday 1997 ; pitcher et al . 2003 ) . the trade - up hypothesis suggests that virgin females should be relatively indiscriminant in order to ensure fertilization , but once sperm is obtained and stored , they can choose to mate with higher quality males ( halliday 1983 ; jennions and petrie 2000 ; pitcher et al . 2003 ) . for example , in guppies , poecilia reticulate , pitcher et al . ( 2003 ) showed that mated females were more responsive to second males with greater ornamentation than the first male and that these males were more likely to sire a greater proportion of offspring . multiple mating can also ensure that her eggs are fertilized by high - quality sperm through postcopulation sperm competition .
although jumping spiders do not make webs to capture prey , they do use silk . hunting spiders trail a dragline behind them to break their fall in case they miss a jump . silken nests , ellipsoid structures with an opening at each end , are used for resting at night , molting , and egg - laying . juveniles may make their nests in the tops of herbs or in rolled leaves , while subadults and adults frequently make their nests along the inner mid - veins of palm fronds . adult males often cohabit with subadult and occasionally adult females in order to mate . a cohabiting male will mate with a subadult female soon after she matures . jackson ( 1977 ) showed that males of p . johnsoni ( peckham & peckham ) were able to employ a tactile type of courtship to females inside nests , which was much different than the visually - oriented courtship males employed for females outside nests . a similar tactile courtship has been noted for p . regius , p . cardinalis ( hentz ) , and p . whitmani peckham & peckham ( edwards 1980 ) . other species of phidippus , including p . audax ( hentz ) , p . clarus keyserling ( snetsinger 1955 ) , and p . otiosus ( hentz ) ( hill 1978 ) are known to cohabit .
previous research has suggested that most of a male’s reproductive effort in p . clarus focuses on guarding subadult females early in the breeding season ( hoefler 2007 ; elias et al . 2008 ; hoefler 2008 ; kasumovic et al . 2009 ) . here , we demonstrate that males also invest resources in courting females found outside of this context ( jackson 1978 , 1980 ) . males readily court both virgin and mated females , and although successful males that courted virgin females had higher courtship vibration rates , males courting mated females persisted for relatively long periods and often included aggressive - like vibratory signals . despite the high costs associated with courtship vibrations , males may gain benefits from high courtship vibration rates when courting virgin females due to possible first - male sperm precedence given that females mate multiply ( shown in this study ) .
like many other spider species ( gaskett 2007 ) , male p . clarus can distinguish between virgin and mated females ( hoefler 2007 ) , and given that females are more discerning after mating , it is not surprising that males courting mated females became more aggressive toward mated than virgin females during courtship . aggressive courtship vibrations might function to suppress female aggression and indicate vigor . alternatively , these signals might also be used to ward off potential eavesdropping competitors ( morris et al . 2007 ) . a shift of male signaling effort to aggressive courtship vibrations with mated females could also account for the lower courtship vibration rates than those of males successfully courting virgin females . however , the function of male aggressive courtship vibrations remains unknown , and further studies looking at changes in male courtship behavior when courting virgin versus mated females are needed .
the jumping spider phidippus clarus uses signals that combine visual and substrate - borne vibrations , which predict the outcome of male–male competition and are important to copulation success . we investigated the function of males’ substrate - borne vibrations by examining phenotypic correlates of vibratory signal traits and assessing whether these affect female mating and remating decisions . virgin females were first paired with males , and females that copulated in first trials were then paired with a second male to determine whether females remate . we measured vibratory signals produced by males during these interactions to determine 1 ) correlations between substrate - borne signal traits and male phenotypes , 2 ) whether properties of substrate - borne signals predicted mating success in first and second copulations , and 3 ) whether females of different mating status have different acceptance thresholds for male characters . courtship vibration rate was positively correlated with male leg size , and signaling rate significantly predicted mating success in all copulations . some females were polyandrous ; however , copulation with mated females occurred after longer courtship durations , and courtship duration was positively correlated with male size , demonstrating that mated females are less receptive to mates and suggesting that females may be trading up in subsequent matings . our study shows that males invest significant effort in courtship and that sexual selection via female choice may play a nontrivial role in the mating system . these results are the first to show that honest information about male size is encoded by substrate vibrations , and these signals are important for male mating success in both virgin and mated females .
jumping spiders can be recognized easily by their eye arrangement . the eyes are arranged in three rows : the 1st row contains four eyes , the two large median eyes and two smaller lateral eyes ; the 2nd row contains two tiny eyes ; and the 3rd row contains two small eyes . the species of phidippus can be recognized because they are the largest , hairiest salticids in the region , and their iridescent chelicerae just below the front eyes are very conspicuous . two close relatives of p . regius , p . audax ( hentz ) and p . otiosus ( hentz ) , occur throughout most of the range of p . regius and are similar in appearance . the three species can be separated by the following key :
adult male and penultimate instar female p . clarus were collected from the koffler scientific reserve at jokers hill , king city , ontario , canada , during mid - june to mid - july 2008 . all spiders were housed individually in cages and were kept in visual isolation . all spiders were kept on a 12 : 12 h light : dark cycle and fed small crickets ( acheta domesticus ) and / or several flies ( drosophila hydeii ) twice a week . all individuals were weighed and photographed at the end of trials . photographs were taken using a nikon digital camera ( dxm1200 ) attached to a dissecting microscope ( zeiss stemi 2000 - c ) and captured using nikon act - i ( v2 . 63 ) software . we measured male and female cephalothorax width and male femur , tibia–patella , and tarsus length ( averaged between the 2 front legs ) . all measurements were taken using image tool ( image tool for windows , v3 . 0 , university of texas health science center in san antonio ) .
phidippus regius is a common spider in peninsular florida . the first impression made upon the casual observer is of a moderately large , black , hairy spider ; to the uninformed , this impression leads naturally to the conviction that the spider is a black widow . the black widow , however , is a globose , shiny black spider with long , spindly legs that is not noticeably hairy at all . jumping spiders are harmless , beneficial creatures . the larger species , such as p . regius , are capable of delivering a painful bite , but will do so only if held tightly . the bite itself causes a sharp stinging sensation which subsides in a few minutes and requires no treatment . these spiders are easily tamed and can be induced to jump back and forth from hand to hand .
in p . clarus , virgin females might be less discriminating because of the brief mating season ( hoefler 2007 ; elias et al . 2008 ; kasumovic et al . 2009 ) and the highly female - biased sex ratio ( hoefler 2007 ; hoefler 2008 ) because being too choosy might entail the risk of failure to reproduce . once a female has obtained her first mate and has secured sperm , however , the disadvantages of discriminatory behavior may be lost , and mated females are expected to be more reluctant to mate . our study shows that mated females had a longer latency to copulate than virgins , which indicates a reluctance to remate . longer latency to copulation may also indicate increased choosiness . this shift in behavior suggests that mated females require subsequent males to meet a higher courtship threshold to successfully copulate . furthermore , mating success in mated trials was also correlated with female weight , suggesting that larger females were more likely to remate . larger females were shown to be more fecund ( hoefler 2008 ) , and it is possible that larger females possess more eggs and need to remate to ensure that all their eggs are fertilized .
our data suggest that males convey honest information about size to females through vibration rates . signal honesty is typically maintained through costs of signal production , with higher quality males able to maintain higher signaling levels ( andersson 1994 ; kotiaho et al . 1996 ; kotiaho 2000 ; but see kotiaho 2001 ) . furthermore , ryan ( 1988 ) suggested that a preference for a higher calling rate can be interpreted as a preference for higher energetic output . as a result , females that prefer high courtship vibration rates may be assessing the energetic output of the male and indirectly assessing male qualities , such as size , weight , and / or energetic reserves ( vigor ) ( see byers et al . 2010 ) . preference for higher courtship vibration rate has also been shown in wolf spiders . for example , in schizocosa ocreata , females prefer males with higher courtship signaling rates and longer durations ( delaney et al . 2007 ; gibson and uetz 2008 ) . in p . clarus , males producing courtship vibrations are at more risk of predation and have reduced longevity ( hoefler 2008 ) , further indicating the costs of vibratory signals in this system . although honest signaling of male quality has been shown in a wolf spider ( kotiaho et al . 1998 ) and the importance of vibrations has been demonstrated in some jumping spider species ( jackson 1977 ; elias et al . 2005 , 2008 ) , this is the first study to show that vibratory signals carry information about male phenotypic quality in jumping spiders .
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upcoming events 2018 bugguide gathering in virginia july 27 - 29 : registration and discussion photos of insects and people from the 2015 gathering in wisconsin , july 10 - 12 photos of insects and people from the 2014 gathering in virginia , june 4 - 7 . photos of insects and people from the 2013 gathering in arizona , july 25 - 28 photos of insects and people from the 2012 gathering in alabama photos of insects and people from the 2011 gathering in iowa photos from the 2010 workshop in grinnell , iowa photos from the 2009 gathering in washington
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body lengths when mature : male : 3 . 2 to 10 . 1 mm , female : 4 . 2 to 14 . 2 mm
number of eggs per sac : 83 . 3 ( range = 7 to 207 )
throughout the united states , it is found mostly in old fields at the top of vegetation , where it lays its eggs in the canopy .
revision of the attidae of north america . trans . wisconsin acad . sci . arts . lett . , madison , wisconsin 16 : 355 - 646
the salticidae ( jumping spiders ) of michigan . pap . michigan acad . sci . , arts and letters 29 ( 1943 ) : 139 - 222
the spider fauna of the upper cayuga lake basin . proc . acad . nat . sci . philad . 1892 11 - 81
descriptions and figures of the araneides of the united states . j . nat . hist . , boston 5 : 352 - 370
on the spiders collected in florida by dr einer lönnberg 1892 - 93 . bih . svenska vet . - akad . handl . 27 ( 4 , 1 ) : 1 - 29
on tullgren´s florida spiders . florida entomol . 33 ( 2 ) : 71 - 83
new england spiders of the family attidae . trans . connect . acad . arts sci . , connecticut 8 : 220 - 252
descriptions of new or little known spiders of the family attidae from various parts of the united states of north america . , connecticut 1 - 35
of inseminating a female : they use their palpi , the little ' feelers ' beside the face . in the females , these palpi are simple and leg - like . but adult males have the palpi swollen and more complex .
he spins a small web and deposits a drop of sperm on it from the underside of his abdomen . he then places the tip of the palp into the sperm , and draws the sperm through the palp ' s opening into the sperm duct of the palp , where it is stored . the male then goes out in search of females . if he finds one , he performs a courtship dance . if she accepts him , he places his palp against an opening on the underside of her abdomen ( her epigynum ) . he locks it in place by putting a thumb - like projection into a groove in the back of her epigynum . the palpus then expands and injects the sperm into the female .
, among the highest acuity in invertebrates . the eight eyes are grouped four on the face ( the two big anterior median eyes in the middle , and two smaller anterior lateral eyes to the side ) , and four on top of the carapace . the two large , forward - facing eyes ( ame ) are tubular behind the lens , with a well - developed musculature , unique to salticids , that supports and moves the retina - the opposite arrangement of our own eyes . [ 1 ]
spider musculature is also different from ours : in the spider , muscles operate from the inside to move external skeletal elements ; our own skeletal muscles surround the elements they operate . but even these glaring differences are nothing compared to the jumping spider ' s brain and digestive system - their esophagus passes right through the brain , and one branch of the gut ( analogous to our intestines ) actually overlies the eyes and brain ! [ 1 ]
jumping spider vision , david edwin hill , via creative commons attribution 3 . 0 unported
wondering how to get that bug identified ? please see the kind folks at urltoken . ( north america ) north american insects & spiders is dedicated to macro photography of live , wild organisms in situ .
class arachnida / order araneae : spiders are the largest group of arachnids . they are easily recognized by their eight legs , and there are few creatures great or small that elicit such irrational fear in mankind . the vast majority of spiders are completely harmless and offer beneficial services , chief of which is keeping the burgeoning insect population in check . spider index | spider main | funnel web
a quick review of the venus v - dx 60mm f / 2 . 8 2 : 1 ultra - macro lens
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world spider catalog , version 11 . 0 , website ( version 11 . 0 )
platnick , norman i . 2011 . the world spider catalog , v . 11 . 0 . american museum of natural history . database built by robert j . raven from the files underlying the website at urltoken doi : 10 . 5531 / db . iz . 0001
disclaimer : itis taxonomy is based on the latest scientific consensus available , and is provided as a general reference source for interested parties . however , it is not a legal authority for statutory or regulatory purposes . while every effort has been made to provide the most reliable and up - to - date information available , ultimate legal requirements with respect to species are contained in provisions of treaties to which the united states is a party , wildlife statutes , regulations , and any applicable notices that have been published in the federal register . for further information on u . s . legal requirements with respect to protected taxa , please contact the u . s . fish and wildlife service .
warning : the ncbi web site requires javascript to function . more . . .
graduate program in organismic and evolutionary biology , department of plant , soil , and insect sciences , division of entomology , university of massachusetts , amherst 01003 , usa .
research support , u . s . gov ' t , non - p . h . s .
historically , jumping spiders have been classified in a linnaean hierarchical structure on the basis of morphological characters . in the early 1900s , eugène simon adopted this methodology using cheliceral dentition and body shape ; subsequently in the 1970s , prószyński’s applied genitalic characteristics to a linnaean structure . while simon’s schema was hampered by the fact that many groups of unrelated jumping spiders have similar body shapes , convergent evolution has limited prószyński’s approach as different species may also have similar genitalic characters .
by the turn of the century , molecular phylogenetics was being applied to salticid classification . molecular analysis is used to test various kinship hypotheses ; the resulting data suggest / confirm groups that best fit the assumptions of cladistics . * this methodology in combination with descriptive and interpretive taxonomy , as well as accessible and comprehensive online libraries and catalogs , has resulted in the most recent advances in salticid classification . it is worth repeating that this new schema is a synthesis based on field records , traditional laboratory taxonomy , and molecular analysis . as maddison makes clear , “the groups discovered by molecular data have coherence in general body form , in genitalia , and in geographical distribution . ”
maddison’s 2015 publication draws on these efforts to construct the outlines , if not all the details , of a ground breaking structure for a phylogenetic classification of salticids . with a focus on groupings above genera , his classification defines salticid subfamilies , tribes , and subtribes within larger clades .
* briefly , cladistics uses shared derived characteristics ( synapomorphies ) to define a clade = an ancestor and all its descendants . thus , a classification system employing cladistic analysis tells us something about the evolutionary history of the organisms involved .
. . . it was long said that the orb - weaving spiders , with their intricate and orderly webs , had evolved from spiders with cobweb - like webs . the cladistic analysis of these spiders showed that , in fact , orb - weaving was the primitive state , and that cobweb - weaving had evolved from spiders with more orderly webs . urltoken
another example of the fruits of this methodology add insights into the worldwide distribution of jumping spiders . biogeographers have long noted that closely related species are generally found in discrete areas - e . g . each continental land mass has a characteristic jumping spider fauna . salticid clades defined by molecular analysis reflect this same general pattern of distribution . * * this , in turn , supports the hypothesis that salticid evolution and radiation occurred after the breakup of pangaea . see hill and edwards , 2013 for interesting details of the origins and distribution of north american jumping spiders .
* * exceptions to the rule do occur and lead to additional hypotheses regarding distribution ( e . g . habronattus spiders are part of an old world group ) .
maddison , wayne . 2015 . a phylogenetic classification of jumping spiders ( araneae : salticidae ) . journal of arachnology 43 : 231 - 292 .
hill , david e . and g . b . edwards . 2013 . origins of the north american jumping spiders ( araneae : salticidae ) . peckhamia 107 . 1 : 1 - 67
anterior median eyes ( the pair of eyes in the center front ) are comparatively very large and give these spiders excellent color vision and high degree of resolution . the shape of the retinae appears to give the spider telephoto vision
spiders of north america : an identification manual d . ubick , p . paquin , p . e . cushing and v . roth ( eds ) . 2005 . american arachnological society .
florida ' s fabulous spiders sam marshall , g . b . edwards . 2002 . world publications .
jumping spiders of canada buddle c . m . , shorthouse d . p . 2000 . newsletter of the biological survey of canada ( terrestrial arthropods ) 19 : 16 - 18 .
contributed by troy bartlett on 16 february , 2004 - 1 : 20pm additional contributions by cotinis , hannah nendick - mason , john and jane balaban , lynette elliott , dr . salticid , jeff hollenbeck , cheins , dick walton , ben coulter , kaldari , johnmaxwell22 , kschnei , v belov , mhedin last updated 3 july , 2018 - 8 : 22pm


kitten 's joy ( foaled may 8 , 2001 in kentucky ) is a thoroughbred racehorse who was a multiple graded stakes winner and the american champion turf horse of 2004 .

since retiring to stud , he has become one of the leading sires in north america .

kitten ' s joy

running third was kitten ' s joy daughter fancy kitten owned by juan centeno .
“that’s all pretty much from one stallion – kitten’s joy , ” he said .
kitten ' s joy ' s big year was highlighted by an historic feat aug . 17 when
footage of kitten ' s joy , who led the general sire list for 2013 .
oscar nominated by kitten ' s joy takes the l . mcknight handicap ( g3t )
ktdf turf male : big blue kitten ( kitten ' s joy ) breeder : kenneth l . & sarah k . ramsey
2 yo gendarme by kitten ' s joy 2 for 2 winning the g2 daily hai nisai s . at kyoto
in 2016 , yearlings by kitten ' s joy sold for up to $ 500 , 000 .
kitten ' s joy has his own personal spa at ramsey farm , which includes an underwater treadmill .
you got my attention with catonabalancebeam . first because he is out of zeny ' s half balance by kitten ' s joy and secondly because i suggested the name balancebeam kitten for the ramsey ' s two - year - old by kitten ' s joy out of agility . my name wasn ' t picked . maybe because they knew there was going to be a kitten ' s joy with the name catonabalancebeam ?
the trick , it appears , to producing a successful kitten’s joy runner is to cross him with a mare who looks very much like him on the page . of kitten’s joy’s five north american grade 1 winners in 2013 , four of them – admiral kitten , big blue kitten , real solution , and stephanie’s kitten – are inbred to northern dancer and roberto in the fourth or fifth generations . kitten’s dumplings is inbred to northern dancer .
reachfortheheavens was bred back to kitten’s joy for 2014 , marking her fifth trip to the sire in six seasons .
that colt was kitten ' s joy , who has become the franchise stallion for nicholasville - based ramsey farm .
an old saying goes , “behind every great man , there’s a great woman . ” for kitten’s joy , there have been several .
it was a “joy” - ful weekend for ken and sarah ramsey and their star stallion kitten’s joy , who stands at their farm on harrodsburg road south of lexington , ky . already established as a leading american sire , kitten’s joy had a career - making day on saturday .
in addition there were 3 more winners for kitten ' s joy today : silver magnolia at arlington , wandering kitten at thistledown and royal blessing at churchill .
with his victory in saturday’s grade 3 lexington stakes at keeneland , derby kitten emphasized the point that his sire , the el prado stallion kitten’s joy , is one of the more underrated sires in the bluegrass . on the same keeneland card , kitten’s joy had the winner of the listed giant’s causeway stakes ( holiday for kitten ) and the second - place finisher in the g3 ben ali stakes ( dean’s kitten ) .
iteration was bred to kitten’s joy again for 2014 , making it her sixth pairing with the stallion in eight seasons .
it was a “joy” - ful weekend for ken and sarah ramsey and their star stallion kitten ' s joy , who stands at their farm on harrodsburg road south of lexington , ky . already established as a leading american sire , kitten ' s joy had a career - making day on saturday .
claimed primarily for the ramsey farm broodmare band , granny franny has been married to farm stallion kitten’s joy , and kitten’s dumplings is the mare’s second foal by that stallion . all of granny franny’s three foals to race by kitten’s joy are winners , and in addition to the queen elizabeth winner , the mare’s 2 - year - old , a full sister named granny mc’s kitten , is the winner of the p . g . johnson stakes .
that c - section resulted in the birth of kitten ' s joy in 2001 . ( kitten ' s first had two more that followed before she foundered and was euthanized in 2006 . )
many of kitten ' s joy ' s offspring resemble their old man physically , and the best of his runners share his hickory - tough attitude .
ramsey farm announced today that champion sire kitten ' s joy ' s fee will remain unchanged at $ 100 , 000 for the 2017 breeding season .
still owned by the ramseys , granny franny was bred to kitten’s joy again for 2014 , her fifth time in six matings .
kitten ' s joy also ranks fourth on the general sire list with more than $ 10 . 5 million in progeny earnings .
ramsey said kitten’s joy is too valuable to him to sell or shuttle , and he eschewed the idea of partners in ownership .
one of the central factors in the stallion success of kitten’s joy is that he has towered over most of his mates in class . while generally well - pedigreed , the mares sent to kitten’s joy have tended to be only fair performers on the racecourse .
once on the track , the progeny of kitten’s joy created their own luck , to the tune of 24 stakes winners in 2013 .
he is a son of kitten ' s joy , one of america ' s most sought - after stallions and whose son bobby ' s kitten is to be the foundation sire at olly and amber tait ' s twin hills stud at cootamundra this year .
because his dam , kitten ' s first , suffered a pelvic injury as a juvenile that restricted the size of her birth canal , kitten ' s joy and his subsequent siblings were born by caesarian section .
kitten ' s joy and other leading sires of 2013 will be profiled in the jan . 11 issue of the blood - horse magazine .
“i had plenty of competition for bobby’s kitten , particularly from ireland , ” admits rausing . “he is the first son of kitten’s joy to stand in europe and it’s exciting to have him here . he is certainly creating some interest . ”
the ramseys own 100 percent of kitten’s joy , who stands this year for $ 50 , 000 at ramsey farm near nicholasville , ky . ramsey homebreds have accounted for most of kitten’s joy’s laurels this year . his leading earner , stephanie’s kitten , won the alcibiades and breeders’ cup juvenile fillies turf for the ramseys . holiday for kitten and derby kitten were graded winners last season , and dean’s kitten took the dallas turf cup before placing in a pair of grade 1’s on the grass , the joe hirsch turf classic and the arlington million . a few other ramsey - breds campaigned by other owners also were among kitten’s joy’s best runners last season , most notably banned , a multiple graded winner in 2011 who was euthanized after an injury last fall .
rausing , a staunch supporter of her stallions , will no doubt have admired from afar the approach of the ramseys in their support of kitten’s joy . their rewards have been reaped on the track via such top - class gallopers as big blue kitten , admiral kitten and gi breeders’ cup filly & mare turf winner stephanie’s kitten . kitten’s joy’s record at the breeders’ cup thoroughbred world championships was further enhanced this year by amerman racing stables’ gi breeders’ cup juvenile turf winner oscar performance and , while bobby’s kitten’s brother , the dual grade ii winner camelot kitten , missed his intended appearance at santa anita , he remains in training for next season .
it was an extremely close race , but it appears ramsey farm ' s kitten ' s joy has secured the title of leading north american sire by earnings for 2013 .
kitten’s joy is undoubtedly the driving force behind the rise of owners ken and sarah ramsey’s breeding program , based in nicholasville , ky . in 2013 , an army of racehorses by kitten’s joy carried the ramseys to a pair of eclipse awards , as the couple won both outstanding owner and outstanding breeder by landslide margins .
kitten’s joy goes to the spa - here is a talk of the track exclusive video of one of the premier stallions in the world and known around the world , kitten’s joy . in 2013 he produced 24 stake winners and in 2014 he has had 25 through november . his pedigree goes very deep . the resounding success of kitten’s joy as a sire follows an eclipse award - winning racing career in which kitten’s joy himself won nine of 14 starts and earned $ 2 , 075 , 791 which helped elevate ken and sarah ramsey’s racing and breeding operation to the highest levels of the sport . visit urltoken
but ramsey isn’t the typical owner who simply bought his way into prominence ; he deserves much of the credit for his success . he is responsible for a phenomenon that defies most of the precepts of the horse breeding business : the success of kitten’s joy . the stallion’s progeny are as ubiquitous as ramsey himself , and even fans oblivious to pedigrees can hardly fail to notice what breeders’ cup entrants such as bobby’s kitten , big blue kitten , granny mc’s kitten , kitten’s dumplings and kitten kaboodle have in common .
ramsey estimated that he and his wife , sarah − whose nickname , kitten , gives kitten’s joy his name − owned about 80 percent of the mares in the stallion’s first few books . but this year , he said , that’s likely to change .
camelot kitten takes the g2 national museum of racing and hall of fame s .
“kitten’s joy has exceeded all expectations , ” ramsey said . “he’s got five grade 1 winners this year and he’s on top of the general sire list . it’s something i never expected , so we’re over the moon with it . ”
2013 breeders ' cup entrants : big blue kitten ( turf ) , real solution ( turf ) , kitten ' s dumplings ( filly & mare turf ) , kitten kaboodle ( juvenile fillies turf ) , granny mc ' s kitten ( juvenile fillies turf ) , bobby ' s kitten ( juvenile turf ) , we miss artie ( juvenile ) .
rated fourth by bailey around the first turn and down the backstretch , kitten ' s joy was in a bit tight around the final turn when pacesetter gold shield began tiring . but bailey guided kitten ' s joy outside that one and inside west virginia before cruising to a clear lead down the stretch .
champion turf horse in 2004 , kitten’s joy won the secretariat during his 3 - year - old campaign , and it was one of two g1s among his nine victories . a winner of more than $ 2 million , kitten’s joy also ran second in the g1 breeders’ cup turf and the arlington million .
this entry was posted in bloodlines archive , bloodstock and tagged admiral kitten , arlington million , arlington park , big blue kitten , el prado , horse racing , ken ramsey , kitten ' s joy , lane ' s end weekender pedigree , real solution , secretariat stakes , stephanie ' s kitten , sword dancer invitational , thoroughbred by frank mitchell . bookmark the permalink .
kitten’s joy , with just five crops racing , captured the north american title , as mentioned by a margin of just $ 15 , 000 . kitten’s joy had 24 bt winners last year , speightstown 23 . each had 10 gsw , while kitten’s joy had five gisw , speightstown four . unlike other versions of the general sire list , we do not count jumps earnings in north america , which is why kitten’s joy’s margin of victory over speightstown is smaller on our list than on the other guys’ . moreover , there is a case that speightstown - who was also second on our list in 2012 - really should be called the winner .
ramsey and partridge discussed six of the mares who helped establish kitten’s joy as an upper - echelon sire in 2013 . they are presented in alphabetical order .
kitten ' s joy ' s first 2 - year - old winner is in seoul , korea . munhak joy ( c , 2 , kittens joy - crimson ore , by exchange rate ) . won his first start and in doing so , he defeated older rivals . he was bred by the ramsey ' s and is trained by jung ho ik .
the leading turf sire in america for four years running , kitten ' s joy is the sire of 3 g1 winners in 2016 including recent grade 1 breeders ' cup juvenile turf winner oscar performance , who marked the fourth time that a son or daughter of kitten ' s joy entered the winner ' s circle after a breeders ' cup race .
the dams of the best runners by leading sire kitten’s joy largely include horses claimed by owners ken and sarah ramsey , or purchased privately for a modest fee .
it proved to be the right strategy , with kitten ' s joy developing into a dominant force . running exclusively on grass , the colt captured six of his eight 2004 races . in the secretariat stakes ( gr . it ) , kitten ' s joy rallied four wide entering the stretch while cruising to a 3 1z
luck of the kitten was second in the prairie bayou s at turfway , kitten ' s roar was second in the blushing k d s at the fair grounds and granny ' s kitten was third in the buddy diliberto memorial s also at the fair grounds . all have significant earnings with granny ' s kitten in the lead with earnings of $ 385 , 851 , luck of the kitten , who was second in the breeders ' cup juvenile in 2014 , has earned $ 366 , 960 and kitten ' s roar has earned $ 271 , 958 .
commercial acceptance after kitten ' s joy ' s retirement in 2005 was a different matter . precocity and dirt form have long been the desired traits sought by north american breeders , so trying to lure the market toward an unproven turf sire resulted in kitten ' s joy getting only about 14 non - ramsey mares from the 127 he bred his initial season .
sarah named their now - prized stallion kitten’s joy , despite her husband’s objections , because she sensed that the horse would bring them great happiness . her faith in kitten’s joy remained after his racing career , even though potential buyers dismissed him as a long - distance turf specialist whose offspring would be ill equipped for american racing , which emphasizes shorter dirt races .
kitten ' s joy has two entries in small - purse races at turfway this evening , and both runners are favorites . the combined winner ' s share of those races equals $ 9 , 000 , meaning the battle between kitten ' s joy and speightstown could have come down to literally hundreds of dollars in the final hours . alas , it ' s all hypothetical at this point .
“granny franny is a little bit lighter in bone than what i’d like to breed to [ kitten’s joy ] , and if you look at kitten’s dumplings , she’s the same way . she’s a little light - boned , not a real big filly , but when they’re grade 1 winners , it doesn’t matter . ”
champion turf horse in 2004 , kitten ' s joy won the secretariat during his 3 - year - old campaign , and it was one of two g1s among his nine victories . a winner of more than $ 2 million , kitten ' s joy also ran second in the g1 breeders ' cup turf and the arlington million .
kitten ' s joy , a homebred son of el prado out of kitten ' s first , the first mare ramsey ' s wife sarah purchased , covered a firm 11 / 8 - mile turf course in 1 : 48 . 76 to remain undefeated in four starts across the weeds .
kitten’s cat ran second in the g3 palm beach at gulfstream . earlier this year , he provided a fitting tribute to his sire when scoring his second stakes victory in the kitten’s joy at gulfstream . graduating at second asking at kentucky downs sept . 15 , kitten’s cat checked in third behind subsequent gi breeders’ cup juvenile turf winner oscar performance ( kitten’s joy ) in belmont’s giii pilgrim s . over a yielding course oct . 1 . he was victorious in the juvenile turf sprint s . on gi breeders’ cup classic day at santa anita . he is closing on a quarter of a million dollars in earnings .
william’s kitten , dk b / c , by kitten’s joy . raced 3 yrs in na , 11 sts , 2 wins , $ 170 , 280 ( ssi = 4 . 2 ) . won sunday silence breeders’ cup s . ; 2nd kentucky jockey club s . ( gr . 2 ) ; 3rd holy bull s . ( gr . 3 ) .
kitten ' s joy ended his 2004 campaign in the john deere breeders ' cup turf ( gr . it ) . the heaviest favorite on the world thoroughbred championships card , the colt got caught in traffic during the roughly run race and finished second . john velazquez , his rider , also reported that kitten ' s joy had trouble handling lone star park ' s yielding course .
this entry was posted in bloodstock and tagged horse racing , ken & sarah ramsey , kitten ' s joy , ramsey farm , thoroughbred by press release . bookmark the permalink .
champion sire kitten’s joy will stand the 2015 breeding season for a fee of $ 100 , 000 stands and nurses independent of the outcome of his runners in the breeders’ cup . the # 1 sire of stakes winners in 2013 with 24 , kitten’s joy is once again the leading sire of stakes winners in 2014 , already with 23 . [ … ]
one of the central factors in the stallion success of kitten ' s joy is that he has towered over most of his mates in class . while generally well - pedigreed , the mares sent to kitten ' s joy have tended to be only fair performers on the racecourse . real solution and admiral kitten , for example , are the first foals of their dams , who are winners by pulpit and grand slam .
kitten ' s joy will stand at ramsey farm in 2014 for $ 100 , 000 , twice what he stood for this year . winstar farm has set speightstown ' s 2014 fee at $ 80 , 000 .
on friday , kitten kaboodle and granny mc’s kitten will race in the $ 1 million juvenile fillies turf , and bobby’s kitten is set for the $ 1 million juvenile turf . on saturday , we miss artie will race in the $ 2 million juvenile , kitten’s dumplings is set for the $ 2 million filly and mare turf , and real solution and big blue kitten are entered in the $ 3 million turf .
the eclipse award winner as champion turf horse in 2004 , kitten’s joy won nine of 14 starts , including seven stakes . his most important victories came in the g1 turf classic at belmont and the secretariat at arlington . the winner of slightly more than $ 2 million , kitten’s joy went to stud at the ramsey farm of owners and breeders ken and sarah ramsey .
“i can’t use a turf horse” is probably the most perplexing and commonplace remark from stallion managers , who took another tumble over that directive , as turf champion kitten’s joy rang up yet another grade 1 winner with kitten’s dumplings in the queen elizabeth ii challenge cup at keeneland on saturday .
those are qualities frequently associated with the sire of kitten’s joy , the outstanding sadler’s wells stallion el prado , who began his stud career at airdrie stud , then spent the remainder as a leading sire for adena springs .
in complete contrast to his own racing and breeding career , double form’s full sister belle époque became the third dam of kitten’s dumplings .
the kitten ' s joy stakes is a listed turf race for 3 - year - olds . inaugurated in 2013 , it is carded over one mile at gulfstream park as of 2016 .
from daughters of the sadler’s wells horse , el prado , tapit has sired grade one winner laragh and graded winner white rose . this would suggest trying mares by el prado sons medaglia d’oro , kitten’s joy and artie schiller .
but other stats for the two stallions are neck - and - neck as well . going into today , each sire had 257 runners . speightstown produced 153 winners to 133 for kitten ' s joy , but kitten ' s joy held a slight edge ( 24 - 23 ) in the number of stakes winners and graded stakes winners ( 11 - 10 ) . the top bread - winner for kitten ' s joy was big blue kitten , who won a pair of grade 1 races and racked up $ 902 , 800 in earnings . for speightstown , it was reynaldothewizard , winner of the $ 2 million g1 dubai golden shaheen .
saturday’s g1 coral - eclipse at sandown threw up a barnstormer as qatar racing’s roaring lion ( kitten’s joy ) edged out old rival saxon warrior ( jpn ) ( deep impact { jpn } ) to prevail by a neck and survive a subsequent lengthy stewards’ inquiry .
courtesy of the tdn celestial woods ( forestry ) has already produced a pair of talented turf colts for ken and sarah ramsey and the breeders hope they have a third on their handsin first timer starstruck kitten ( kitten ' s joy ) . he is conditioned by chad brown , who also trained the juvenile ' s full - brothers , gi breeders ' cup turf sprint winner bobby ' s kitten and mgsw camelot kitten , who is entered in the giii saranac s . later on the card .
angst : stephanie ' s kitten claims filly & mare turf a son of el prado bred by owners ken and sarah ramsey , kitten ' s joy had a 9 - 4 - 0 record from 13 starts with grade i wins in the joe hirsch and secretariat stakes , both in 2004 .
at laurel generous kitten ran second in the laurel turf cup s for the ramseys and gaining black - type and raising his earnings over $ 160 , 000 . at louisiana downs , g3 sw coalport , another kitten ' s joy ran second in unbridled s also for the ramseys . his earnings stand at $ 578 , 283 .
the progeny of kitten’s joy will seemingly be everywhere as the ramseys send a loaded seven - horse lineup into the breeders’ cup on friday and saturday at santa anita park in arcadia , calif .
stephanie’s kitten was unfold the rose’s second foal , after the mare produced winner lady kitten in 2008 . stephanie’s kitten became one of the 2 - year - old filly division’s most imposing figures in 2011 , winning the grade 1 alcibiades stakes and the grade 2 breeders’ cup juvenile fillies turf . stephanie’s kitten has continued to excel , scoring multiple stakes wins at 3 and 4 , including the grade 1 just a game stakes at belmont park last year .
ramsey and his wife , sarah , bred kitten ' s joy and knew he had a pedigree that strongly suggested success on grass . the colt ' s dam , kitten ' s first , had been a winner on the turf , and she is by european group i winner lear fan . el prado was a champion in ireland .
he employs several top trainers — the current roster includes chad brown , michael maker and dale romans ( who trained kitten’s joy ) — but he takes an active involvement in decisions about his horses .
kitten’s joy was an outstanding racehorse , to be sure ; in 12 starts on grass he scored nine wins and finished second in the other three . he was at his best in races at 1
the progeny of kitten’s joy rewarded her faith , and the ramseys reveled in their success on the racetrack . then , during what began as a carefree morning in florida , their storybook lives changed .
rausing confirms that ken and sarah ramsey have already placed 10 mares , all in foal to kitten’s joy , in quarantine in america in order to travel to england to visit their homebred next year .
in analyzing only north american earnings , kitten ' s joy still ranks number one with $ 10 , 930 , 824 , about $ 900 , 000 clear of spendthrift farm ' s malibu moon , sire of kentucky derby winner orb .
a case of strangles , an upper - respiratory disease , afflicted nearly every ramsey farm - born foal in kitten ' s joy ' s first crop . but from that initial crop came grade ii winner dean ' s kitten , who came within a nose of defeating eventual champion cape blanco in the 2011 grade i joe hirsch turf classic .
however , the mare’s biggest success has come with her fourth foal , the grade 1 - placed stakes winner charming kitten . the colt is the most recent offspring of kitten’s joy to run in the kentucky derby , and the most successful , finishing ninth in 2013 . charming kitten has won three races and placed in five graded stakes for earnings of $ 521 , 850 .
with 13 members of sea the moon’s first crop selling this week at tattersalls for an average of 44 , 231gns and top price of 160 , 000gns , and with the imposing bobby’s kitten becoming an appealing addition to the team , there’s plenty of cause for joy at lanwades .
after a decade , the ramseys reached the zenith of the business . they were honored with the eclipse award as the nation’s leading owners in 2004 , largely because kitten’s joy had been the country’s champion turf runner and roses in may the second - best dirt runner . ramsey sold roses in may to japan and kept kitten’s joy , planning to manage his career as a stallion . people who understand the breeding industry had reason to think he was making a naïve and expensive mistake .
groom flavio bueno led a blanketed kitten ' s joy across the grounds last week at ramsey farm in nicholasville .
he is treated like the king that he is ,
owner ken ramsey said of the farm ' s signature stallion .
those are qualities frequently associated with the sire of kitten ' s joy , the outstanding sadler ' s wells stallion el prado , who began his stud career at airdrie stud , then spent the remainder as a leading sire for adena springs .
in a single afternoon , the stallion had three grade 1 winners : big blue kitten ( sword dancer invitational ) at saratoga , then real solution ( arlington million ) and admiral kitten ( secretariat stakes ) at arlington . so far this year , kitten’s joy has 15 stakes winners and racers with total earnings of nearly $ 7 . 5 million .
it looked like he was going to be strictly a grass horse , and i ' m looking for dirt horses , so i decided to sell him ,
said ramsey of kitten ' s joy .
bobby ' s kitten will have a covering fee at twin hills of $ 16 , 500 , including gst .
while big blue kitten was still an unraced 2 - year - old , ramsey farm parted with spent gold at the 2010 keeneland november breeding stock sale for $ 1 , 000 . however , the mare remains a frequent visitor to kitten’s joy and was bred to him for 2014 .
bobby ' s kitten is possibly one of kitten ' s joy ' s most notable performers , winning the group 1 breeders ' cup turf sprint as well as having a european success in ireland by 8 . 5 lengths . the family is proven on turf tracks , a great plus for the sire especially with 99 per cent of australian races conducted on grass .
ramsey credits pedigree adviser john frato for planning the mating that produced kitten’s joy . kitten’s joy’s dam is the lear fan mare kitten’s first , who won her first start by a nose before a broken hip ended her career . the ramseys’s decision to breed her has paid off for several breeders . her first foal , the stakes - winning broad brush mare justenuffheart , went on to produce champion dreaming of anna and graded winner lewis michael for frank calabrese and graded winner justenuffhumor for mt . brilliant . in 2000 , frato recommended a short list of stallions from which ramsey and farm manager mark partridge chose el prado .
in a single afternoon , the stallion had three grade 1 winners : big blue kitten ( sword dancer invitational ) at saratoga , then real solution ( arlington million ) and admiral kitten ( secretariat stakes ) at arlington . so far this year , kitten ' s joy has 15 stakes winners and racers with total earnings of nearly $ 7 . 5 million .
whatever the explanation , once - skeptical people in the breeding industry can no longer be dismissive of kitten’s joy . even with his stud fee likely to rise to $ 100 , 000 next year , breeders will be mating high - class mares to him , which will almost insure the stallion of even greater success . the demand will be further proof that ramsey was right about kitten’s joy and the conventional wisdom was wrong .
multiple graded stakes - placed and msw kitten ' s cat , scored his second stakes victory in the kitten’s joy at gulfstream this spring , at two he was victorious in the juvenile turf sprint s . on gi breeders’ cup classic day at santa anita . today the ramsey homebred trained by mike maker finished third in the woodchopper s , at the fair grounds . he has earned $ 328 , 576 .
instead of looking back , the man with the widest smile and some of the biggest ambitions in thoroughbred racing spends all of his time making sure kitten ' s joy and his homegrown operation reign above all others .
for the second consecutive winter , bailey has ridden a ramsey - owned colt into the winner ' s circle in both the tropical park derby at calder and the palm beach stakes at gulfstream . last year it was with nothing to lose . this year it ' s with kitten ' s joy .
at 3 : won coolmore lexington s . ( gr . 3 ) ; 2nd overnight s . , alligator alley s .
we broke dubai sheikh off five or six lengths in front of kitten ' s joy , and kitten ' s joy ran him down and beat him about a length and a half or maybe two lengths going away ,
ramsey said .
but jerry said , ' ken , he changed gears like he always changes gears , but he struggled over the dirt and he ' s exhausted . i think he ' s better on grass , and i wouldn ' t try him on the dirt again . ' i took jerry ' s advice .
all due credit aside , kitten’s joy represents only one - third of the equation that produces a prominent runner , much less a stable full of them – the other pieces being the broodmare and a lot of luck .
“the secret to kitten’s joy isn’t like trying to decipher the secret to coca - cola or the recipe for kentucky fried chicken , ” ramsey said . “you take the pedigrees and see what the common thread is . ”
with 16 current graded stakes winners from five crops of racing age , the commercial bandwagon has filled up as well . of the 184 mares kitten ' s joy covered in 2013 , 93 were non - ramsey mares .
were the additional grade i winners for their sire last year . in addition to his stakes winners in the upper echelon of racing , kitten ' s joy had five 2 - year - old stakes winners of 2013 .
ken ramsey wants to win the kentucky derby ( gr . i ) more than any other race , and he tried to make kitten ' s joy a derby horse . he didn ' t achieve his goal with the son of
home run kitten takes the off the turf the american h . at santa anita
foaled in kentucky , kitten ' s joy raced as a homebred for ken and sarah ramsey . he was trained by dale romans . he entered stud in kentucky in 2006 at ramsey farm and has stood there throughout his stud career .
from kitten joy ' s
kitten spa ,
featuring an underwater treadmill on which he walks for 15 minutes a day five days a week , to the two paddocks at the horse ' s disposal , to the scrutiny of mares in his book , it ' s hard to find a segment of the ramsey operation not devoted to protecting the interest of a stallion with a history of trumping odds .
as has been well - documented , kitten ' s joy ' s success has been directly linked to the confidence his owners had in him when he retired to their farm in 2006 after he earned more than $ 2 million on the track . to support their new stallion , the ramseys bred from 90 to 122 mares to kitten ' s joy , and as the number of other breeders have sought a piece of his success , his book has continued to expand , with 190 mares bred to him this year .
reachinforthestars was claimed by the ramseys in her debut start for a $ 25 , 000 tag in september 2007 at calder . after winning two of 11 starts over two seasons of racing , she was sent to kitten’s joy for a mating that produced admiral kitten , the winner of the grade 1 secretariat stakes in 2013 .
there were a pair of starters in the keeneland race by freshman sires , and the best effort came from cater to kitten ( by champion turf horse kitten’s joy ) . he was seventh at the start , seventh at the quarter , then rolled past the remaining competition to finish second by 5 1 / 2 lengths .
one of the appeals of el prado was that , as a son of sadler’s wells and a grandson of northern dancer , he brought a five - deep line of male champions to the mating , ramsey said . kitten’s joy added another generation of champions with his 2004 eclipse award .
kitten ' s joy enjoys the best of both nature and technological advances . along with his daily jaunts on the underwater treadmill , he spends time beneath a heat lamp while on an equine vibration plate designed to increase bone density and circulation .
winx ' s staying power as one of the world ' s top rac . . .
tdnhighlighted by an almighty duel which saw ramsey farm’s kitten’s joy ( el prado ) nip winstar’s speightstown ( gone west ) by no more than $ 15 , 000 for the title of leading north american sire for 2013 , according to calculations for tdn sire lists , these two were still outdistanced by two european sires , coolmore’s galileo ( sadler’s wells ) and juddmonte’s dansili ( danehill ) , on the final tdn 2013 general sire list , combining european and north american sires .
ranked among the top 5 sires on the general sire list in 2016 , world class sire kitten ' s joy is also represented by multiple graded / group winners in the us , france and england in 2016 including sheikh mohammed ' s group 1 coral - eclipse stakes winner hawkbill and sheikh hamdan ' s multiple french group winner taareef .
operations such as claiborne , phipps stables and juddmonte have long enjoyed top - level racing success with homebreds . however , in recent times , no single stallion has so thoroughly powered a farm the way kitten ' s joy has the ramseys ' .
while there’s no shortage of sadler’s wells’ sons and grandsons at stud in this part of the world , an intriguing recent addition to the stallion ranks in newmarket represents a diversification of the line which is thriving in america . the gi breeders’ cup turf sprint winner bobby’s kitten , a son of the champion turf horse and five - time us champion turf sire kitten’s joy , arrived at lanwades stud earlier this autumn and has received a stream of visitors ahead of his covering debut next february . while his retirement was not announced until september , lanwades principal kirsten rausing had been in negotiation with bobby’s kitten’s owner - breeders ken and sarah ramsey since the spring .
this entry was posted in ray ' s paddock and tagged claiborne farm , gainesway , giant ' s causeway , horse racing , kitten ' s joy , leading sires , malibu moon , ramsey farm , sires , speightstown , stallions , tapit , thoroughbred breeding , thoroughbred racing , war front , winstar by scott jagow . bookmark the permalink .
calumet farm’s real solution , a multiple ( g1 ) winner and millionaire by kitten’s joy out of reachfortheheavens by pulpit , will stand at dex comardelle’s blue star racing stallion facility in scott , louisiana . on lease from calumet , comardelle and calumet hope to offer louisiana a premium product and provide real solution a competitive book of mares that [ … ]
for all the honors ken and sarah ramsey ' s racing and breeding operation has earned during the past two decades , the two have never held their current position — the nation ' s leading owners in earnings , stakes wins and graded stakes victories — while also standing the leader on the general sire list — their homebred stallion kitten ' s joy .
kitten’s joy stood for $ 50 , 000 this year , but “i’m sure we’ll raise his stud fee to $ 75 , 000 , maybe more , ” he said , adding that no decision will be made until after the breeders’ cup in early november .
with medaglia d’oro siring a champion in his first crop , there was no doubt the dark brown son of el prado was a major new force in the stallion corps , and kitten’s joy confirmed el prado as a sire of sires to be reckoned with .
grade 1 winners real solution and big blue kitten will join their sire , kitten’s joy , on the stallion roster at ramsey farm in 2015 , the daily racing form reports . both horses , which race as homebreds for ken and sarah ramsey , are scheduled to remain in training for the remainder of the year . chad brown trains [ … ]
the proposition was not an easy one , but ramsey rose to the challenge and put money into making kitten’s joy a success as a sire . he did not get much outside help early on . ramsey said , “in his first book , we got 16 outside mares , i believe , and we bought some mares , claimed some more , and used a lot of the money we got from roses in may to buy up a broodmare band that we could breed to kitten’s joy . we currently have 128 . ”
kitten ' s joy was busy . mr luck won the kranji stakes in singapore . closer to home 3 - year - old filly really proud ran thid in the cedar key s . at gulfstream sprinting 5 furlongs on the turf . she is a homebred for brereton jones and trained by christophe clement . additionally , both fro the ramseys , sniper kitten won an allowance race at keeneland - his 2nd win in 3 starts and sippin kitten broke her maiden in a msw also at keeneland .
so he decided to build a large breeding operation on the cheap . he studied the form of fillies in claiming races and tried to identify ones who — though they may have been mediocre runners — had ancestors who would mesh with the pedigree of kitten’s joy .
a horse who showed brilliant ability as a turf runner , kitten ' s joy was nonetheless considered a longshot to make a top sire in kentucky due to a long - standing bias against staying turf horses . owners ken and sarah ramsey supported him strongly with their own mares , however , and were well rewarded as kitten ' s joy rose to the top of the american general sire list in 2013 . to the surprise of many , the horse also became an american champion juvenile sire , leading that list in 2011 .
granny franny has a yearling colt by kitten’s joy and has shown her value as a producer already . by doing that , granny franny took the measure of the breeding prescription “not to breed to mares with a blank dam . ” another one bites the dust .
unfold the rose was sold at the 2011 keeneland january sale of horses of all ages for $ 7 , 000 , just months before stephanie’s kitten began her breakout 2 - year - old campaign . the mare was consigned by ramsey farm , as agent , at the 2013 keeneland november sale in foal to kitten’s joy but did not meet her reserve , with a final bid of $ 325 , 000 .
reachfortheheavens’s first foal , a kitten’s joy colt , was in the field when ramsey farm sold the mare for $ 11 , 000 at the 2010 ocala breeders’ sales co . fall mixed sale . one breeding season later , reachfortheheavens was back under the ramsey colors and that foal had become italian stakes winner real solution .
“i owe it to kitten’s joy , ” ken ramsey said when explaining his success . “without kitten’s joy , i’m certainly not going to be standing on that stage at the eclipse awards two times . i was actually overwhelmed when i found out what the actual vote was [ 235 - 4 for owner , 221 - 21 for breeder , among the finalists ] . i was astonished at how lopsided the voting was . we did have a truly good year , the best year we’ve ever had since we’ve been in horse racing . ”
iteration was purchased privately in 2006 for $ 10 , 000 and was part of the first book for kitten’s joy . her first big hit came with her second foal , queen’splatekitten , who was a multiple grade 3 - placed stakes winner of $ 387 , 313 .
owner ken ramsey will be a prominent presence at the breeders’ cup on friday and saturday , with seven starters in turf races , six of them offspring of his stallion kitten’s joy . this will be no surprise to racing fans because ramsey has seemed ubiquitous all year .
making his 29th start , 7 year old msw coalport ( kitten ' s joy ) ran a good third in the g3 - tropical turf h at gulfstream park west . he has earned over $ 621 , 000 for his owner / breeders ken and sarah ramsey .
calumet farm announced today that three - time grade 1 winner big blue kitten , the morning line favorite for saturday’s arlington million ( g1 ) , will take up stud duty at the famed lexington , ky . , farm at the end of his racing career . he will join another son of kitten’s joy , 2013 arlington million ( g1 ) winner real solution , who was recently acquired from his [ … ]
more than 56 % of his stakes performers are graded stakes horses : oscar performance , 2016 winner breeders’ cup juvenile turf - g1 , etc . stephanie’s kitten , 2015 winner breeders’ cup f & m turf - g1 , 2011 breeders’ cup juvenile fillies turf , etc . big blue kitten , 2015 ncr winner joe hirsch turf classic - g1 , etc . bobby’s kitten , 2014 winner breeders’ cup turf sprint - g1 , etc . divisidero , 2016 , woodford reserve turf classic - g1 , etc . h awkbill , 2016 coral - eclipse s . - g1 , etc . real solution ( g1 ) , kitten’s dumplings ( g1 ) , admiral kitten ( g1 ) , etc
a fearless gambler at the windows , ken ramsey went deep into the pool of risk with his stallion . he continued to buy mares that fit the profile of being good crosses with kitten ' s joy , keeping the stallion heavily booked in those crucial first few years .
tait , a former lieutenant of godolphin ' s founder , sheikh mohammed bin rashid al maktoum , gained the southern hemisphere breeding rights to bobby ' s kitten in setting up his own breeding farm .
in electing to stand a stallion , ken ramsey said that “i had a big decision to make . i wanted to keep only one stallion . the japanese wanted to buy kitten’s joy to take to japan , and they also wanted to buy roses in may . i did the pedigree research and decided that , of the two , kitten’s joy had the best chance to become a leading sire . the first five stallions in his male line were all champions , and we decided that he had all the genetics required to be a leading sire . ”
that the ramseys ended up being the primary supporter of kitten ' s joy meant they had control over how a majority of those foals were raised . and being at the helm of the decision - making process is a spot in which ken ramsey thrives as few others do .
kitten’s joy had a remarkable year in 2011 with his third crop of runners . he edged out smart strike by $ 906 to become leading juvenile sire , finished the season in second to smart strike on the turf sire rankings , and was 10th on the general sire list .
with medaglia d ' oro siring a champion in his first crop , there was no doubt the dark brown son of el prado was a major new force in the stallion corps , and kitten ' s joy confirmed el prado as a sire of sires to be reckoned with .
“based on this horse’s race record and his pedigree , his performance was all predictable , ” ramsey said of kitten’s joy , who is a son of el prado . “there’s nothing fluky about it . the secret to our success is very simple . what’s really helped kitten’s joy is that myself and my team have been able to define and shape the destiny of this world - class sire . we have carefully selected every single mare that’s been bred to him , and we own most of them . we’ve raised most of his offspring , and we’ve placed them where they can perform their best . we have orchestrated the thing ourselves by keeping the best ones , racing them , giving them to top - notch trainers . we flat put these horses where they can win . ”
heading into today ' s cards , according to the widely - recognized general sire list at bloodhorse . com , kitten ' s joy runners had collected $ 11 , 320 , 523 in earnings , giving him a slim $ 89 , 342 advantage over speightstown , who sat in second with earnings of $ 11 , 231 , 181 .
graded stakes placed , granny ` s kitten held down the racing fort , adding more black type running third in the robellino s at penn national for the ramseys . he has earned $ 282 , 371 .
as if the two graded stakes wins by sons of kitten ' s joy were not enough , his 3 year old filly noble beauty ran second in the honey ryder s in her second start lifetime ! she was bred by the ramseys and is now owned by great point stables llc and trained by chad brown . watch for this one .
in addition to his top ranking on the general sire list , kitten ' s joy was the overwhelming leading sire of turf runners last year , with progeny earnings of $ 8 . 2 million on grass , far outpacing the $ 3 . 7 million in turf earnings by runner - up
depending on how their runners perform this weekend , ken ramsey said he could raise kitten ' s joy ' s stud fee from the $ 50 , 000 he commanded this year to at least $ 100 , 000 in 2014 . in lieu of birthday presents , ramsey wants more evidence that his horses and his stallion can rule the world championships .
“i try to cater to a range of mare - owners and indeed mares , ” explains rausing of her decision to secure bobby’s kitten . “being a relatively small operation standing four or five stallions i have to offer breeders something they can’t find elsewhere . i was very fortunate to have hernando and selkirk , and leroidesanoimaux is sadly missed . nowadays when i look through the stallion register in europe it is so permeated with galileo and danehill , and as great a combination as it seems to be , you can’t keep going forever . although bobby’s kitten of course comes from the sadler’s wells sireline it is , one would hope , sufficiently distant and it’s another branch through el prado and kitten’s joy . i think it’s rather complementary rather than just being the same thing again . ”
his plan seemed fanciful — until the progeny of kitten’s joys started winning everywhere . this year the stallion’s offspring have won 22 stakes and earned in the vicinity of $ 10 million . on aug . 17 , ramsey won the arlington million with real solution ( a son of kitten’s joy and a mare who had been claimed for $ 25 , 000 ) ; the $ 500 , 000 secretariat stakes at arlington ; and , within the same hour , the $ 600 , 000 sword dancer handicap at saratoga .