Big Blue Kitten (foaled May 1, 2008) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse who specialises in turf races. Unraced as a juvenile, he finished third on his debut in 2011 and then went on a five race winning streak, culminating in a victory in the

Grade II In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame Stakes The National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame Stakes is a Grade II American Thoroughbred horse race for three year old horses run over a distance of one mile on the turf held annually in July at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. H ...

. After winning one minor race as a four-year-old he emerged as a top-class turf performer in 2013 when his wins included the

United Nations Stakes The United Nations Stakes is a Grade II American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds and older run over a distance of one and three-eighth miles on the turf held annually in July at Monmouth Park Racetrack in Oceanport, New Jersey. The eve ...

and the Sword Dancer Invitational Stakes. His only win of consequence in 2014 came in the Lure Stakes but he returned to his best as a seven-year-old in 2015 winning the

Fort Marcy Handicap The Fort Marcy Stakes is a Grade II American Thoroughbred horse race for three-years-old and older run over a distance of miles on the turf annually in early May at Belmont Park, in Elmont, New York. The event currently offers a purse of $200,000 ...

, a second United Nations Stakes and the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational Stakes. Apart from his victories he finished second in the

Arlington Million The Arlington Million is a Grade 1 flat horse race in the United States for thoroughbred horses aged three years and upward on turf. It was originally raced at Arlington Park in Arlington Heights, Illinois over a distance of miles. The Arling ...

and third in the

Breeders' Cup Turf The Breeders' Cup Turf is a Weight for Age Thoroughbred horse race on turf for three-year-olds and up. It is held annually at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships. The race's current ...

. His performances earned him the title of

American Champion Male Turf Horse The American Champion Male Turf Horse award is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor. The award originated in 1953 when the ''Daily Racing Form'' (DRF) named Iceberg II their champion. The Thoroughbred Racing Association (TRA) added the cat ...

for 2015.

Background

Big Blue Kitten is a bay horse bred and owned by

Kenneth and Sarah Ramsey Kenneth L. "Ken" Ramsey (born 1935) and Sarah Kathern "Kitten" Ramsey (February 5, 1939 – May 29, 2022) are horse breeders and owners of Thoroughbred race horses. They have multiple graded stakes race, graded stakes winners, three Breeders' Cup ...

. He was sired by the Ramsey stallion

Kitten's Joy Kitten's Joy (May 8, 2001 – July 15, 2022) was a Thoroughbred racehorse who was a multiple graded stakes winner and the American Champion Turf Horse of 2004. Since retiring to stud, he became one of the leading sires in North America and has ...

the U.S. Champion Male Turf Horse of 2004. His dam, Spent Gold made no impact on the track, failing to win in three races as a two-year-old in 1999. She was a granddaughter of Mystical Mood who won the

Schuylerville Stakes The Schuylerville Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. Open to two-year-old fillies, it is contested at a distance of six furlongs on dirt. A Listed event, it curren ...

and produced the

Citation Handicap The Seabiscuit Handicap is a Grade II American Thoroughbred horse race for three-years-old and older over a distance of one and one-sixteenth miles ( furlongs) on the turf track scheduled annually in late November at Del Mar Racetrack in Del M ...

winner Fair Judgment. The Ramseys sent their horse into training with Chad Brown. Although Big Blue Kitten is an entire male horse he is officially described as a

ridgling A ridgling (also spelled ridgeling), or rig, is a cryptorchid; a male animal with one or both testicles undescended, usually describing a ram, bull, or male horse, but cryptorchidism also can be an issue in dogs and cats. Because the heat inside ...

, as he has an

undescended testicle Cryptorchidism, also known as undescended testis, is the failure of one or both testes to descend into the scrotum. The word is . It is the most common birth defect of the male genital tract. About 3% of full-term and 30% of premature infant boy ...

. The "Big Blue" part of his name is a reference to the sports teams of the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky, United States. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical ...

, Ken Ramsey's ''

alma mater Alma mater (; : almae matres) is an allegorical Latin phrase meaning "nourishing mother". It personifies a school that a person has attended or graduated from. The term is related to ''alumnus'', literally meaning 'nursling', which describes a sc ...

''.

Racing career

2011: three-year-old season

Big Blue Kitten began his racing career by finishing third in a

maiden race In horse racing, a maiden race is an event for horses that have not won a race. Horses that have not won a race are referred to as maidens. Maiden horse races are held over a variety of distances and under conditions with eligibility based on the s ...

Gulfstream Park Gulfstream Park is a Thoroughbred racing, Thoroughbred horse race track, casino and outdoor entertainment and shopping destination in Hallandale Beach, Florida, Hallandale Beach, Florida, United States. It is among the most important venues for ...

on February 21 and then opened his winning account in a similar event over nine furlongs at the same track on 20 March. He went on to win a minor turf race at

Keeneland Keeneland Association, Inc. is an equine business based in Lexington, Kentucky. It includes two distinct divisions: the Keeneland Race Course, a Thoroughbred racing facility, and Keeneland Sales, a horse auction complex. It is also known for ...

in April, and gained further successes at

Belmont Park Belmont Park is a thoroughbred racing, thoroughbred horse racetrack in Elmont, New York, just east of New York City limits best known for hosting the Belmont Stakes, the final leg of the American Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United Stat ...

in May and July to take his winning run to four. On August 12 at

Saratoga Race Course Saratoga Race Course is a Thoroughbred horse racing track located on Union Avenue in Saratoga Springs, New York, Saratoga Springs, New York (state), New York, United States. Opened in 1863, it is often considered to be the oldest major sporting v ...

, Big Blue Kitten was stepped up in class for

National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame Stakes and started second favorite in a seven-runner field. Ridden by

John Velazquez John R. Velazquez (born November 24, 1971) is a Puerto Rican jockey in Thoroughbred horse race, Thoroughbred horse racing. He began his career in Puerto Rico and moved to New York in 1990. In 2004 and 2005 he was the United States Champion Jockey ...

he tracked the leaders before moving up on the rail, taking the lead in the straight and winning by one and a quarter lengths from Perregaux. Commenting on the horse's successful step up in class, Ramsey said "We’ve offered this horse for a claiming price three times and no one claimed him. No more claimers!" The colt was then off the course for four months before finishing third in a minor race at Gulfstream in December.

2012: four-year-old season

On his 2012 debut, Big Blue Kitten was moved up to Grade I level for the

Gulfstream Park Handicap The Gulfstream Park Mile Stakes (formerly known as the Gulfstream Park Handicap) is a race for thoroughbred horses run at Gulfstream Park each year. The race is open to horses age four and up, willing to race one mile on the dirt. A Grade II event ...

and finished third behind Get Stormy and Hollinger. In the

Ben Ali Stakes The Ben Ali Stakes is an American race for thoroughbred horses run in the Spring of each year at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky. For 4-year-olds and up, it is a Grade III event set at a distance of one and three-sixteenth miles on ...

at Keeneland in April he finished a distant second to the five-year-old gelding

Wise Dan Wise Dan (foaled February 20, 2007) is a champion American Hall of Fame and Canadian Hall of Fame Thoroughbred racehorse. He is the first horse to win the same three Eclipse Awards in consecutive years, having been named American Horse of the ...

. He was then sent to England to contest the

Prince of Wales's Stakes The Prince of Wales's Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile 1 furlong and 212 yards (2,004 me ...

Royal Ascot Ascot Racecourse is a dual-purpose British racecourse, located in Ascot, Berkshire, England, about 25 miles west of London. Ascot is used for thoroughbred horse racing, and it hosts 13 of Britain's 36 annual Flat Group 1 races and three Gra ...

in June. Starting a 50/1 outsider, he briefly took the lead a quarter of a mile out before fading in the final furlong to finish tenth of the eleven runners behind

So You Think So You Think (foaled 10 November 2006) is a New Zealand-bred Thoroughbred racehorse, now majority owned by Coolmore Stud of Ireland. So You Think came to prominence through winning the 2009 and 2010 Cox Plates, Australia's premier weight for age ...

. On his only other start of the year he won a minor race at Gulfstream in December.

2013: five-year-old season

In 2013, Big Blue Kitten began his campaign by finishing third to Mucho Mas Macho in the Fort Lauderdale Stakes and then won minor events at Gulfstream in March and

Churchill Downs Churchill Downs is a horse racing complex in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States that hosts the annual Kentucky Derby. It opened in 1875 and was named for Samuel Churchill, whose family was prominent in Kentucky for many years. The first ...

in May. In June he moved to

Monmouth Park Monmouth Park Racetrack is an American race track for thoroughbred horse racing in Oceanport, New Jersey, Oceanport, New Jersey, United States. It is owned by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority and is operated under a five-year lease ...

where he was partnered for the first time by Joe Bravo, who became his regular jockey. He finished second to Boisterous in the Monmouth Stakes and then contested the Grade I United Nations Stakes over one mile three furlongs on 6 July. The

winner Little Mike started favorite, with Big Blue Kitten second choice in the betting at odds of 2.5/1 and the 2011 winner Teaks North on 7.6/1. After being restrained by Bravo in the early stages he made rapid progress on the rail in the straight, took the lead in the closing stages and won by one and a quarter lengths from Teaks North. Chad Brown described Bravo's ride as "one for his highlight reel" and added that "this horse will run as far as you want". On August 17 Big Blue Kitten was one of twelve horses to contest the Grade I Sword Dancer Invitational Stakes over one and a half miles at Saratoga. His opponents included Boisterous, Twilight Eclipse (

Pan American Stakes The Pan American Stakes is a Grade II horserace, Grade II American Thoroughbred horse race for horses that are four years or older held over a distance of one and one-half miles (twelve furlongs) on the turf usually scheduled annually in late March ...

), Stormy Lord ( Connaught Cup), Al Khali (

Bowling Green Handicap The Bowling Green Stakes is a Grade II American thoroughbred horse race for horses age four years old and older over a distance of miles on the turf held annually in late July at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. History The i ...

) and Optimizer ( Kent Stakes). After racing towards the rear of the field he began to make progress on the inside but failed to obtain a clear run in the straight. Bravo switched him to the outside in the final furlong and Big Blue Kitten produced a strong late run to take the lead and won "readily" by a length from Twilight Eclipse. Brown said that he had been "super confident" before the race while Bravo commented "the happiest I was was turning for home. I'm looking at each rider and they're riding their horses, and I hadn't even asked the Kitten yet". Big Blue Kitten started odds-on favorite for the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational Stakes at Belmont Park on September 28 but in a closely contested finish he was beaten a nose into second by Little Mike. On his final appearance of the year he finished eighth behind Magician in the Breeders' Cup Turf at

Santa Anita Park Santa Anita Park is a Thoroughbred racetrack in Arcadia, California, United States. It offers some of the prominent horse racing events in the United States during early fall, winter and in spring. The track is home to numerous prestigious race ...

on November 2.

2014: six-year-old season

Big Blue Kitten missed the first half of the 2014 season, making his debut in the Listed Lure Stakes at Saratoga on 12 August. Starting the 1.7/1 favorite he came from well off the pace to take the lead in the last 50 yards and won by three quarters of a length from Bio Pro. Brown was delighted with the performance, saying "What a great horse. I wasn't quite sure if I had him fit enough off the layoff. I told Joe if he won, it'd be terrific, but as long as he finished well we had some big plans for this horse later in the year. Lo' and behold, he got through anyway on heart". Later that month he finished second at Monmouth and in September he finished fourth to

Main Sequence In astronomy, the main sequence is a classification of stars which appear on plots of stellar color index, color versus absolute magnitude, brightness as a continuous and distinctive band. Stars on this band are known as main-sequence stars or d ...

in the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic. In October he was sent to

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

for the

Canadian International Stakes The Canadian International Stakes is a Grade I stakes race for thoroughbred racehorses from three years of age and upwards on Turf. It is held annually at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The current purse is . History The Cana ...

in which he finished second to the British colt Hillstar. On his final start of the year he started favorite for the

Red Smith Handicap The Red Smith Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York. A race on turf open to horses age three and older, it is typically run in November over a distance of miles (11 furlongs). Inaugur ...

in November but was beaten into second place by Dynamic Sky.

2015: seven-year-old season

Big Blue Kitten began his fifth season in the Grade III Fort Marcy Handicap at Belmont on May 2. Ridden as usual by Bravo, he started favorite in an eight-runner field and won by two and a quarter lengths from Howe Great with the

Travers Stakes The Travers Stakes is an American Graded stakes race, Grade I Thoroughbred horse race held at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. It is nicknamed the "Midsummer Derby" and is the third-ranked race for American three-year-olds accor ...

winner V E Day in sixth. Bravo explained his tactics by saying "if you just point him at horses, he'll run them down. And ever since the first time I rode, that's all I've done—point him at horses." In the Grade I

Manhattan Handicap The Manhattan Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race raced annually at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is named for Manhattan, the principal borough of the City of New York. Currently offering a purse of $1,000,000, the Grade I Manhatt ...

at the same track in June, he struggled to obtain a clear run in the straight before finishing second, two and three quarter lengths behind his stable companion Slumber. Big Blue Kitten and Slumber met again in the United Nations Stakes on Monmouth on July 5, where the other contenders included Main Sequence, Twilight Eclipse and the

San Luis Rey Handicap The San Luis Rey Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. Held during the third week of March, the Grade III event is open to horses of either gender, age four and up, willing to race ...

winner Ashleyluvssugar. After being restrained by Bravo as usual, he produced a strong late run to take the lead a furlong out and won the race for the second time, beating Slumber by a length and a half. Joe Bravo described the winner as "just like an old glass of wine, he keeps getting better with age". In August Big Blue Kitten was sent to Chicago to contest the

and started 3/1 joint favorite alongside Slumber and the Stars and Stripes Stakes winner The Pizza Man. He was held up for his customary late charge but failed by a neck to catch The Pizza Man. On September 26 Big Blue Kitten made his third attempt to win the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Stakes at Belmont. He started second favorite behind the

winner Red Rifle in a field which also included Slumber and Twilight Eclipse. He was held up as usual before overtaking the pace-setter Shining Copper in the last quarter mile. He opened up a clear advantage and held off the late challenge of Slumber to win by three quarters of a length. The winning time of 2:23.9 was a new turf track record and the fastest mile and a half ever run at Belmont, beating

Secretariat Secretariat may refer to: * Secretariat (administrative office) * Secretariat (horse) Secretariat (March 30, 1970 – October 4, 1989), also known as Big Red, was a champion American thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse who was the ninth winn ...

's 2:24.0 on dirt in the

1973 Belmont Stakes The 1973 Belmont Stakes was the 105th running of the Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York, held on June 9, 1973. Facing a field of five horses, Secretariat won by 31 lengths going away, the largest margin of victory in Belmont hist ...

. Big Blue Kitten ended his season in the Breeders' Cup Turf at Keeneland on October 31. He proved the best of the North American horses as he finished a close third to the European challengers Found and

Golden Horn The Golden Horn ( or ) is a major urban waterway and the primary inlet of the Bosphorus in Istanbul, Turkey. As a natural estuary that connects with the Bosphorus Strait at the point where the strait meets the Sea of Marmara, the waters of the ...

. In the

Eclipse Awards The Eclipse Award is an American Thoroughbred horse racing award named after the 18th-century British racehorse and sire, Eclipse. An Eclipse Award Trophy is presented to the winner in each division. The trophy is made by a few small selected Am ...

for 2015, Big Blue Kitten was named

, taking 134 of the 261 votes to win from Golden Horn and The Pizza Man.

2016: eight-year-old season

Big Blue Kitten went winless in three starts as an eight year old. He began his sixth year of racing in the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic, finishing fifth behind Tourist (who would go on to win the Breeders' Cup Turf Mile), Slumber, World Approval, and winner Divisidero. He then ran in the Manhattan Stakes, finishing sixth. After running last in the Northern Dancer Turf Stakes, the decision was made to retire him. Big Blue Kitten retired to Calumet Farm. His 2017 fee was set at $15,000.

Pedigree

*Big Blue Kitten is

inbred Inbreeding is the production of offspring from the mating or breeding of individuals or organisms that are closely related genetically. By analogy, the term is used in human reproduction, but more commonly refers to the genetic disorders an ...

4 × 4 to Roberto, meaning that this stallion appears twice in the fourth generation of his pedigree.

References

{{Reflist, 2 2008 racehorse births Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in the United States Thoroughbred family A1 Eclipse Award winners