THE names Kenneth and Sarah Ramsey are almost synonymous with that of Kitten’s Joy (by El Prado), the Grade 1-winning grandson of Sadler’s Wells (by Northern Dancer) that they transformed from a top eight to 12-furlong turf horse into a champion sire in the USA.

Standing at their Ramsey Farm in Kentucky, the 15-year-old has given us over 60 stakes winners so far, headed by the prolific Grade 1 stars Big Blue Kitten and Stephanie’s Kitten, and his seven who have succeeded at the highest level also include Bobby’s Kitten, winner of 2014’s Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint at Santa Anita.

Placed in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at two, and third in the Grade 1 Woodbine Mile Stakes just over a month before his biggest win, the five-year-old was fourth behind Mongolian Saturday in the 2015 edition of the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint, when still trained by Chad Brown, and he is now a member of the Dermot Weld team.

He made his Irish debut in the Listed Cork Stakes over six furlongs on heavy ground on Monday, and the way in which he beat Flight Risk by eight and a half lengths suggests that he could be one of the stars of the European sprinting scene in 2016, which would broaden his appeal as a future stallion.

His grandsire and great-grandsire were Group 1 winners for the Vincent O’Brien stable, and his family includes a champion who came close to winning an Irish Derby.

Bobby’s Kitten is out of a winning mare called Celestial Woods (by Forestry), his three-year-old full-brother Camelot Kitten was runner-up in an eight a half furlong Grade 3 contest at Keeneland in October, shortly before disappointing behind Hit It A Bomb in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf, and their full-brother Major Magic has won a listed contest at Colonial Downs.

His grandam Celestial Bliss (by Relaunch) is a half-sister to three Grade 1 stars and also to two mares who have produced a Group/Grade 1 winner at stud.

Paradise Creek’s (by Irish River) 14 wins included the Washington DC International, the Hollywood Derby, the Manhattan Handicap and the Arlington Million – all Grade 1 – and the races in which he was placed included the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Mile and Grade 1 Japan Cup.

Forbidden Apple (by Pleasant Colony) also won the Grade 1 Manhattan Handicap and his other big wins included two editions of the Grade 2 Kelso Handicap, also at Belmont Park.

Wild Event (by Wild Again) got the best of his 10 wins in the Grade 1 Early Times Turf Classic Stakes at Churchill Downs and, like Paradise Creek, he enjoyed some success at stud.

Paradise River, a full-sister to Paradise Creek, did her bit for the family by becoming the dam of David Junior (by Pleasant Tap), who won the Group 1 Champion Stakes at Newmarket, Group 1 Dubai Duty Free at Nad Al Sheba, and the Group 1 Eclipse Stakes at Sandown before going to stud in Japan.

Eden’s Causeway (by Giant’s Causeway) is the other sibling of note and that one-time scorer struck gold with her second foal, Grade 1 Las Virgenes Stakes heroine Eden’s Moon (by Malibu Moon).

What of the Irish Derby horse?

The third dam of Bobby’s Kitten is North Of Eden (by Northfields), who was placed a few times as a three-year-old, and as she was out of the stakes-placed Tree Of Knowledge (by Sassafras), that made her a half-sister to Theatrical (by Nureyev).

He looked set for victory in the Group 1 Irish Derby in 1985 but was caught close to home by Law Society.

He was runner-up in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf the following year but blossomed as a five-year-old, earning the Eclipse Award as Champion Turf Male in the USA.

Theatrical won the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf, Grade 1 Turf Classic, Grade 1 Man O’War Stakes, and three Grade 1 handicaps that year, and he went on to become a hugely successful stallion whose string of Group/Grade 1 winners included Royal Anthem, Madeline’s Dream, Winchester, Geri, runaway Irish Derby winner Zagreb, and Melbourne Cup hero Media Puzzle.

Theatrical’s half-brother Taiki Blizzard (by Seattle Slew) won at the highest level in Japan and so did his brilliant daughter Hishi Amazon.

Being a great-grandson of Sadler’s Wells, who was a three-parts brother to Nureyev (by Northern Dancer), and from this famous family, Bobby’s Kitten is somewhat closely related to Theatrical, and that should also attract plenty of attention to him when he eventually goes to stud.