gogoselachus ( " shark from the gogo formation " ) is an extinct genus of cartilaginous fish known from the late devonian of australia .

it is one of the earliest well-preserved devonian chondrichthyans ( 20 million years older than cladoselache ) , as much more of the fish than just teeth and scales were preserved .

this rare preservation reveals some unique discoveries about the evolution of the cartilage that was inside later cartilaginous fish such as sharks , rays , and chimaeras .

gogoselachus

gogoselachus <EOT> what gogoselachus might have looked like , as restored from the scant fossil remains .

gogoselachus lynnbeazleyae : the first recorded shark from the late devonian gogo formation of western australia .

the fossil , named gogoselachus lynnbeazleyae , is the first shark to be found in this area .

right scapulocoracoid wam 09 . 6 . 145–007 of gogoselachus lynbeazleyae , . . . | download scientific diagram

sciency thoughts : gogoselachus lynnbeazleyae : the first recorded shark from the late devonian gogo formation of western australia .

teeth of gogoselachus are distinctive with many small cusps . the image far right is a ct - scanned tooth showing internal structure .

gogoselachus was clearly a fast - swimming predator that hunted other fishes using its jagged teeth to snare prey . gogoselachus lived on an ancient reef that teemed with many kinds of large predatory placoderm fishes , so had to hold its own in this piscine rat race .

gogoselachus lynnbeazleyae discovered by professor john long at the gogo fossil site , australia . testing shows that the three - dimensional remnant s… | pinteres…

however , when the authors recently examined the microstructure of the cartilage of gogoselachus using micro ct scanning , they discovered the matrix holding the cartilage together in the jaw contained bone cells .

structure of gogoselachus lynbeazleyae endoskeleton . ( a–c ) gogoselachus calcified cartilage ( a ) sem showing tessellate layout ( b , c ) horizontal section through tissue ( d ) transverse ct scan of right meckel ' s cartilage . scale bar is 0 . 1 mm in ( c ) . abbreviations : cp , cell processes ; l , lacunae . long et al . ( 2015 ) .

publishing their findings in the journal plos one , scientists said the fossil of gogoselachus lynbeazleyae dates to the late devonian period , around 380 million years ago , and shows the evolutionary transition from bones to cartilage .

concluding , the authors said the shark is an " exceptionally preserved " fossil that " suggests gogoselachus represents a transitional step toward the tessellated prismatic calcified cartilage which is today recognised as the main diagnostic character of the chondrichthyes " .

but this idea has just been challenged due to the discovery , announced today in the journal plos one , of a 380 - million - year - old fossil shark from western australia named gogoselachus lynbeazleyae that shows remnant bone cells present in its cartilaginous skeleton .

the specimen described by long et al . comprises a set of disarticulated but clearly associated remains comprising both left and right meckel ' s cartilages , nasal cartilage , ceratohyal , hyomandibula , basibranchial cartilage , both scapulocoracoids , and associated teeth and scales . this is described as gogoselachus lynbeazleyae , where ‘ gogoselachus ’ means gogo - shark and ‘ lynbeazleyae ’ honours lyn beazley of the university of western australia for her ‘contribution to scientific progress in western australia’ . the specimen is thought to be the first known acid - prepared mineralized devonian shark remains .

gogoselachus lynbeazleyae is an exceptionally preserved acid - prepared fossil chondrichthyan from the late gogo formation devonian of australia . its lower jaws have an expanded cotylus and small mandibular knob , and the slender scapulocoracoid has just 2 facets for radial articulations . the teeth have well - developed labial cusplets and their structure is intermediate between the ctenacanthiform and symmoriiform condition . the distinctive calcified cartilage forming the endoskeleton has multiple layers of nonprismatic subpolygonal tesserae separated by a cellular matrix . this suggests gogoselachus represents a transitional step toward the tessellated prismatic calcified cartilage which is today recognized as the main diagnostic character of the chondrichthyes .

gogoselachus cartilage showing the separate units called tesserae making the up the lower jaw ( left ) , and a thin section showing bone cells ( red line ) inside the matrix which binds the tesserae together ( right ) . image on the left is 0 . 5mm across , image on right is about 0 . 1mm across .

gogoselachus lynbeazelyae gen . et sp . nov . long , burrow , ginter , maisey , trinajstic , coates , young , senden urn : lsid : zoobank . org : act : ef04ad3e - 865d - 4fa5 - a6ff - f4ed6359fd26 ; urn : lsid : zoobank . org : act : 2ed167f8 - 9506 - 4d43 - b08e - 237291937b11

preparation of gogoselachus lynbeazleyae from the gogo formation , western australia . ( a ) meckel ' s cartilage as exposed on collection , before acetic acid etching . ( b ) specimen during early acid preparation . ( c ) meckel ' s cartilages after full preparation , shown articulated in dorsal view . long et al . ( 2015 ) .

( a–c ) gogoselachus calcified cartilage ( a ) sem wam 09 . 6 . 145–031 showing tessellate layout ( b , c ) horizontal section through tissue wam 09 . 6 . 145–032 ( d ) transverse ct scan of right meckel ' s cartilage . scale bar = 0 . 1 mm in ( c ) . abbreviations : cp , cell processes ; l , lacunae .

fig 4 . right scapulocoracoid wam 09 . 6 . 145–007 of gogoselachus lynbeazleyae , gogo formation , western australia . ( a ) lateral ( b ) posterior and ( c ) medial views , with close up of articulatory area for pectoral fin in e , f . d , articulation area for pectoral fin articulation on left scapulocoracoid for comparison . abbreviations as for fig 3 .

the picture above shows the specimen ( b ) during early acid bath preparation , whilst ( c ) shows the meckelian cartilage once it has been removed from the surrounding rock . the species has been named gogoselachus lynbeazleyae . the genus nomenclature comes from the name of the geological formation and the greek “selachos” which means shark . the trivial name honours neuroscientist professor lyn beazley ( university of western australia ) , in acknowledgement of her role as an ambassador for science .

here we present new data from the first well - preserved chondrichthyan fossil from the early late devonian ( ca . 380–384 mya ) gogo formation lägerstatte of western australia . the specimen is the first devonian shark body fossil to be acid - prepared , revealing the endoskeletal elements as three - dimensional undistorted units : meckel’s cartilages , nasal , ceratohyal , basibranchial and possible epibranchial cartilages , plus left and right scapulocoracoids , as well as teeth and scales . this unique specimen is assigned to gogoselachus lynnbeazleyae n . gen . n . sp .

gogoselachus lynbeazleyae is represented by a set of associated elements which were probably held together by ligaments and muscular tissue when the concretion formed around them . they include both left and right meckel ' s cartilages , nasal cartilage , ceratohyal , hyomandibula , basibranchial cartilage , both scapulocoracoids , as well as associated teeth and scales . fig 1 shows the specimen as it was found in the field ( fig 1a ) , after a week in acetic acid ( fig 1b ) , and after the lower jaws had been freed and reassembled into life position ( fig 1c ) .

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long ja , burrow cj , ginter m , maisey jg , trinajstic km , et al . ( 2015 )

correction : first shark from the late devonian ( frasnian ) gogo formation , western australia sheds new light on the development of tessellated calcified cartilage . plos one 10 ( 6 ) : e0131502 .

the meckel’s cartilages show a jaw articulation surface dominated by an expansive cotylus , and a small mandibular knob , an unusual condition for chondrichthyans . the scapulocoracoid of the new specimen shows evidence of two pectoral fin basal articulation facets , differing from the standard condition for early gnathostomes which have either one or three articulations . the tooth structure is intermediate between the ‘primitive’ ctenacanthiform and symmoriiform condition , and more derived forms with a euselachian - type base . of special interest is the highly distinctive type of calcified cartilage forming the endoskeleton , comprising multiple layers of nonprismatic subpolygonal tesserae separated by a cellular matrix , interpreted as a transitional step toward the tessellated prismatic calcified cartilage that is recognized as the main diagnostic character of the chondrichthyans .

citation : long ja , burrow cj , ginter m , maisey jg , trinajstic km , coates mi , et al . ( 2015 ) first shark from the late devonian ( frasnian ) gogo formation , western australia sheds new light on the development of tessellated calcified cartilage . plos one 10 ( 5 ) : e0126066 . urltoken

academic editor : andrew a . farke , raymond m . alf museum of paleontology , united states

copyright : © 2015 long et al . this is an open access article distributed under the terms of the creative commons attribution license , which permits unrestricted use , distribution , and reproduction in any medium , provided the original author and source are credited

funding : this work was supported by grants from the australian research council dp 0772138 awarded to gcy and jal for travel and scanning of specimens at the anu ; and dp1092870 awarded to kmt for travel to collaborate . the funders had no role in study design , data collection and analysis , decision to publish , or preparation of the manuscript .

the fossils occur inside limestone concretions which formed around whole fish or parts of carcasses that fell into the deep inter - reef basins between the reef fronts . rapid calcitic concretion formation prevented compaction or distortion from tectonic or gravity - induced sedimentary loading , thus retaining the original shape of the bones and delicate perichondrally calcified cartilages [ 34 ] . geochemical studies indicate that carcasses fell through a euxinic layer within the basin , enabling rare rapid preservation of soft tissue in anoxic benthic conditions [ 43 ] .

( a ) meckel ' s cartilage as exposed on collection , before acetic acid etching . ( b ) specimen during early acid preparation . ( c ) meckel ' s cartilages wam 09 . 6 . 145–001 ( left ) , wam 09 . 6 . 145–002 ( right ) after full preparation , shown articulated in dorsal view .

the field work was done in australia with permission of the land owners and leaseholders . there are no regulations pertaining to collecting of fossils in this region of australia apart from land owner permission as stated under the lands administration act , as relevant to pastoral leaseholders : see urltoken .

the specimen is registered in the collections of the western australian museum as wam 09 . 6 . 145 , repository at 69 kew st , welshpool , western australia .

the specimen was acid prepared at museum victoria , melbourne by jal using 10 % acetic acid , with cartilage elements strengthened by mowital b30 in ethanol . the specimen and residues were washed in water to neutralize the acidity , then picked under a binocular microscope to retrieve isolated scales and teeth .

scanning electron micrographs of teeth , scales and cartilage structure were taken using a jeol - 6400 at the centre for microscopy , university of queensland ( scales ) , and using other sems at university of warsaw , poland ( teeth images ) , and the los angeles county museum of natural history , california ( cartilage ) . thin section images were taken using an olympus bx - 50 microscope with dp12 imaging system .

digital transverse sections of the cartilages were studied through composite serial reconstruction from 10μ slices by the ultrafine ct scanner in the dept of applied mathematics , anu , and studied using drishti 2 . 4 software developed by that department ( and now publically available as freeware ) .

the electronic edition of this article conforms to the requirements of the amended international code of zoological nomenclature , and hence the new names contained herein are available under that code from the electronic edition of this article . this published work and the nomenclatural acts it contains have been registered in zoobank , the online registration system for the iczn . the zoobank lsids ( life science identifiers ) can be resolved and the associated information viewed through any standard web browser by appending the lsid to the prefix " urltoken " . the lsid for this publication is : urn : lsid : zoobank . org : pub : 3563562e - 41e0 - 4579 - 8645 - 9c13f7880019 . the electronic edition of this work was published in a journal with an issn , and has been archived and is available from the following digital repositories : pubmed central , lockss .

qm , queensland museum , po box 3300 , south brisbane bc , queensland 4101 .

wam , western australian museum fossil collection ; 49 kew st , welshpool , wa , 6106 .

generic name for the gogo formation and greek ‘ selachos ’ , shark . species name acknowledging professor lyn beazley , of the university of western australia , for her contribution to scientific progress in western australia .

? deihim mansureae " dubious specimen aeu 236 " ginter et al . ( 2002 ; plate 4 , figures j–k ) [ 45 ] . " shark " long & trinajstic ( 2010 ; p . 263 , figure 2 ) [ 34 ]

circa 60 km se of fitzroy crossing , north western australia , near the stromatoporoid camp locality , collected by jal , july 7th , 2005 .

a chondrichthyan with cladodont type teeth characterised by the following combination of features : a crown with a prominent median cusp rounded in cross - section , two smaller lateral cusps , and , in asymmetrical forms , a single intermediate lateral cusplet situated between the median cusp and the mesial lateral cusp ; a row of slender accessory labial cusplets at the crown - base interface ; a euselachian type base with a deep aboral depression and a vague orolingual hump . meckel’s cartilage with wide , transverse articular cotylus and small mandibular knob ; ceratohyal with a deep anterior - facing pit towards the posterior of the outer surface ; elongate basibranchial with straight edges ; scapulocoracoid with two diazonal nerve foramina and two pectoral fin basal articulation facets .

the meckel’s cartilages ( figs 1a–1c ; 2a , 2b and 2g ) are c . 5 cm long , deep posteriorly , with a well - developed continuous dental sulcus for the tooth rows ( sul ) , bordered laterally by a raised straight rim . the outer face of the cartilage has a ventral ridge ( fig 1a , vr ) defining a depressed lateral surface for the insertion of the adductor mandibulae musculature . the lower jaw articulatory surface has a broad transverse cotylus ( fig 2g , cot ) flanked medially by a small mandibular knob ( m . kb ) . both the cotylus and the mandibular process are on the same transverse plane . posterior to the cotylus is a thin vertical lamina ( fig 2a and 2c , re . fl ) , the sustentaculum sensu gegenbaur [ 46 ] a structure that has been recently referred to as the retroarticular flange [ 22 ] . the anterior region of the meckel’s cartilage has a well - defined oval symphysial attachment area ( fig 2b , sym ) with a separate subrectangular muscle attachment area posteroventral to the symphysis ( ma ) .

( a–c ) left meckel’s cartilage wam 09 . 6 . 145–001 , medial , lateral and dorsal views . ( d , e ) ceratohyal wam 09 . 6 . 145–005 , lateral and dorsal views . ( f ) nasal cartilage wam 09 . 6 . 145–006 , anterior vie w ? . ( g ) ? epibranchial cartilage wam 09 . 6 . 145–004 . ( h ) basibranchial cartilage wam 09 . 6 . 145–003 . abbreviations : cot , cotylus ; fl . ch , flange on ceratohyal ; fo . ch , fossa on ceratohyal ; ma , muscle attachment area ; m . kb , mandibular knob ; re . fl , retroarticular flange ; sul , sulcus ; sym , symphyseal pit ; vr , ventral ridge .

the ceratohyal ( fig 2c and 2d ) conforms to the generalized chondrichthyan shape [ 44 , 46 ] , having an expanded posterior blade and narrow , slightly rotated anterior region . it is about three - quarters the length of the meckel’s cartilage , and has a large fossa ( fo . ch ) facing anteriorly at its posterior extremity , rimmed by an elevated flange ( fl . ch ) . the anterior end of the ceratohyal is slightly expanded , with two separate , slightly rugose areas on the medial surface . it bears no distinctive grooves or foramina .

a delicate , triangular double - lamina of twisted cartilage resembles a nasal cartilage ( fig 2f ) . it correlates closely to the size and shape of other primitive chondrichthyan nasal cartilages or parts of the nasal capsule [ 14 ] . a shorter , tubular cartilage preserved above the meckel’s cartilages is one of the gill arches ( fig 2e ) , most likely epibranchial 1 by comparison with ozarcus [ 21 ] . a single elongate and transversely concave cartilage plate probably represents the mineralized surface of a basibranchial cartilage ( fig 2h ) . it has a straight posterior margin with dorsally projecting corners ; the anterior end of the unit is m - shaped . midway along , its convex surface is rough with numerous small pores .

the scapulocoracoid ( figs 3 and 4 ) is 8 . 0 cm high , with an elongate , flat , dorsally tapering scapular region and a deeply concave coracoid region ventral to a thickened posterior ridge at the lateral inflection . the scapular blade has a weak posterolateral process ( pla ) . muscle attachment scars are interpreted as follows : the supinator muscle anteriorly on the lateral surface of the scapula ( sup ) ; the mediolateral pectoral retractor muscles near the anterolateral inflection ( flr ) ; the coracobranchialis muscles ( cobr ) above the inflection ridge ; the coracohyoideus muscles ( cohy ) ventrally ; and the pectoral depressor muscle sheet ( pdm ) on the posterolateral surface of the coracoid ( fig 3a and 3b ) . a ridge ( ri ) along the posterior angle of the ventrolateral inflection shows remnants of areas with raised borders enclosing surfaces presumed to be articulation facets for the pectoral fin basal cartilages . the small central facet is completely preserved on the left side ( fig 3b and 3d , pf . ar2 ) , but the lateral and medial surfaces of the ridge have broken off . the medial area shows remnants of a rim shared with the central area , but the lateral area is missing .

the left scapulocoracoid is slightly damaged in the area of the fin articulation but clearly shows two facets for fin radial articulations ( fig 3d and 3e ) . this interpretation is supported by features preserved in the right scapulocoracoid which has a broad triangular facet for the mesial pectoral fin radial attachment ( fig 4b and 4e , pf . ar1 ) clearly visible , as well as a slightly smaller lateral pectoral fin radial facet ( pf . ar2 ) . restorations combining data from both sides show that there was only two fin radial articulations ( fig 3e , fig 4f ) .

( a ) posterior ( b ) medial and ( c ) lateral views . d , close up of posterior face showing articulation area for pectoral fin , e . , interpretation of same area . f , close up of central lateral surface showing diazonal foramen ( df ) . abbreviations : af , articulation facets ; artc , articular crest ; br , break in bone ; cobr , coracobrachialis muscle attachment area ; cohy , coracohyoideus muscle attachment area ; cp , coracoid plate ; df , diazonal foramina ; muscle attachment areas ; flr , mediolateral pectoral retractor muscle attachment area ; pdm , pectoral depressor muscle attachment area ; pla , posterolateral process ; pf . ar1 , 2 , pectoral fin articulation areas 1 and 2 ; pla , posterolateral angle ; pva , posteroventral angle ; ri , ridge ; sup , supinator attachment area .

the dentition is represented by some 82 individual cladodont - type teeth which show limited morphological variation ; more than half are relatively large ( width at the base–crown junction 1 . 5–2 mm ; figs 5a–5e ; 6a–6f and 6j–6t ) with the others smaller ( all about 1 mm wide ; fig 6g–6i ) . two types of crowns , symmetrical and asymmetrical , were observed among the larger teeth . symmetrical crowns ( fig 6d–6f and 6n–6t ) have a prominent median cusp , standing upright ( in labial view ) or with a slight distal inclination , and only two divergent lateral cusps whose height usually exceeds one - third of the height of the median cusp . no intermediate cusplets are present . in asymmetrical crowns ( figs 5a–5d ; 6a–6c , 6j–6m ) the median cusp is considerably inclined distally ( up to 20 degrees ) , the distal lateral cusp is inclined distally at 45 degrees and the mesial lateral cusp is only slightly inclined mesially . between the median and mesial cusps there is a small intermediate cusplet . the asymmetrical teeth are wider ( mesio - distally ) than the symmetrical ones . the median cusp is up to 2 . 5 mm in height in symmetrical teeth ; in asymmetrical teeth it is relatively shorter and thicker . in all types of teeth it is rounded in cross section , gently curved lingually , but non - sigmoidal . the labial face is ornamented with two to three coarse cristae almost reaching the tip ; the cristae may bifurcate at the basal part . the lingual face is almost smooth , only one or two indistinct cristae extend along the lateral margins . in asymmetrical specimens they are visible near the mesial margin ( fig 6c and 6j ) . the lingual and labial faces are separated with a lateral carina . the shape and ornamentation of the lateral cusps is similar to that of the median cusp .

large tooth wam 09 . 6 . 145–009 in ( a ) lingual , ( b ) labial , ( c ) oral ( d ) aboral views , in natural light . ( e ) sem of tooth wam 09 . 6 . 145–010 , naturally broken near the median surface . ( f , g ) ct - scans of tooth wam 09 . 6 . 145–011 , showing layout of vascular canals , in basal and lingual - lateral views . abbreviations : l - lcl , labio - lingual canals ; ctcl , central canal ; blcl , basolabial canals ; ccl , coronal canals .

( a–c ) wam 09 . 6 . 145–012 in oral , labial , and lingual views . ( d–f ) wam 09 . 6 . 145–013 in labial , basal , and oblique lateral views . ( g–h ) small tooth , wam 09 . 6 . 145–014 , in lingual , and oral views . ( i ) tooth of intermediate size , wam 09 . 6 . 145–015 , in labial view . ( j–m ) wam 09 . 6 . 145–016 in lingual , labial , oral and distal views . ( n–p ) wam 09 . 6 . 145–017 in oral , labial , and lingual views . ( q–t ) wam 09 . 6 . 145–018 in labial , lingual , oral , and lateral views .

at the crown–base interface , on the labial side of all the teeth , is a row of several accessory cusplets . they display various sizes and directions , but generally are slender , sharp and directed orally . in the asymmetrical specimens the largest may exceed the size of the intermediate cusplet . the labial accessory cusplets are vulnerable to abrasion and in most cases they are broken , leaving only the basal parts preserved .

tooth bases of larger teeth are deep , elongated mesio - distally , from elliptical to broadly hexagonal , to trapezoidal in outline , with a lingual extension . a deep depression in the central / labial area of the aboral side is framed by the well developed , labially convex basolabial rim . no clear interlocking devices ( buttons or basolabial projections ) are present , save for a slight orolingual hump , observed in certain , especially small , specimens . the aboral depression and the basolabial rim might have helped in strengthening the connection between the teeth in a tooth file . the base surface , save for the immediate vicinity of the crown on the oral side and the aboral - lingual area , is perforated by numerous canal openings . the largest foramina occur on the orolingual rim and in the aboral depression .

the ct - scans and broken surfaces reveal a network of basal nutritive canals ( fig 5e–5g ) . in the lingual extension of the base there are mainly labio - lingual canals which , in most cases , extend from the orolingual rim to the lingual wall of the aboral depression . these major canals are interconnected by narrower tubes . in the area of the depression ( i . e . below the crown ; called here central canals ) , the directions change to mainly mesio - distal and vertical . and finally , the canals in the basolabial rim are mainly vertical . from the network of central canals , single vascular canals ( coronal canals ) extend into the basal parts of the median and lateral cusps .

the smaller teeth ( fig 6g–6i ) differ from the larger ones not only by the overall size , but also in proportions between the base and crown—in the smaller teeth , in most cases , the base is relatively broader ( see especially fig 6i ) . in contrast to the excellent preservation of many of the larger teeth , most of the recovered smaller teeth have broken cusps . as the teeth were not found in situ , but dispersed around the jaw cartilages , we can only speculate in reconstructing the dentition . it is most probable that the narrow , symmetrical teeth were on the anterior part of the jaw , and the broader , asymmetrical forms were in the lateral tooth families . the smaller teeth are probably juvenile ones , replaced by larger forms , but preserved on the outer side of jaw , as is common among the ctenacanthiforms [ 47 – 49 ] . the occurrence of both symmetrical and asymmetrical forms among the smaller teeth , as well as their broken ( possibly some worn ) cusps , support this view .

tooth bases resemble the “euselachian - type” ( sensu ginter 2005 ) [ 50 ] in having a spongiose structure and numerous labio - lingual canals . the absence of buttons and basolabial projections is a potential synapomorphy with chondrichthyans possessing " euselachian - type " teeth , although the presence of an orolingual hump and basolabial depression suggests that the bases of successive teeth overlapped in similar fashion to those of cladodont chondrichthyans in which buttons and projections are present [ 47 , 49 – 52 ] . the presence of one or two medially situated larger canals in bases of symmetrical teeth ( fig 6p and 6r ) , instead of evenly distributed canals of virtually the same size , possibly represents a stage between the layout in ctenacanthiforms and symmoriiforms , which have median basal canal openings ( lingual and aboral ) which are usually much larger than any other foramina , and " euselachian - type " teeth with evenly distributed canals .

( a ) presumed flank scale wam 09 . 6 . 145–019 , anterocrown view . ( b , c ) presumed flank scale wam 09 . 6 . 145–020 , anterocrown and posterior views . ( d ) presumed flank scale wam 09 . 6 . 145–021 , posterobasal view . ( e , f ) presumed flank scale wam 09 . 6 . 145–022 , posterobasal view and magnification of undersurface of crown denticulation . ( g , h ) very small scale wam 09 . 6 . 145–023 , broken , showing crown view of one half and basal view of the other half . ( i ) abraded umbellate scale wam 09 . 6 . 145–024 , crown view . ( j , k ) pultschuppe or squamae proniae scale wam 09 . 6 . 145–025 , crown and posterior views . ( l ) stellate tessera wam 09 . 6 . 145–026 , crown view . ( m ) probable branchial denticle plate wam 09 . 6 . 145–027 , lateral view . ( n ) vertical transverse section through presumed flank scale wam 09 . 6 . 145–028 . ( o ) oblique vertical section through umbellate scale wam 09 . 6 . 145–029 . ( p , q ) horizontal section through the crown of ? head tessera wam 09 . 6 . 145–030 , whole section and magnification to show spiralfasern structure . scale bars = 0 . 1 mm in all figures except ( p ) , where scale bar = 1 mm .

thin sections show that the scales grew by appositional addition of odontodes laterally and posteriorly ( fig 7n and 7o ) ; shorter , more upright odontodes are added anteriorly . the thin bone bases show several inner growth zones having separate bases , with bases underlying the whole scale formed only in the later growth periods ( fig 7n and 7o ) . each odontode has a relatively wide pulp canal , surrounded and partly infilled by ‘spiralfasern’ , and interconnected by radial and circular canals . the ‘spiralfasern’ structure ( sensu gross ) [ 54 ] , rather than being fibrous , appears to be formed by spiralling rings of atubular dentine which developed centrifugally to partly fill the wide pulp canals . fine branching dentine tubules permeate the outer solid areas of the odontodes . innermost ( oldest ) odontodes have separate ? acellular bone bases , but the youngest growth zones have bases which underlie new and old growth zones . sharpey’s fibres extended through the full - width zones , but not the individual odontode bases . horizontal section of a pultschuppe scale shows centrifugal growth zones ( fig 7p and 7q ) .

the endoskeletal elements are formed of mineralized tessellated cartilage ( fig 8 ) that varies in thickness , corresponding to the number of layers of tesserae . the meckel’s cartilages , scapulocoracoids and the median ventral section of the basibranchial unit have two layers , whereas the gill - arch cartilages and the articulatory block on the scapulocoracoid are finer , with mostly one but rarely two layers . thin sections of loose cartilage fragments ( fig 8b and 8c ) show a structure similar to typical shark tessellated calcified cartilage , with subpolygonal tesserae showing rings and waves of liesegang [ 55 ] . however , rather than having fibrous connections between the tesserae as found in modern sharks [ 56 ] , the tesserae are mostly surrounded by a matrix incorporating elongate lacunae , some with fine processes extending from them ( fig 8c ) . ct scans ( fig 9h ) show the varying thickness of the cartilage in different areas of the endoskeletal elements ( fig 8d ) .

the morphology of the teeth is unique among the devonian chondrichthyes , showing a mix of features found in several shark groups . the crown is somewhat similar , mostly in the proportions of the cusps , to that of ctenacanthus concinnus [ 64 ] and cladodoides wildungensis [ 65 , 66 ] , but the median cusps of the latter two are labially flattened whereas in gogoselache lynbeazleyae they are biconvex . the asymmetry in devonian ctenacanthids , albeit common , is never advanced to a point of occurrence of an intermediate cusplet only on one side . moreover , the tooth base in ctenacanthids is provided with a distinct orolingual button and a straight , shelf - like basolabial projection , which are missing in g . lynbeazleyae teeth .

( a–c ) arduodens flammeus hairapetian & ginter , 2009 , from chahriseh , aeu 610 , in lingual , aboral , and lateral views . ( d–g ) deihim mansureae ginter , hairapetian and klug , 2002 . ( d , e ) holotype , igpuw / ps / 5 / 1 , from hutk , in oral and lateral views . ( f , g ) putative anterior tooth , aeu 239 , from hodjedk , in labial and oral views . scale bar = 0 . 5 mm .

based on isolated teeth from the famennian of iran , ginter et al . [ 45 ] proposed a strong heterodonty within the dentition of d . mansureae . most of the specimens attributed to that species are various forms of crushing teeth . only two specimens can be considered as clutching teeth , and these were tentatively included in d . mansureae because of the structure of the base and the presence of labial accessory cusplets . it was suggested [ 45 ] that the teeth were from the anterior tooth families and the whole dentition functioned in a way similar to modern heterodontus , with a few minute anterior clutching teeth and a large lateral and posterolateral crushing apparatus ( [ 68 ] fig24c ) . however , the reconstructed whole dentitions of g . lynbeazleyae and d . mansureae were completely different , with a total absence of crushing teeth associated with wam 09 . 6 . 145 . therefore , we consider g . lynbeazleyae and d . mansureae to belong to separate , albeit probably related , genera .

a single tooth from the upper devonian of the canning basin , western australia , emerikodus ektrapelus [ 69 ] bears some similarity to the new form . the preservation of the tooth is not very good , but the form of the main parts of the crown and base are quite similar to those of g . lynbeazleyae . however emerikodus displays one very unusual feature : the row of accessory cusplets is apparently situated on the lingual , and not labial , side of the crown .

the presumed normal body scales of gogoselache lynbeazleyae appear intermediate between the ‘cladodont’ type sensu gross [ 53 ] and the ctenacanthid type sensu reif [ 70 ] . the ‘cladodont’ scale category was based on isolated scales from the middle devonian ohio bonebeds [ 54 , 71 ] and the upper devonian of iowa , rhineland and harz [ 54 ] . the scales are characterized by having a base formed of lamellar bone layers penetrated by sharpey ' s fibres , and a crown plate comprising circular or semicircular zones of odontodes ; growth was by addition to the margin of the scale crown and a new ( cellular or acellular ) bone layer under the whole base .

several occurrences of ctenacanthid and cladodont type scales have been reported from eastern and western australian middle to late devonian microvertebrate assemblages [ 72 – 74 ] . other rich assemblages from the ? upper givetian aztec siltstone at mt crean , antarctica include ctenacanthid - type scales similar to those of gogoselache , that are most likely from antarctilamna prisca [ 75 ] . the acanthodian and chondrichthyan microremains in the mt crean assemblage [ 76 ] show a marked similarity to early frasnian faunas from iran [ 77 ] .

comparing gogoselache scales with those of older taxa , the flank scales with their concave bases and polyodontode crowns resemble those of leonodus mader from the lochkovian of northern spain [ 78 ] . doliodus problematicus from the early emsian of new brunswick , canada [ 15 ] , and antarctilamna prisca young from the givetian of antarctica [ 75 ] . unlike gogoselache , all of these taxa have diplodont teeth , indicating that the scale form is probably ancestral to both shark lineages determined by tooth morphology .

the structure of the calcified cartilage in the endoskeleton of gogoselache is of interest as an apparent transitional form between gcc and pcc . ct scans and thin sections show a calcified tissue forming the outer shell of endoskeletal elements , more derived than the simple calcified cartilage comprising separate globules found in osteostracan agnathans [ 55 ] , acanthodians [ 79 ] and some stem chondrichthyans ( fig 9a and 9b ) . placoderms differ from other gnathostomes in having perichondral bone plus globular ( gcc ) and / or uncalcified cartilage forming their endoskeleton ( fig 9c and 9d ) in instances where such elements are preserved at all [ 53 , 73 , 80 ] .

we would like to thank field team members of the 2005 gogo expedition , l . hatcher , m . nossal , b . choo and m . karkeek ; and r . f . miller ( nbmg ) for image of doliodus calcified cartilage . we thank giar - ann hung for assistance with the sem photography at la county museum of natural history . dr adam summers , university of washington , provided helpful discussion on the cartilage histology . this work is a contribution to igcp 596 .

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sharks are one of the oldest and least changed of all the living back - boned jawed creatures . but because their skeletons are made of cartilage much of their early fossil record is poor .

cartilage is a rubbery tissue that forms the framework for bones to ossify ( harden ) upon . it’s why babies have rubbery legs when they begin to walk , as the bones haven’t fully ossified around the cartilage cores . our ears and noses have cartilage frameworks too , which lack bone , but still support the soft structures we hear and smell with .


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

kitten ' s joy <EOT> 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 .