'Joy' a world traveler

The connections of Kitten's Joy, considered by many to be the best turf horse in the United States, have made some mighty big plans. The talented 4-year-old chestnut colt is set to go in tomorrow's Arlington Million, but that's just a warmup. Owner/breeder Ken Ramsey and trainer Dale Romans then intend to ship him to France for the Prix de l'Arc Triomphe in October, and on to the Japan Cup in November. That's about as ambitious as it gets.

''If he runs the way we expect him to run in the Million, the plan is to send him over to France to start preparing for the Arc," said Romans via conference call. ''Roses In May [who won the $4 million Dubai Cup in March for the same camp] proved we could do it. We want to do it over. We want to do it again. Ken has always talked about taking him to Europe. He thinks it would do a lot for the horse.

''It takes a special horse to compete all around the world. The European horses run all around the world, but we tend to stay put. There's no reason you can't do it. Ken likes to think outside the box. If something happens, there's no problem in me calling Ken and saying we can't do that for this reason. He'll back off and make another plan."

A son of El Prado, Kitten's Joy has a career record of 13-9-3-0 (nearly $1.9 million in earnings), and a turf record of 11-9-2-0. He won the Eclipse Award as top turf male last year, with a mark of 8-6-2-0, even though he ran second as the 3-5 favorite in the $2 million Breeders' Cup Turf at Lone Star, beaten by Better Talk Now, who was nearly 28-1. He was bumped during the stretch run, but the stewards took no action.

After the season, he had surgery to correct a knee problem. He did not return to action until July 4, winning the Firecracker Handicap at Churchill Downs (the margin of victory was only a length but jockey Edgar Prado never used his whip).

''He's been real strong," said Romans. ''He's grown a lot with the time off. He's getting bigger and stronger. He's training better than last year. We got held up with him because of the surgery. But we thought he ran so good in the Firecracker, that one race would set him up. The time off could have been a blessing in disguise because he'll really be ready for the fall and winter."

The Arlington Million in Chicago is run at 1 1/4 miles, and it's no secret Kitten's Joy loves the course and the distance. Last year, he won the Secretariat, restricted to 3-year-olds and run on the undercard at the same distance as the Arlington. He prevailed in 1:59 3/5, which was faster than the older horses ran in the Arlington (two minutes flat).

''In hindsight, it's easy to say he should have run in the Million last year," said Romans. ''But, before the race, we didn't even think about going against older horses. The Secretariat was a breakout race for us. It showed us what kind of horse we had. I think he's a special horse.

''He had a terrible trip in the Breeders' Cup. I don't want to take anything away from the winner, but everybody saw it, and everybody recognizes it. We'll meet Better Talk Now again. We'll see him down the road eventually."

Kitten's Joy will likely meet Better Talk Now again, but it is unlikely to be tomorrow. Trainer H. Graham Motion intended to cross-enter Better Talk Now in the Arlington Million and tomorrow's 1 1/2-mile $500,000 Sword Dancer at Saratoga (N.Y.), and though he can get a plane to Chicago as late as today, he is pointing Better Talk Now toward the Sword Dancer.

''I'm 90 percent sure we'll go in the Sword Dancer," said Motion, who trains Better Talk Now, a 6-year-old gelding who likes soft ground. He defeated Kitten's Joy, after bumping him, over a yielding course in the Breeders' Cup and won last year's Sword Dancer on a yielding course. He also took his last start, the United Nations at Monmouth July 2, on a soft course.

A son of Talkin Man, Better Talk Now, who is regularly ridden by Ramon Dominguez, is owned by Bushwood Racing Partners. He has a career record of 28-10-5-2, 24-10-3-2 on turf. Boosted by his Breeders' Cup victory, he has almost $2.3 million in earnings.

''We need to play our cards right," said Motion. ''Our main objective is to get to the Breeders' Cup [Oct. 29 at Belmont Park]. This will be a lot less stressful on him than shipping to Chicago [both Kitten's Joy and Better Talk Now are stabled at The Spa] to run against a tougher field."