James Herbener | Horse Racing Free Tips

Celebration of Life for Herbener Saturday at F-T

A celebration of life for Kentucky horseman James M. Herbener, Jr. will be held in Fasig-Tipton's Lexington, Kentucky sales pavilion Saturday, Oct. 23. It will begin at 5 pm and will be immediately followed by a reception in the pavilion's upstairs bar. All those that wish to attend are welcome. Those that cannot attend may view the service via livestream by following this link.

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Consignor Herbener Jr. Passes Away Suddenly

Well-respected consignor Jim Herbener, Jr. died Sunday morning of an apparent heart attack. Herbener, who was in the midst of selling horses at the Keeneland September sale, died at his home in Georgetown, Kentucky. He was 69.

His death was confirmed by his long-time friend, John Williams.

Herbener was the consignor of seven yearlings in the sale, including an Arrogate filly who sold Sunday for $80,000. Williams said that he and Herbener's daughter Heather, will team up to sell the remainder of the Herbener horses left in the sale.

“He was my best friend,” his daughter said. “I traveled to every sale with him since I was a child. We were always together. This is such a shock.”

Among the horses Herbener sold in recent years is Hot Rod Charlie (Oxbow), who crossed the wire first in the GI TVG.com Haskell S. before being disqualified for interfering with another horse. Herbener sold the now 3-year-old star at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Winter Mixed sale.

Williams said he talked briefly with Herbener on Saturday at Keeneland and that his friend was in good spirits and seemed to be in good health. The two discussed having a drink together after the sale concluded.

“For 42 years we had a great friendship,” Williams said. “It was one of the great friendships of my life. He was the consummate horseman and an incredible human being. He was quiet. If the spotlight came his way, he would deflect it. He kept his nose down and kept doing what he did, like very few could do. I know that from personal experience over all these years. He was one of my dear, dear friends.”

Herbener was born in Hampton Roads, Virginia, and was born into a family of equestrians and began riding horses early on in his childhood. According to Williams, Herbener trained briefly and also had a stint as a steeplechase rider before settling in in Kentucky and setting up shop as a consignor.

“This was a marvelous man,” Williams said. “We had such a close bond and the common link was the horse. He and his wife Cathy enriched my life. They were incredible horse people from the old school.”

Along with his daughter Heather, survivors include wife Catherine, son-in-law Dr. Patrick Ford and grandchildren Reagan, Patrick, Vivian and Tucker.

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Herbener Employee Dies at Keeneland January Sale

Ricardo Ramirez, who was working at the Keeneland January sale for consignor James Herbener Jr., passed away Tuesday, dying of an apparent heart attack. He was 66.

Herbener said that Ramirez was about to short bring a yearling into the sales ring when the incident occurred.

“Yesterday, he was walking a yearling going up to the ring,” Herbener explained. “He was in the back walking ring and he just collapsed. We think it was a heart attack. The coroner called me after that and asked some questions. He had apparently had COVID in November, so there’s a possibility there were underlying conditions with his heart that nobody knew about. The coroner said that he had no trauma.”

Herbener expressed his frustration that Ramirez was not dealt with more quickly after collapsing.

“It’s kind of a shame,” he said. “The response was kind of slow, getting to him. We told them he had just collapsed, that he wasn’t kicked. But they didn’t want to be pushing on his chest. I don’t know if he could have been saved. After the four or five seconds it took for me to get there, it looked like he was leaving us. But if he could have been saved, way too much time went by.”

Herbener said that Ramirez only worked for him at the sales and drove a cab in Lexington during the rest of the year. He added that Ramirez had worked in the horse industry in Central Kentucky for more than 30 years and had previously worked at Ashford Stud.

“He had a house in Versailles and came from a really nice family,” Herbener said. “I know that he had a daughter and had been married to his wife for quite some time. He’s someone who had done real well for himself since he came to this country from Mexico. Here’s someone who left for work in the morning and never made it home. You never know when you’re time is going to come. It’s pretty sad.”

Keeneland issued a statement regarding Ramirez’s death on Tuesday.

“Keeneland is deeply saddened by the death of Mr. Ramirez, and we send our heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and co-workers,” Keeneland President and CEO Shannon Arvin said. “The safety and welfare of everyone on Keeneland’s grounds is paramount. It is for this reason that Keeneland’s first response team completes regular training in the management of emergency situations. As with every incident, we are conducting a thorough after-action review and continuously strive to ensure the safest environment possible for our participants.”

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