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Ramsey Seeks to Add to his Record 16 Claiming Crown Wins

Edited Press Release

Ken Ramsey is back at the Claiming Crown. If he has only three horses (in two races) running in the program designed to showcase American horse racing's blue-collar horses, it's not for a lack of effort.

The 88-year-old Ramsey is the winningest owner in the history of the Claiming Crown, which will be staged for the 25th time this Saturday at the historic Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots. But his last starter came with Peru (GB) (Motivator {GB}), whose victory in the 2018 Claiming Crown Tiara at Gulfstream Park extended Ramsey's record in the program to 16.

“I'm trying to pad my resume,” quipped Ramsey, who significantly downsized his once-massive racing operation in recent years. “… I was trying to get a horse for each [Claiming Crown] race. I started looking when they finished up last year. I decided, hey, I'm going to get back in the game. I'd downsized and I had a few health issues and I've not been as active. But I enjoyed it so much and missed it so much that I started claiming some. I probably claimed 20 horses this year–and got out-shook for probably three times that many.

“… I just turned 88. I'm kind of an old fossil. It's like my last hurrah. I'm probably getting pretty close to the finish line, so I'd like to go out with a blaze of glory.”

The Claiming Crown, conceived to be a Breeders' Cup-style event for claiming horses, was created in 1999 by the National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association (NHBPA) and the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA). The program gives Thoroughbred racing's workhorses, their owners and trainers a day in the spotlight in recognition of their importance to filling out race cards across the nation.

Though he and his late wife, Sarah, became major players internationally–earning four Eclipse Awards as outstanding owner and two as outstanding breeder, as well as four Breeders' Cup victories and the Dubai World Cup–Ramsey burst on the scene as a Pick Six bettor and by claiming lots of horses and winning lots of races. Extremely goal-oriented, Ramsey put his mind to setting records for meet titles at wins at Churchill Downs, Keeneland and Kentucky Downs–in the process becoming the winningest owner in Kentucky history.

The Claiming Crown became a major goal as well, one now off hiatus.

In King's Ovation (Not This Time), Ramsey has one of the favorites for the $200,000 Claiming Crown Jewel at 1 1/8 miles for horses that have competed for a claiming price of $35,000 in 2023. Ramsey claimed King's Ovation for $62,500 at Keeneland–a race he won impressively–in his last start. The owner also has Shimmer Me Timbers (Eddington) and Cotton (Twirling Candy) in the $150,000 Canterbury Tom Metzen Memorial at 5 1/2 furlongs on turf for horses that have raced for a $25,000 claiming price or less in 2022-2023. All three were claimed out of their last start specifically for the Claiming Crown, he said.

“It gives the little guy a chance to strike a home run,” Ramsey said of the Claiming Crown. “The purses are good and the competition is good. They spread it around. It's been at about four or five different tracks. I used to never miss, would have three, four or five running in it all the time. But I'm back to feeling good. I'm looking forward to Saturday so I can try to add another one.”

King's Ovation and Shimmer Me Timbers are trained by Robertino Diodoro, while Saffie Joseph, Jr. trains Cotton.

Diodoro began training for Ramsey this past spring.

“I'd have loved to have seen this guy when he was about 45 years old,” the trainer said of Ramsey. “I give him a lot of credit. He's full of a lot of energy and I love his attitude. He loves the game–and loves winning.”

The post Ramsey Seeks to Add to his Record 16 Claiming Crown Wins appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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‘Home-Court Angle’: Jeff Ruby Has A Shot At His Own Trophy

Prominent restaurateur Jeff Ruby figures to be in the Turfway Park winner's circle for the stakes he sponsors. His partners in King's Ovation just hope their horse is in there as well after Saturday's $250,000 Jeff Ruby Steaks.

Ruby is a partner in Peacock Stable, headed by a pair of iconic sports personalities in retired NBC Sports broadcaster Tom Hammond and Mike Battaglia, the longtime voice of Churchill Downs and Turfway and who continues to do the morning line for both tracks. Peacock also includes Cris Collinsworth, the Cincinnati Bengals star receiver turned analyst for NBC's Sunday Night Football.

Peacock co-owns King's Ovation with West Point Thoroughbreds, a pairing that trainer Dale Romans put together after West Point bought the horse.

“It's kind of a home-court angle,” Romans said. “If we win, I'm going to make Jeff buy me the Tomahawk steak. He's got about a $400 Tomahawk bone-in ribeye.”

Peacock and Ruby have been in the Jeff Ruby Steaks before in partnership with West Point, with Dabo finishing fifth two years ago.

“We laughed then about having Jeff present the trophy to himself,” Hammond said. “That would be a nice deal.”

Hammond has kept ownership in one or two horses for decades. His Peacock Stable is named for the NBC connection.

“I always tried to get a lot of NBC people involved,” he said. “We'd buy a share so it doesn't cost much, and we just have fun.”

The sportscaster said Ruby is one of Collinsworth's friends, with the Jeff Ruby's Steakhouse menu featuring Steak Collinsworth: an 8-ounce filet topped with fresh asparagus, Alaskan King Crab, Béarnaise and Bordelaise sauces.

King's Ovation, who is 15-1 in Battaglia's morning line, has a maiden win in five starts. He was second in the Grade 3 Swale at Gulfstream before making his two-turn debut in the 1 1/16-mile Fountain of Youth (G2). King's Ovation finished a non-threatening sixth that day, with Romans saying the colt quit running for a while after getting his leg stepped on when bumped.

“He just progressed so well from 2 to 3 that Dale decided to run him with the big boys,” Hammond said. “He ran well in the Swale. He ran OK in the Fountain of Youth. He came back with a lots of cuts. (Jockey) Corey Lanerie said that when he got stepped on and cut up, he kind of spit the bit but then picked it back up a bit. I was impressed, too, in the Swale when he came in between horses in a tight spot. Most young, immature horses won't do that, but I thought he showed a lot of guts. He's got three nice works at Gulfstream. All those being said, why not take a shot once more with the big boys to see what we have?”

A Jeff Ruby Steaks victory would be Peacock Stable's biggest to date. And would that lead to taking on the biggest boys on the first Saturday in May down the road at Churchill Downs?

Hammond laughed, adding, “There's no vaccine for Derby fever. So far I haven't caught it. I try to be realistic.”

Romans also has Albaugh Family Stables' Smiley Sobotka in the Jeff Ruby. That son of Albaugh's Grade 1 winner Brody's Cause came out of a maiden win to finish a close second in Churchill Downs' Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club on Nov. 28. In his only start since, Smiley Sobotka struggled home ninth in Tampa Bay Downs' Sam Davis (G3), a performance Romans is throwing out.

“They're both nice horses,” he said. “I'm trying to figure out where to run them all, give everybody another chance (to make the Derby). It made sense to give Smiley Sobotka another chance. And if he runs well on the surface, he is a Canadian-bred so we could point to the Queen's Plate later.”

The post ‘Home-Court Angle’: Jeff Ruby Has A Shot At His Own Trophy appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Drain The Clock Overcomes Recent Colic, Dominates Swale Stakes At Gulfstream

Drain the Clock kept on ticking in Saturday's $100,000 Claiborne Farm Swale (G3) at Gulfstream Park, running his South Florida record to 4-for-4 with a dominating 6 ¼-length triumph.

The Swale, a seven-furlong sprint for 3-year-olds, was featured on a 12-race program with five graded stakes, headlined by the $200,000 Holy Bull (G3).

Drain the Clock, whose only loss in five career starts came at Delta Downs when his rider was unseated after a rein broke, was particularly impressive Saturday when it was revealed that the son of Maclean's Music was treated for a case of colic less than two weeks earlier.

“He made it easy today, but 12 days ago he colicked really bad and went to the clinic. Thank God, he got there, and he was good,” trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said. “To see him win like that today – he's a good horse. We had to make the call after he breezed on Tuesday. There was no pressure to run. He worked good Tuesday and didn't give us any reason to say, 'no.'”

Owned by Slam Dunk Racing, Madaket Racing Stables LLC, Wonder Stables and Michael Nentwig, Drain the Clock was sent to post as the even-money favorite in a field of six on the strength of his 7 ½-length victory in the six-furlong Limehouse Stakes Jan. 2 at Gulfstream. The Kentucky-bred colt broke alertly from the starting gate to rate outside pacesetter Poppy's Pride, who set fractions of 22.48 and 45.27 seconds for the first half-mile. Drain the Clock moved effortless to the lead under Edgar Zayas on the turn into the stretch and continued on to score a comfortable victory.

Drain the Clock ran seven furlongs in 1:23.29 after being taken under wraps approaching the finish.

“I'm very impressed. He's just improving every race. He's such an easy horse to ride. He breaks out of the gate like a rocket and positions himself in a perfect spot, and when it's time to run he kicks on. He's a really nice horse,” Zayas said. “I think he's maturing a lot. He's running way more straight and more focused into the race. Sometimes inside the gate he was a little nervous but today he was awesome. I think he's improving; hopefully he can stretch out his speed a little bit more.”

King's Ovation and Ultimate Badger, the longest and second-longest shots on the board, finishes second and third for trainer Dale Romans.

Drain the Clock won his Sept. 12 debut in a five-furlong off-the-turf race at Gulfstream by six lengths and came right back to win a first-level optional claiming allowance at Gulfstream Park West. Favored in the Nov. 30 Jean Lafitte Stakes at Delta Downs, Drain the Clock lost his rider after a rein broke during the race, but has rebounded nicely with back-to-back scores in the Limehouse and Swale.

The $300,000 Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth (G2) Feb. 27 at Gulfstream Park will be taken into consideration for Drain the Clock's next start, Joseph said.

“Everything will be under consideration. We'll talk to the owners, obviously, but there's no pressure to push that route. If everything goes good, I'm sure we'll try it,” Joseph said. “He looks like he'll get further.”

The 1 1/16-mile Fountain of Youth is the major prep for the $750,000 Curlin Florida Derby presented by Hill 'n Dale at Xalapa.

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