Ramsey brings slew of Kittens to Kentucky Downs

Ken Ramsey’s litter of Kittens continues at Kentucky Downs Sunday. The master of Ramsey Farm in Nicholasville, where his stellar stallion Kitten’s Joy resides, has progeny Gentle Kitten in the $200,000 Dueling Grounds Oaks and Gorgeous Kitten in the $350,000 Exacta Systems Dueling Grounds Oaks.

Gorgeous Kitten, 9-2 in the field of 10 with the scratch of Muggsamatic, most recently was fifth in Arlington Park’s Grade 1 Secretariat won by the accomplished Oscar Performance. Before that, Gorgeous Kitten was second in the Arlington Classic and American Derby. 

“He’s the only horse that we nominated to the Kentucky Derby,” Ramsey said. “Of course he wasn’t good enough to get in. I don’t really know what kind of a chance he’s got. I’ve been tied up with some other things. Yesterday I harvested my hemp crop all day. I’ve got a horse named Hemp Hemp Hurray. I guess you know he’s smoked them twice already.”

(The Ontario-bred Hemp Hemp Hurray, is 2 for 2 for trainer Wesley Ward after winning Monmouth Park’s Tyro on grass.)

“Gentle Kitten, I don’t know if she’s good enough to win it,” Ramsey said of his filly making her stakes debut. “But she did win her last race at Arlington Park. I’ve probably got some in over their head. But Oscar Nominated won that Derby down there last year, so it would be nice to repeat. They do give out a really nice trophy for it.”

Ramsey also got the scratches he needed to get Bingo Kitten into the $75,000 Claiming Crown Emerald Stakes Prep, one of a pair of starter allowance races for horses who have run for a $25,000 claiming price or less since Jan. 1, 2016. The other is the $75,000 Claiming Crown Distaff Dash Stakes Prep, both serving as qualifiers for the Claiming Crown at Gulfstream Park in early December.

Ramsey is at a family reunion at Levi Jackson State Park this weekend, but he plans to be at Kentucky Downs for Thursday’s closing card.

“We’re trying to preserve the fact that we’ve won the (owners title) down there four years in a row,” Ramsey said. “So I’m coming down Thursday hopefully to get the leading owners trophy for the fifth consecutive year. I have 11 horses to run today, Sunday and Thursday.”

He puts the Kentucky Downs owners title up there with his goals such as winning the Barbados Gold Cup — for which he’s already pegged Kentucky Downs’ Old Friends winner Sir Dudley Digges to run in next March, along with Shining Copper, who was third in Wednesday’s Tourist Mile.

Mike Maker, who after two days of Kentucky Downs’ five-date meet, is tied for the training lead with Ian Wilkes at three wins apiece, has a pair in both the Dueling Ground Derby and Oaks. Besides Gentle Kitten and Gorgeous Kitten, Maker has $40,000 claim Thrice in the Oaks and Bronson in the Derby as part of his eight-horse contingent running Sunday.