Nolan Ramsey, the longtime assistant to trainer Mike Maker before going out on his own in April, saddled his first winner as a trainer Friday at Gulfstream Park.
The 27-year-old Lexington, KY native notched his first victory with Marshamarshamarsha ($5), who is owned by his grandfather Ken Ramsey, the longtime Thoroughbred owner who won four Eclipse Awards as North America’s outstanding owners with his late wife Sarah and was the leading owner during the 2023-2024 Championship Meet.
Marshamarshamarsha, Ramsey’s fifth starter, stalked the early pace while saving ground before making a three-wide sweep on the turn into the homestretch on her way to a decisive score in Race 5, a mile turf event for 3-year-old fillies racing for a $16,000 claiming price.
“It’s special. It’s the first one. It’s great to get off the duck. It’s nice doing it for family too,” said Ramsey, who was doused with water by a stable employee in celebration. “I wouldn’t be here without him (Ken Ramsey). My love for the horses and horseracing all came from him. I remember watching the races when I was 5 or 6. He taught me how to handicap and started bringing me around the horses. Without my grandparents I wouldn’t be here. To get where I’ve been and being able to knock off the first one for the family, that’s really special.”
Ramsey started walking hots for Maker when he was 14 years old.
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“I was hands-on with them, and I really fell in love with the racetrack. The action and the speed of it really drew me in. It was full-blown from there on,” said Ramsey, who has assembled a 30-horses stable at Gulfstream with plans to train a small string in the Mid-Atlantic.
“I was very grateful to work for Mike,” he added. “The thing about Mike is he has all the horses. He has the Grade 1s; he’s got the starter allowances; he’s got the ‘nickel’ claimers. You learn a lot from those horses.”
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