How to resolve AdBlock issue? He who sees things grow from the beginning will have the best view of them. —Aristotle
I set my sail to find someone participating in this year’s activities who was young enough to bear the probability of being on the racing scene in 2063. A young man working at the Oklahoma Annex caught my eye. He was a deliberate worker and moved well around horses. The first time I saw him he was mixing feed and on another visit he was grooming horses. I learned he was Ken and Sarah Ramsey’s grandson and that he was shadowing Mike Maker, one of several trainers employed by the Ramsey Stable.
Nolan Ramsey greeted my inquiry with the same confidence he handled the stable chores and when asked about his work he replied, “I want to learn everyone’s job so that I understand every step of what it takes to get a horse to the races.” He was sincere when he added, “Working makes winning even sweeter.” Nolan has enjoyed a lot of sweetness in his young life; the Ramsey Stable sits atop the earnings column in Saratoga and led the nation in total purse money.
Nolan proudly stated, “I started working on my grandfather’s farm when I was 10.” He went on to say, “That summer I worked five days a week. I would begin work at 7 a.m. but everyday my grandfather would already be there and when I’d leave in the evening, he’d still be working.”
Now 16, Nolan is soaking up hands-on racetrack experience.
“My grandfather taught me to read the (racing) form when I was about eight,” he admitted. Asked if handicapping was his primary interest, Nolan replied, “No, not really, it’s more about spotting horses (placing them in the right races) and learning how they need to be ridden.”
I asked whether he was most interested in breeding or racing and he replied, “I really have a passion for racing but I want to be involved in breeding too. I want to model myself after WinStar Farm.” He went on, “They breed but they race too and that’s what I want to do.”
Asked about his first experience with New York racing, Nolan answered, “It was the 2005 Belmont Stakes. Nolan’s Cat finished third that day as a maiden.”
How did your namesake fare later I asked, “He placed several times in graded company but he never won at the top level.”
When asked what kind of racing he preferred, Nolan was quick to reply, “I like the Grade 1 races because the horses are familiar to you and you know what to expect from them.” He added, “I also really appreciate the maiden special weight races here and at Belmont because you get to see so many well-bred horses.”
Summer is waning so I was anxious to hear what was next for this stable hand.
“I’ll leave Saratoga this week but before returning to school, I’ll travel to Chicago for the Arlington Million and then go to Seattle for the Longacres Mile at Emerald Downs.” (Ken and Sarah Ramsey have starters in both of those races.)
I was pleasantly surprised to learn that a young guy so wrapped up in racing held so much enthusiasm for school. Nolan was articulate when he described his academic life, “I attended the Lexington School and it was great because there were so many of us from racing families.”
He added, “There were the kids from Gainesway, the Farish kids and others, amongst us we represented almost every part of the thoroughbred industry and we learned a lot just from talking about all our different experiences.”
Nolan now attends Asheville School in North Carolina, one of the leading boarding schools in the country. He explained his choice this way, “When I was in 6th grade I told my parents I wanted to go to high school at a boarding school and when I still felt that way the next year they began to consider it.”
“I really enjoy it there, the school is very diverse”. Nolan continued, “We live in these quad-like dorms and I have one roommate from West Virginia, another from Saudi Arabia, and another from South Korea and my best friend lives in Connecticut now but he was born in Russia.” I asked if it was hard to get back into the discipline of an academic routine and Nolan replied, “No, not really.” He paused and added, “I’ve watched my grandfather give a 100 percent at everything he does.”
Nolan Ramsey has viewed the thoroughbred industry from the breeding shed to the top of the owners standings. He has a vision and he has the work ethic to see it through. I’m betting he’ll be amongst those celebrating racing’s 200th anniversary in Saratoga. I can imagine his own grandchildren leading ‘em’ into the winner’s circle.
