Owner/Breeder Sarah Ramsey Dies at 83

Sarah Kathern Ramsey, lifelong partner to Ken Ramsey and committed racing and breeding enthusiast died May 29 peacefully at her home on Ramsey Farm surrounded by her family. She was 83. Together Sarah and Ken Ramsey found extraordinary success together since purchasing the farm near Nicholasville, Ky., in 1994. At first, they raced their horses separately with individualized silks. Sarah Ramsey's first horse was Kitten's First, whose name was derived from Ken's pet name for his wife. When they realized they would have earned the leading owner title at Churchill Downs if they'd been racing their horses together, the merger was completed quickly and they became a fixture on the Kentucky circuit. Through dogged hard work, a commitment to quality, and handicapping skills honed from in-depth research they compiled together, they took their at-first modest operation to the top. The Rameys earned their first Eclipse title as Outstanding Owner in 2004 when their homebred Kitten's Joy won six graded stakes, including the Secretariat Stakes (G1) and Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational Stakes (G1); and, their runner for the Roses in May won three graded stakes, including the Whitney Handicap (G1). Kitten's Joy would be named Eclipse champion turf male the same year. They would be back at the Eclipse Award podium as both Outstanding Owner and Outstanding Breeder in 2013-14. The eventual success as a stallion of Kitten's Joy, who was delivered by C-section out of Kitten's First, would be a major theme in other remarkable feats they accomplished together. In 2013, they became the only North American owners on record to win three grade 1 stakes on a single day, and all of them were homebreds by Kitten's Joy—Big Blue Kitten, Admiral's Kitten, and Real Solution. In 2017, the Ramseys celebrated their 100th graded stakes win as owners when Granny's Kitten won the Colonel E.R. Bradley Handicap (G3T). Sarah Ramsey grew up in Artemus, Ky., a small community along the Cumberland River outside of Barbourville where she met and married Ken after he served in the U.S. Navy. They had four children, Kelly, Jeff, Jill, and Scott. They pursued a variety of ventures to make a life for themselves and always together. After building and running a successful real estate business in Central Kentucky, they learned in the late 1980s about the growing cellular telephone market and both applied in a federal lottery to win a franchise license. Sarah won the franchise for Gainesville, Ga., and Ken bought a minority interest in others. They would eventually sell their cell phone franchise for $39 million. "Both of us gamble," Sarah Ramsey told the Courier-Journal in October 2013. "Realtor, cellphone towers, stock market, horse players." Tragically Sarah Ramsey suffered a stroke in 2007. In that same article in the Courier-Journal, Jeff Ramsey noted that while his father often had the limelight with his witty, colorful, and sometimes outrageous personality, his mother was the backbone of the family operation. "For years, she's been my father's sounding board for things to do and not do," he told the Courier-Journal. "She's always kept him grounded and stable, and she's doing that through different ways. I'm not sure what he'd do without her." Churchill Downs sent out condolences. "It is with great sadness that we share the passing of Sarah Kathern Ramsey," said Churchill president Mike Anderson. "Our hearts are with Ken and his entire family during this very difficult time. She lived a wonderful life, and we'll miss her smiling face in the Churchill Downs winner's circle." Visitation for Ramsey will be held at Kerr Brothers Funeral Home at 3421 Harrodsburg Rd. in Lexington from 6-9 p.m. Thursday, June 2. There will be a visitation at Knox Funeral Home, at 325 Knox St., in Barbourville, Ky. from 6-9 p.m. Friday, June 3. There will be a visitation at the East Barbourville Baptist Church June 4 from noon until the funeral service at 2 p.m. Burial will be across the street from the church at Barbourville Cemetery.