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45-693: Big Blue Kitten is a bay horse bred and owned by Kenneth and Sarah Ramsey . He was sired by the Ramsey stallion Kitten's Joy the U.S. Champion Male Turf Horse of 2004. His dam, Spent Gold made no impact on the track, failing to win in three races as a two-year-old in 1999. She was a granddaughter of Mystical Mood who won the Schuylerville Stakes and produced the Citation Handicap winner Fair Judgment. The Ramseys sent their horse into training with Chad Brown . Although Big Blue Kitten

90-438: A filly Not a Kitten. The Ramseys have been North America's leading owners by earnings in 2013 and 2014. They have won four Eclipse Awards for outstanding owners and two for outstanding breeder, and won the 2006 Kentucky Thoroughbred Media award. The Ramseys have won leading owner titles at Saratoga , Gulfstream Park , Ellis Park , and Turfway Park . They hold the record at Churchill Downs for most leading owner titles in

135-477: A 4 1/2-length maiden-breaking victory. The second oldest kidney transplant record in the United States is 84. Ken's original interest in horse racing began when an aunt took him to Churchill Downs when he was 6 years old. As an adult, he began buying race horses from the claiming race ranks, but his first claimer never raced. As Ramsey explained, "The first horse I ever owned was Red Redeemer and it

180-532: A closely contested finish he was beaten a nose into second by Little Mike. On his final appearance of the year he finished eighth behind Magician in the Breeders' Cup Turf at Santa Anita Park on November 2. Big Blue Kitten missed the first half of the 2014 season, making his debut in the Listed Lure Stakes at Saratoga on 12 August. Starting the 1.7/1 favorite he came from well off the pace to take

225-489: A coma for three weeks and developing paralysis on the right side of her body. She used a wheelchair and had difficulty speaking; she sometimes communicated via whiteboard. Fellow horse owner Marylou Whitney , who had also suffered a stroke, offered medical advice and emotional support to the Ramseys. To express their gratitude, the Ramseys named one of their fillies Thank You Marylou. Their philanthropic interests include

270-418: A field which also included Slumber and Twilight Eclipse. He was held up as usual before overtaking the pace-setter Shining Copper in the last quarter mile. He opened up a clear advantage and held off the late challenge of Slumber to win by three quarters of a length. The winning time of 2:23.9 was a new turf track record and the fastest mile and a half ever run at Belmont, beating Secretariat 's 2:24.0 on dirt in

315-419: A half miles at Saratoga. His opponents included Boisterous, Twilight Eclipse ( Pan American Stakes ), Stormy Lord ( Connaught Cup ), Al Khali ( Bowling Green Handicap ) and Optimizer ( Kent Stakes ). After racing towards the rear of the field he began to make progress on the inside but failed to obtain a clear run in the straight. Bravo switched him to the outside in the final furlong and Big Blue Kitten produced

360-434: A horse's specialty. Kitten's Joy was trained by Dale Romans . Other horses have been trained by D. Wayne Lukas , Bobby Frankel , Chad Brown , and Mike Maker . In 2015, they sent 11 horses to the new training stable of Maker's former assistant, Joe Sharp . By 2017, the Ramseys had 630 horses, with as many as 400 in race training, and produced about 100 foals a year. At the urging of their sons, they began to reduce

405-508: A lawsuit to recover nearly $ 1 million he claims to be owed in delinquent training bills. Ward acquired an agricultural lien against the horses because of the debt and received permission to sell them during a hearing before Jessamine County Court. Fourteen racing prospects, racing or stallion prospects, and racing or broodmare prospects to the Keeneland January (2022) Horses of All Ages Sale. Kent Stakes The Kent Stakes

450-532: A point of leading his horses into the winner's circle after races. Prior to her stroke, Sarah Ramsey also led in winners, but only for the Grade I wins . After their formula proved successful and they had many homebred winners, the stud fee for people to breed outside mares to Kitten's Joy rose, reaching $ 100,000 for the 2014 breeding season. They also added their Kitten's Joy son Real Solution to their stallion roster in 2015, after that colt won races that included

495-671: A quarter lengths from Howe Great with the Travers Stakes winner V E Day in sixth. Bravo explained his tactics by saying "if you just point him at horses, he'll run them down. And ever since the first time I rode, that's all I've done—point him at horses." In the Grade I Manhattan Handicap at the same track in June, he struggled to obtain a clear run in the straight before finishing second, two and three quarter lengths behind his stable companion Slumber. Big Blue Kitten and Slumber met again in

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540-603: A strong late run to take the lead and won "readily" by a length from Twilight Eclipse. Brown said that he had been "super confident" before the race while Bravo commented "the happiest I was was turning for home. I'm looking at each rider and they're riding their horses, and I hadn't even asked the Kitten yet". Big Blue Kitten started odds-on favorite for the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational Stakes at Belmont Park on September 28 but in

585-412: A successful racehorse in longer races on turf racetracks . When his style of racing proved unfashionable and outside breeders were reluctant to send mares to him, the Ramseys bought a herd of their own mares to breed and raced the progeny themselves, with considerable success, punctuated by Ken Ramsey personally leading most of his horses into the winner's circle after their races. To further promote

630-550: A truck driver in the northeast before returning to Kentucky and managing a trucking company. He became a realtor in the 1970s and 1980s. Sarah assisted Ken as a secretary and manager of their various enterprises. The Ramseys went on to generate much of their wealth through investment in radio and cellular phone businesses. They owned cellular telephone tower businesses in Georgia, North Carolina, Oregon, California and Kentucky, one of which they sold in 1994 for $ 39 million and used

675-672: Is Kitten's Joy , who retired with a 14: 9-4-0 race record and earnings of $ 2,075,791. He won multiple graded stakes races on turf courses , was second in the 2004 Breeders' Cup Turf , and won the Eclipse Award for American Champion Male Turf Horse . They also had success with the dirt track horse Roses in May , winner of the Dubai World Cup , who they sold to stand at stud in Japan. After retiring Kitten's Joy, they found that

720-530: Is a Listed American race for Thoroughbred race horses , age three, run on the turf at Delaware Park Racetrack located in Stanton, Delaware . Set at a distance of one and three eighth mile (11 furlongs ), the race currently offers a purse of $ 250,000. In 2011, due to heavy rain, this turf race was held on the main track. Because of this, the number of horses contesting was reduced by scratches from 13 to 6. First run in 1937 when Delaware Park opened, there

765-486: Is an entire male horse he is officially described as a ridgling , as he has an undescended testicle . The "Big Blue" part of his name is a reference to the sports teams of the University of Kentucky , Ken Ramsey's alma mater . Big Blue Kitten began his racing career by finishing third in a maiden race at Gulfstream Park on February 21 and then opened his winning account in a similar event over nine furlongs at

810-460: Is called by her middle name, Kathern, by friends and family, but is known generally as Sarah. She attended Union College, where she graduated in 1962. Her nickname "Kitten" was derived from her middle name and given to her by Ken when the couple was dating in 1954. They married in 1958 and have four children. "Both of us gamble. Realtor, cellphone towers, stock market, horse players." —Sarah Ramsey Ken Ramsey began his business career as

855-706: The 1973 Belmont Stakes . Big Blue Kitten ended his season in the Breeders' Cup Turf at Keeneland on October 31. He proved the best of the North American horses as he finished a close third to the European challengers Found and Golden Horn . In the Eclipse Awards for 2015, Big Blue Kitten was named American Champion Male Turf Horse , taking 134 of the 261 votes to win from Golden Horn and The Pizza Man. Big Blue Kitten went winless in three starts as an eight year old. He began his sixth year of racing in

900-745: The Premio Botticelli in Italy, the Arlington Million and the Manhattan Stakes in the US, and retired with winnings over $ 1.3 million. The "Kitten" moniker given to most of the Ramsey's homebred horses originates with Sarah's nickname, "Kitten". Sarah's first Thoroughbred was named Kitten's First, and that mare produced Kitten's Joy as well as several other winners. Sarah named their stallion "Kitten's Joy" because "she sensed that

945-599: The valedictorian and began his college education on scholarship at Union College . He attended Eastern Kentucky University his sophomore year and then enlisted in the United States Navy . He graduated from the University of Kentucky , with help from the GI Bill . He went on to Officer Training School and was a commissioned officer in the Naval Reserve. Sarah was the daughter of a coal miner. She

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990-917: The Joe Hirsch Turf Classic. In October he was sent to Toronto for the Canadian International Stakes in which he finished second to the British colt Hillstar . On his final start of the year he started favorite for the Red Smith Handicap in November but was beaten into second place by Dynamic Sky. Big Blue Kitten began his fifth season in the Grade III Fort Marcy Handicap at Belmont on May 2. Ridden as usual by Bravo, he started favorite in an eight-runner field and won by two and

1035-653: The Kenneth L. and Sarah K. Ramsey Center for Health and Natural Sciences building at Union College. They helped the college obtain the property, which was the former Knox County Hospital, and contributed the funds to help remodel it into a classroom building. On June 20, 2024, Kenneth, age 88, underwent a successful kidney transplantation at the Weill Cornell Transplant Center of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital . The same day his grandson Nolan Ramsey saddled at Gulfstream Park "Clearly Copper' for

1080-498: The Ramseys themselves have won multiple Eclipse Awards for outstanding owner and breeder. Ken and Sarah own Ramsey Farm, a 1,200 acre horse breeding operation in Nicholasville, Kentucky , and have raced horses at tracks throughout the United States. Many of their race horses have names incorporating the word "Kitten", Ken's nickname for Sarah Ramsey, used as the inspiration for the name of their leading stallion, Kitten's Joy ,

1125-684: The United Nations Stakes on Monmouth on July 5, where the other contenders included Main Sequence, Twilight Eclipse and the San Luis Rey Handicap winner Ashleyluvssugar. After being restrained by Bravo as usual, he produced a strong late run to take the lead a furlong out and won the race for the second time, beating Slumber by a length and a half. Joe Bravo described the winner as "just like an old glass of wine, he keeps getting better with age". In August Big Blue Kitten

1170-907: The Woodford Reserve Turf Classic, finishing fifth behind Tourist (who would go on to win the Breeders' Cup Turf Mile), Slumber, World Approval, and winner Divisidero. He then ran in the Manhattan Stakes, finishing sixth. After running last in the Northern Dancer Turf Stakes, the decision was made to retire him. Big Blue Kitten retired to Calumet Farm. His 2017 fee was set at $ 15,000. Kenneth and Sarah Ramsey Kenneth L. "Ken" Ramsey (born 1935) and Sarah Kathern "Kitten" Ramsey (February 5, 1939 – May 29, 2022) are horse breeders and owners of Thoroughbred race horses. They have multiple graded stakes winners, three Breeders' Cup winners, and

1215-407: The early stages he made rapid progress on the rail in the straight, took the lead in the closing stages and won by one and a quarter lengths from Teaks North. Chad Brown described Bravo's ride as "one for his highlight reel" and added that "this horse will run as far as you want". On August 17 Big Blue Kitten was one of twelve horses to contest the Grade I Sword Dancer Invitational Stakes over one and

1260-583: The final furlong to finish tenth of the eleven runners behind So You Think . On his only other start of the year he won a minor race at Gulfstream in December. In 2013, Big Blue Kitten began his campaign by finishing third to Mucho Mas Macho in the Fort Lauderdale Stakes and then won minor events at Gulfstream in March and Churchill Downs in May. In June he moved to Monmouth Park where he

1305-474: The former Almahurst Farm, which was the birthplace of 1918 Kentucky Derby winner Exterminator and the Standardbred racehorse Greyhound . They renamed the farm Ramsey Farm and as of 2015 stand the stallions Kitten's Joy, Catienus and Real Solution. The Ramsey Farm focuses on breeding horses to race, not simply to sell or show. They allow their horses to live in a natural environment outside most of

1350-826: The history of the track, with 28 titles, and the record at Keeneland , with 18. The one major race victory to elude them is the Kentucky Derby , which they have yet to win. Their best finish to date in a Triple Crown race was a third-place finish in the 2005 Belmont Stakes with Nolan's Cat . Their Kentucky Derby contenders included Ten Cents A Shine (eighth in 2003), Dean's Kitten (14th in 2010), Derby Kitten (13th in 2011), Charming Kitten (ninth in 2013), We Miss Artie and Vicar's in Trouble (10th and 19th in 2014) and Oscar Nominated (17th in 2016). They were forced to scratch their 2015 contender, Louisiana Derby winner International Star. In 2021 trainer Wesley A. Ward filed

1395-440: The horse would bring them great happiness." On the advice of a former partner, Brereton Jones, the Ramseys continue to give "Kitten" names to the foals sired by Kitten's Joy to recognize the value of the stallion. The Ramseys also name their horses after family members, such as Dean's Kitten, who was named after Kenneth Ramsey's sister-in-law. The filly Stephanie's Kitten , winner of the 2015 Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf ,

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1440-471: The horses are also given luxury treatment when needed—the farm also has an equine spa that has an underwater treadmill with whirlpool jets. It can be heated, and when horses exit the spa, there is also a vibrating platform beneath heat lamps for further treatment. It was originally built for the care of Kitten's Joy, but is also used by other horses who have a need for its benefits. The Ramseys work with many trainers, matching their horses to trainers that fit

1485-553: The lead in the last 50 yards and won by three quarters of a length from Bio Pro. Brown was delighted with the performance, saying "What a great horse. I wasn't quite sure if I had him fit enough off the layoff. I told Joe if he won, it'd be terrific, but as long as he finished well we had some big plans for this horse later in the year. Lo' and behold, he got through anyway on heart". Later that month he finished second at Monmouth and in September he finished fourth to Main Sequence in

1530-454: The leaders before moving up on the rail, taking the lead in the straight and winning by one and a quarter lengths from Perregaux. Commenting on the horse's successful step up in class, Ramsey said "We’ve offered this horse for a claiming price three times and no one claimed him. No more claimers!" The colt was then off the course for four months before finishing third in a minor race at Gulfstream in December. On his 2012 debut, Big Blue Kitten

1575-433: The market was poor for offspring of turf horses who did well at distance races; buyers wanted horses that ran on dirt at a young age. So they began to carefully invest in relatively inexpensive mares , some obtained in claiming races , but with suitable pedigrees . They built up a herd of over 100 mares to breed to Kitten's Joy and then they raced the offspring themselves. To help promote the farm's program, Ken Ramsey made

1620-472: The number of claiming horses they raced, and downsized their breeding size of their operation to focus their efforts on higher-end races, particularly using daughters of Kitten's Joy to produce horses that can run on dirt tracks and with Derby potential. A grandson said of Ken, "he wants it on his tombstone that he won the Kentucky Derby." Their best known race horse and premier stallion at their farm

1665-492: The proceeds to purchase the former Almahurst Farm in Nicholasville, Kentucky . Their original purchase included 377 acres of the original historic farm, but the seller kept the Almahurst name with him. They named the property Ramsey Farm in 1995, and purchased additional parcels of land over the years, bringing the total acreage to approximately 1,200 acres. Sarah had a severe stroke in 2007, which resulted in her being in

1710-468: The same track on 20 March. He went on to win a minor turf race at Keeneland in April, and gained further successes at Belmont Park in May and July to take his winning run to four. On August 12 at Saratoga Race Course , Big Blue Kitten was stepped up in class for Grade II National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame Stakes and started second favorite in a seven-runner field. Ridden by John Velazquez he tracked

1755-478: The stallion, most of his offspring have "Kitten" in their names and, in some cases such as Breeders' Cup winners Bobby's Kitten and Stephanie's Kitten , the Ramseys honor friends or family members by incorporating their names as well. Both Ramseys are natives of Artemus, Kentucky , near Barbourville . Ken's father was a TVA mechanic. The family lived in a rural area and Ken's childhood home lacked indoor plumbing. Ken graduated from high school in 1952 as

1800-417: The time, which helps the horses be tougher on the track. They stay outside even in cold weather and are allowed to run over rolling, hilly terrain. The Ramsey fields are about 70 acres each and horses are grouped into herds of about 30. Ken Ramsey takes particular pride in the farm's water, which is taken from springs and creeks that are on farm property, and used for both human and horse consumption. However,

1845-456: Was about 1968 or '69—I've been around a long time. I claimed the horse for $ 1,500 at a now-defunct half-mile bull ring called Miles Park in west Louisville... [the horse] was totally blind in one eye so we ended up claiming a horse that had one eye and no testicles." Ken held a trainer's license for a short period, and the Ramseys bred a few Thoroughbreds in the 1970s and 1980s. They became serious about horse breeding in 1994 when they purchased

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1890-611: Was moved up to Grade I level for the Gulfstream Park Handicap and finished third behind Get Stormy and Hollinger. In the Ben Ali Stakes at Keeneland in April he finished a distant second to the five-year-old gelding Wise Dan . He was then sent to England to contest the Prince of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot in June. Starting a 50/1 outsider, he briefly took the lead a quarter of a mile out before fading in

1935-577: Was named for the Ramsey's granddaughter. Other people are honored with Ramsey horses being named after them, such as their Breeders' Cup winner Bobby's Kitten , named in honor of race horse trainer Bobby Frankel, and Thank You Marylou , who ran third in the 2014 Kentucky Oaks , named for Marylou Whitney. Other "Kittens" in the Ramsey stable include Admiral Kitten, Kitten Kaboodle, Fear the Kitten, Big Blue Kitten , and Emotional Kitten. Their naming scheme also brought out humor from other race horse owners; Perry Martin , owner of California Chrome , named

1980-501: Was partnered for the first time by Joe Bravo , who became his regular jockey. He finished second to Boisterous in the Monmouth Stakes and then contested the Grade I United Nations Stakes over one mile three furlongs on 6 July. The Breeders' Cup Turf winner Little Mike started favorite, with Big Blue Kitten second choice in the betting at odds of 2.5/1 and the 2011 winner Teaks North on 7.6/1. After being restrained by Bravo in

2025-654: Was sent to Chicago to contest the Arlington Million and started 3/1 joint favorite alongside Slumber and the Stars and Stripes Stakes winner The Pizza Man . He was held up for his customary late charge but failed by a neck to catch The Pizza Man. On September 26 Big Blue Kitten made his third attempt to win the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Stakes at Belmont. He started second favorite behind the Bowling Green Handicap winner Red Rifle in

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