[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 129 (Friday, September 21, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1607]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   TRIBUTE TO KENNETH & SARAH RAMSEY

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. HAROLD ROGERS

                              of kentucky

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 21, 2012

  Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to 
two natives of southeastern Kentucky, Kenneth and Sarah Ramsey for 
their inspiring success, spanning more than 40 years in the making. 
Starting as young entrepreneurs from Artemus, Kentucky, Ken and Sarah 
now own one of the premier thoroughbred farms in the nation, the Ramsey 
Farm in Nicholasville, Kentucky.
  Ken had a rough start in the horse racing industry in 1969 when he 
discovered his $1,500 thoroughbred was blind in one eye and never 
started. Ken held a trainer's license briefly before becoming an 
executive in the trucking business. The Ramseys later dabbled in real 
estate before investing in cellular telephone franchises. It was the 
extra money from the cell phone business that enabled Ken and Sarah to 
return to their true love of horses.
  The Ramseys bought the famed Almahurst Farm in 1994 after selling 
their cellular telephone business. Almahurst was the birthplace of the 
1918 Kentucky Derby winner Exterminator and standardbred hero 
Greyhound. They changed the name of the farm, but continued its 
legendary success.
  With their fierce competitive spirit and passion for horses, Ken and 
Sarah have become leading figures in the horse racing industry, earning 
Ramsey Farm the highest praise and most coveted awards. Their lofty 
honors include the 2011 and 2004 Eclipse Award for Outstanding Owners 
and the first recipients of the John Deere Outstanding Breeders of the 
2011 Breeders' Cup Challenge series and the Breeders' Cup World 
Championships.
  They have also won leading owner titles at Belmont, Keeneland, 
Saratoga, Gulfstream Park, Ellis Park, Turfway, and currently hold the 
record at Churchill Downs with the most owner titles won in the 135-
year history of the track. The Ramseys also found success on the world 
stage when their thoroughbred, Roses in May won the Dubai World Cup in 
2005.
  The majority of their success came with homebreds by their 2004 
champion turf mare, Kitten's Joy, a namesake of Ken's first love, Sarah 
whom he had nicknamed ``Kitten'' in 1954. Ken still enjoys sharing each 
win with his family and friends by inviting them to help him walk each 
horse into the winner's circle, whether it's a $5,000 claimer or a 
Grade I stakes winner.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Kenneth and 
Sarah Ramsey, for their impressive careers and their continued support 
of projects in their rural hometown in southeastern Kentucky.

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