by Ken Ramsey When is heaven? fight the stubborn leader Tide length of the stretch before stretching his neck out over the wire and giving trainer Nolan Ramsey his first career win in the $75,000 Ben’s Cat at Laurel Park July 14.
It was the second consecutive victory for When is heaven? Both are in Laurel, since Ramsey took over training the 5-year-old gelding for his grandfather, a multiple Eclipse award-winning owner and breeder.
“We knew we were going to be here, so we were looking at some Maryland stallions,” said Ramsey, a former longtime assistant to trainer Mike Maker, who started his first horse on April 20 at Gulfstream Park. “He had some achievements and ran some really good races, so we gave him a try. He’s really improved a lot for us.”
Nolan Ramsey
Tidewater was quickest out of the gate and led after the opening quarter in :22.68. Rider JG Torrealba moved Whenigettoheaven up to second along the rail.
Tidewater still led at the halfway mark in :45.36 but his lead was shrinking as Torrealba was thrown out and moved up with the leader midway through the far turn. The two finished together with Tidewater on the inside and Whenigettoheaven drifting slightly to the outside towards the middle of the track and accelerating to the finish in 1:08.26 on the firm Fort Marcy grass track.
“A good horse will make anyone look smart. He’s really grown up with us. He’s a really nice horse and it was a perfect ride,” Ramsey said. “He was really sharp from the start in his last start, so finishing first didn’t really surprise me today. Great ride, no complaints really. He did everything his way, so we’re just happy to be here.”
Ramsey recorded his first career winner on May 10 at Gulfstream. Bred there as well as Laurel, Ramsey had his first win in Maryland with Long branch May 26 in history Pimlico Race Trackand his first Laurel win came from Whenigettoheaven on June 7.
Ramsey, 27, was presented with the winning trophy by 91-year-old horseman King Leatherbury, who bred, owned and trained Ben’s Cat, and is a Hall of Fame inductee.
“It was an honor to be in the winner’s circle with him,” Ramsey said. “There’s no one better than Ben’s Cat. It was a pretty cool win, especially given Maryland’s history and my first year here. It was special for me, too.”
Ben’s Cat won 32 of his 63 career races, 26 podium finishes, and more than $2.6 million in prize money over eight racing seasons. A four-time Maryland gelding, Ben’s Cat passed away on July 18, 2017, due to complications from colic surgery at age 11.
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This press release has been edited for content and style by the BloodHorse team.
