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 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, 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 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.
Background
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 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 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.
Ken Ramsey began his business career as 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 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 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 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.
Horse breeding and racing
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 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."