My father, Ralph Rampellini, held a trainer’s license in the 1960s when he took a job as a swing-shift groom for Syl Veitch at Belmont Park. He wanted to learn the art of conditioning racehorses from one of the best, and Veitch imparted lessons my father would call on throughout a career in which he trained for Nelson Bunker Hunt, Leslie Combs II of Spendthrift Farm, and John Franks. It was a dream realized for the “city boy” – to find his place in racing. The sport is one my father and I talked about on a daily basis, up until his passing on Saturday at age 78. Ralph Rampellini was born in Hartford, Conn., on Oct. 5, 1944. His parents operated restaurants in the state, including the popular Clover Club. As a teenager, my father read a book on the history of Thoroughbred racing and was so enamored by the horses, their lineage, and the sport’s pageantry that he immediately found his way to the nearest barn. At first, my dad competed in dressage and show jumping and those disciplines led him to the track, where he purchased a Thoroughbred unable to walk for the sum of $70. He nursed the horse back to full health, won several races with him, and sold him to a stable for which the horse had continued success. Following his time in New York and serving as a drummer in the U.S. Army, my dad married fellow Connecticut native Patricia Reidy. A week later, he was hired as the assistant trainer for Mary Davis Keim. The operation spent time at Hialeah Park and in 1972 shared a barn with trainer Lucien Lauren and a 2-year-old named Secretariat. My father became fast friends with Eddie Sweat, the shed row foreman for Lauren who doubled as the groom of Secretariat. My dad and Sweat would often sit outside the future Triple Crown winner’s stall and talk about his potential and Sweat would sometimes playfully box with a game Secretariat. It was a ritual the men would recall decades later when they ran into each other at Woodbine. In between those years, my father spent time developing yearlings for Combs in Lexington, Ky. At the time, Spendthrift Farm was home to one of the greatest stallion batteries in history, standing Caro, J.O. Tobin, Prince John, Raise a Native, and Seattle Slew. My father would go on to fulfill a goal he set for himself after reading about racing’s first millionaire filly, Dahlia – to train for Hunt. He developed 100 to 110 young horses each season for about a decade – including some of the foals of Dahlia. My dad also served as a racing manager for Hunt’s worldwide operation, and had a particular knack for pairing the young horses he developed with the trainer he deemed would bring out the best in those athletes, whether it was Adept with Frank Wright, Lively One with Charlie Whittingham, or Rockwall with Vincent Clyne. Rockwall was the first of a handful of Kentucky Derby starters my father developed. My dad left the track to develop young horses in order to give my mom and siblings stability in a farm setting. Hunt’s training center was based in North Texas. The 2,200-acre ranch was often the backdrop for galas that brought in many interesting visitors – from Prince Rainier of Monaco to Charlton Heston. My dad’s position also took him to the Kentucky sales. One season he said he asked God to help him find a special horse for Hunt. My father landed on the yearling Palace Music – the eventual Group 1 and Grade 1 winner who would sire the sport’s all-time leading earner at the time in Cigar. As part of his duties, my father also traveled to Europe to evaluate Hunt’s racing prospects in several countries. He often said observing horsemen like Maurice Zilber – who trained Dahlia – made him better at his craft. In another full circle moment, my dad would send some of the horses he developed for Hunt to Veitch. My father’s time with Franks was largely as racing manager, and he expanded the operation’s reach to give Franks more of a presence in New York and California. He also, when asked, encouraged the purchase of stallion prospect Lively One, who would give Franks a champion in Answer Lively. My father would later train for Franks, as well as a variety of owners at a handful of different tracks in North America. The aforementioned credentials were compiled by a daughter to honor her father. Ralph Rampellini was a humble man who put his faith first, his family on a pedestal, and respected and defended his favorite athlete, the racehorse. A Mass for Ralph Rampellini will be held at 10 a.m. Central on Friday, at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Grapevine, Texas.