Ramseys, Wests tie for Churchill meet title

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Ken and Sarah Ramsey tied with Gary and Mary West for leading owner at the 24-day Churchill Downs meet with 12 wins each, allowing the Ramseys to extend their own Churchill record for the most meet titles by an owner to 23. It was the second Churchill title for the Wests. Either couple could have won the title outright in the 10th race Sunday, but Kitten’s Queen (Ramseys) ran third, and Flashy Gal (Wests) ran fourth.

Dale Romans ended the meet with a flourish by sending out three winners Saturday and one Sunday, making him the leading trainer with 14 wins. It was the 12th time Romans has won or tied for top honors at his home track. Wayne Catalano was a close second with 13 wins.

Jockey Corey Lanerie continued his local dominance with 36 wins, giving the Louisiana native his seventh riding title from the last eight Churchill meets.

Business figures for the fall meet were expected to be released Tuesday by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission.

New seating project to begin

While many horsemen were getting ready to head south Monday, demolition was scheduled to begin on the lower-clubhouse section that will become the new seating area for Kentucky Derby and Oaks horsemen. The $4.2 million project includes a new winner’s circle and will be ready for the spring meet in April.

In the meantime, the Churchill stable area will remain open through Dec. 31. No work on the project will be done during training hours.