Trainer Faustino Ramos dies at 70

Faustino Ramos, who trained in the Northeast for approximately 30 years, died Thursday after suffering a heart attack. He was 70 years old.

Ramos, who worked as an assistant to trainer Ben Perkins Sr. in the 1960s and 70s, shows statistics dating back to 1979. Since then, he had won 680 races from 5,540 starters and his horses had earned more than $10.6 million in purse money. He trained stakes winners Punchline Patty, Sam’s Sunny Halo, and Lovely Fiona.

Ramos’s best year was 1998 when he won 78 races from 461 starters. He had three horses stabled at Belmont Park, one of whom was scheduled to run Sunday.

“He was a good horseman and a nice man,” said trainer Ben Perkins Jr., who worked with Ramos when both worked for Perkins Sr.