Trainer Sharp to strike out on his own

Longtime assistant trainer Joe Sharp soon will be leaving the employ of Mike Maker to open a public stable that will be based in Kentucky for most of the year and at Fair Grounds during the winter.

Sharp, 29, said this week from Saratoga that he hopes to have about 10 horses either at Churchill or the nearby Trackside training center after the Saratoga meet ends Sept. 1. He said he has a handful of clients lined up and that Maker “is super-supportive of me going out on my own.” Among the owners for whom he might be training are Ken and Sarah Ramsey, said Sharp.

Sharp is perhaps best known as the husband of star jockey Rosie Napravnik. Asked if his goal is to become the more famous person in the household, he laughed and said: “Aw, I can’t compete with that. The best thing, though, is Rosie is very supportive of this move.”

Sharp, who grew up around the racetrack in West Virginia as the son of trainer Marc Sharp and rode races in 2004-05, has worked for Maker for about three years after serving in a similar role under Mike Stidham for more than five years. He and Napravnik own homes in Louisville and New Orleans. The couple was married in October 2011.