Ramseys, Maker, Santana Earn Keeneland Meet Titles

Multiple Eclipse Award winners Ken and Sarah Ramsey continued their record-breaking pace, accumulating seven wins to earn their 19th leading owner title at Keeneland, which wrapped up its fall meeting Oct. 28, while Mike Maker added another training title and Ricardo Santana Jr. secured his first Keeneland riding title.

The Ramseys are Keeneland's all-time leading owners in terms of titles won (11 fall meet and eight spring meet) and number of races won (224).  

Runner-up honors went to G. Watts Humphrey Jr. (both alone and in partnership), John C. Oxley, and Kirk Wycoff's Three Diamonds Farm, who tied with four wins each. Humphrey won two stakes, the Juddmonte Spinster (G1) with Romantic Vision and the Buffalo Trace Franklin County (G3T) with Morticia, both trained by George "Rusty" Arnold. With horses trained by Mark Casse, Oxley captured two stakes, the Dixiana Bourbon (G3) with Flameaway and Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Presented by Lane's End (G1T) with La Coronel. Casse trained a third stakes winner, Darley Alcibiades (G1) victor Heavenly Love, for Oxley's wife, Debby.   

Maker outdistanced his peers with 13 wins to secure his fifth leading trainer title at Keeneland. He previously won in the spring of 2016 and 2013, and fall of 2013 and 2008. Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen finished second with nine victories during the meet. Casse was third with seven wins, including the three aforementioned stakes wins. 

The race for leading jockey played out in a stretch duel between Ricardo Santana Jr. and Robby Albarado in the seventh race on closing day. Santana won the race by a head to claim his first Keeneland riding title (see photo). His 20 wins were boosted by a trio of three-win days during the meet.  

Albarado tallied 16 wins, including the Claiborne Breeders' Futurity (G1) with Free Drop Billy, to finish second in the standings. Albarado achieved a milestone on opening day when he became the third jockey to win 500 races at Keeneland, behind only Pat Day (918) and Don Brumfield (716). He scored his first Keeneland victory during the 1996 fall meet, and has been leading rider four times (spring 2002, spring 2003, fall 2008 and fall 2009).

Eclipse Award winner Julien Leparoux was third with 15 wins. Leparoux won three stakes this fall: Darley Alcibiades with Heavenly Love, Dixiana Bourbon with Flameaway and Lexus Raven Run (G2) with Miss Sunset.