Nolan Ramsey settling in with Maker string

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Trainer Mike Maker has shipped in to win some big races at Woodbine in recent years, including the 2016 Queen’s Plate with Sir Dudley Digges. This season, Maker will run a regular string at Woodbine and has a 22-stall allocation on the Woodbine backstretch.

Overseeing Maker’s string at Woodbine this season is Nolan Ramsey, the grandson of Kentucky owners and breeders Ken and Sarah Ramsey.

Ramsey said he has six horses at Woodbine with him right now, but expects most of the 22 stalls will be full by the end of the month.

“I have a load of seven waiting to come as soon as the paperwork gets figured out,” he said. “Everything else has gone well, so we hope that everything gets figured out soon. Once we get more horses up here, the entries will pick up.”

The 21-year-old Ramsey said Maker gave him the opportunity to oversee the Woodbine string over the winter. Ramsey has been working for Maker since he was 15 years old, walking hots at Saratoga for the summer during high school. At the age of 18, Ramsey began working for Maker full time. He’s been an assistant trainer for Maker for the last two years.

Ramsey said he was looking for an opportunity that would allow himself and his wife, former apprentice jockey Katie Clawson, to have more stability.

“I had talked to him earlier in the year about finding a spot that I didn’t have to move around every three months,” he said. “He presented the idea of doing Woodbine, and I found it was great for me. I talked to my wife about it and we decided this would be a good fit for us.”

Ramsey had been to Woodbine on a few occasions with Maker’s horses, most notably in 2016 when Ramsey made the trip with Sir Dudley Digges for the Queen’s Plate.

“I really like Woodbine,” he said. “I’ve come up here quite a few times in the past, but just shipped in, ran, and left. I hope while I’m up here I can establish a name for myself and some people get to know who I am. Maybe we can pick up a couple of Canadian owners for Mike while I’m up here, and hope to put Mike’s name on the map in Canada.”

Ramsey said that Sir Dudley Digges, who won the Barbados Gold Cup at Sandy Lane in March, will likely return to Woodbine this season. He is being pointed to either the Grade 2 Dixie Stakes on turf at Pimlico this Saturday, or the Grade 2 Eclipse Stakes on Tapeta at Woodbine on May 26.

“He’s one of my favorite horses, so I kind of hope he ends up here,” Ramsey said.

Silent Sting to Plate Trial

Silent Sting stamped himself as a contender for the $1 million Queen’s Plate with his win in the Queenston Stakes here on April 22, and will make his next start in the $125,000 Plate Trial Stakes on June 9, trainer Sid Attard said.

Silent Sting will aim to deliver a second consecutive Queen’s Plate victory for owner Stronach Stables after the outfit won the race with Holy Helena last year. Stronach Stables also won the Queen’s Plate in 2015 with Shaman Ghost. This year’s Queen’s Plate is set for June 30.

Silent Sting capped his 2-year-old campaign with a win in the Kingarvie Stakes over 1 1/16 miles, and doubled up off the layoff in the seven-furlong Queenston. He spent the winter down in Florida with Attard at Gulfstream Park. Attard said Silent Sting has developed nicely from a 2-year-old to a 3-year-old.

“He’s come around really nice,” he said. “He was doing really good down there.”

Silent Sting stalked the pace along the inside in the early stages of the Queenston under jockey Luis Contreras. At the top of the stretch, he was angled off the rail and made his bid for the lead, reeling in Blueblood in the final sixteenth to win by a neck. Attard said he was happy with Silent Sting’s effort in the Queenston, including the way the son of Silent Name finished the race in the stretch.

“He finished strong,” he said.

57 still Queen’s Plate eligible

With the Queen’s Plate less than two months away, Woodbine has released the list of 57 Canadian-bred 3-year-olds that remain eligible for the race following the May 2 second nomination deadline.

A total of 27 Canadian-bred 3-year-old fillies are still eligible for the $500,000 Woodbine Oaks, which will be run on June 9.

Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks runner-up Wonder Gadot is still eligible for both the Oaks and the Queen’s Plate. She’s one of four Queen’s Plate nominees for trainer Mark Casse. Casse’s other nominees are Kentucky Derby 13th-place finisher Flameaway, Grade 3 Lexington Stakes runner-up Telekinesis, and Neepawa.

Six other fillies are also nominated to both the Woodbine Oaks and Queen’s Plate: multiple stakes winner Dixie Moon, Hot Cash, Jack’s Memory, No Extensions, Queen’s Fate, and Zestina.

Other top contenders still eligible for the Queen’s Plate include Queenston Stakes winner Silent Sting, Grade 3 Marine Stakes third-place finisher Aheadbyacentury, and Sam-Son Farm homebreds Strike Me Down and Say the Word.