“IF THERE WAS A CLOUD 14, I would be on top of it right now.”
Those words summed up Kenneth Ramsey’s excitement after watching Patrick Husbands pilot his eight-year-old bay gelding Major Marvel to victory in the 33rd Sandy Lane Barbados Gold Cup at the Garrison Savannah yesterday.
The Eastern Kentucky native compared the feeling to that of winning the prestigious Dubai World Cup.
“This win reminds me of winning the Dubai World Cup amid all the hype as a favourite.
“So to come down here and pull it off, and to actually execute and win, it feels tremendous,” Ramsey said while handing out commemorative badges to excited supporters.
“I can’t express my elation right now . . . I’m overcome with emotion.”
Speaking to SUNSPORT, Ramsey explained that from the time he saw Husbands past the finish line for the first time in second position, he knew the result was a foregone conclusion.
“When he went by the stand the first time lying second, we felt good because that’s where we wanted to be, behind that speed horse [Areutalkintome].
“We thought that speed horse might fade and pave the way for us to take over. Patrick knows what he is doing; I didn’t have to give him any instructions,” he pointed out.
“This makes 14 wins Major Marvel has for us since we claimed him for $10 000 in April 2012. He is a running machine!”
In his first time competing in the Eastern Caribbean’s biggest horse racing event, the American said that he was extremely impressed and vowed to return next year with his family.
Ramsey said that even before the horses had lined up for the start of the race, he had already begun to experience goosebumps.
“It gave me goosebumps when I saw the American flag out there and heard the band play the American National anthem,” he confessed.
“This Sandy Lane Gold Cup is a great place to be. The whole island turned out and it reminded a bit about over in Dubai, except that they don’t have the sheets on.
“I will definitely be back next year, and this time I’m going to bring the family along and see if we can get back-to-back victories,” Ramsey added.