‘We’re Plugging Along’: Nolan Ramsey Second In Gulfstream Park Trainer Standings originally appeared on Paulick Report.

Quietly and consistently finding success during the Royal Palm Meet, trainer Nolan Ramsey hopes to keep the trend going when he sends out Robert Proulx’s 2-year-old Street Player in Saturday’s $75,000 Proud Man at Gulfstream Park.

Ramsey, 28, entered Friday’s return of live racing with 11 wins from 46 starters, a 28 percent success rate that is third-best overall. He also has four seconds and seven thirds, a top-three percentage of 55, and $299,585 in purse earnings at the five-month stand that wraps up Aug. 31.

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“We’re plugging along. We bought quite a few 2-year-olds early in the year and we bought a variety. We knew some were going to be earlier and some would be later. Some of those later ones are starting to come around and we’ve picked up some new horses,” Ramsey said. “We’re doing well. Things are going good. We’ve got a string at Ellis, as well. We’ve had a winner up there, also, so things are good.”

Ramsey has strings of 30 horses at Gulfstream and another 10 at Ellis Park in Kentucky, where he is 1-1-1 from four starters at a meet that began July 4 and ends Aug. 24. After a decade working as the top assistant for Mike Maker, he is in the second full year training on his own after launching his career with Corrin Park last April 20 at Gulfstream.

Marshamarshamarsha provided Ramsey with his first winner, May 10 at Gulfstream, and he won his first stakes race with Whenigettoheaven in the Ben’s Cat turf sprint last July at Laurel Park in Maryland. All three horses are owned by his grandfather, multiple Eclipse Award-winning owner and breeder Ken Ramsey.

Nolan Ramsey won 27 races and $855,154 in purses from 110 starters in 2024, and is 20-for-100 with $751,981 in earnings so far in 2025. In addition to Street Player, he has horses entered in four other races Saturday at Gulfstream, including 2-year-old filly Late Night Text, who he said will scratch out of the $75,000 Sharp Susan for a maiden special weight Sunday at Ellis.

“We’re happy with it,” Ramsey said of his first year. “We started with mostly claimers, and we’ve held our own. I was a little worried going into the winter meet last year, just because it’s a tough meet, good horses, and I wasn’t really sure how we’d fit. But we did a good job of choosing spots and staying competitive, and I think the momentum has kind of carried on into this year. So far, no complaints.”

Street Player drew the rail against eight rivals in the Proud Man, which will be the Street Boss colt’s fourth career start and second straight in a stakes following a seventh in the Prairie Gold Juvenile July 5 at Prairie Meadows, contested over a main track rated good. Street Player earned his way there with a seven-length maiden special weight rout sprinting five furlongs May 16 at Gulfstream.

“I really like him,” Ramsey said. “I think the race at Prairie was probably a toss. They had a fireworks show the night before being July fourth, and he had a fit in his stall. He was all washed out. I don’t think he particularly cared for the slop, either, and ended up blowing out an abscess right after the race, so he had a lot of things going on and not go his way.

“He came out of the race in good shape,” he added. “If he runs back to that maiden race here, I think he can be pretty tough. I’m not overly excited about the rail draw, but he likes the front end, so as long as he gets a clean break, it might play out O.K. for him.”

Ramsey had eight wins, three seconds, five thirds, and $236,150 in purse earnings from 47 starters at Gulfstream’s 2024-2025 Championship Meet. He looks forward to having a presence again for the 2025-2026 stand.

“I’ve got to take a look at the stock and see where we’re at,” he said. “Once we get through the Keeneland fall meet and see if we want to stay [there] for the winter, but I’ll probably bring a majority of them back here for the winter.”

Ramsey expects his grandfather will also make an appearance at what is one of his favorite meets. Ken Ramsey, currently in Saratoga, continues to recover from a kidney transplant he had last June at the age of 88.

“He’s doing well,” Nolan Ramsey said. “He called me [Sunday] and wanted to know about my runner. He was betting the Pick 6, so you know that means he’s feeling good. He got clearance from the doctors a couple weeks ago to start going out in crowds again, so I’ll expect we’ll see him here this winter.”

This story was originally reported by Paulick Report on Aug 8, 2025, where it first appeared.