Miguel Mena celebrates aboard International Star in the G2 Louisiana Derby (Photo: Alexander Barkoff / Hodges Photography)
by Sarah Mace
These days Kentucky-based Ken and Sarah Ramsey certainly have a New York-bred on their hands to write home about. On Saturday afternoon International Star, a son of 2000 Kentucky Derby winner Fusaichi Pegasus, completed his sweep of the three Fair Grounds preps for the Run for the Roses with another sparkling victory in the Louisiana Derby. By the end of the day he stood in first place on the Kentucky Derby points leaderboard with 171 and had pushed his purse earnings into seven-figure territory.
Breaking from the outside of the nine-horse field, International Star, who has a penchant for doing his best running down inside, made his way over into the two path by the time the field entered the clubhouse turn, and before entering the backstretch, settled comfortably at the rail in mid-pack about five lengths off pacesetter Stanford, a sharp Pletcher-trainee who broke from the inside gate.
Moving up closer to the pace midway in backstretch, the bay colt advanced further at the rail in the far turn, scooted to the inside of his rivals when a hole opened up just before the quarter pole, then angled out in upper stretch to set his sights on the frontrunner.
Latching on to Stanford in the final furlong, the bay colt had enough determination and enough left in the tank to get in front by a neck in the final sixteenth for the victory. After an opening half-mile that went in 48.59 and a mile in 1:37.27, International Star stopped the clock after nine furlongs at 1:50.67. [VIDEO from Equibase America’s Best Racing]
Ken Ramsey reacted with characteristic ebullience: “That’s back-to-back wins for us here in the Louisiana Derby and we swept all three this year. Last year [with Vicar’s in Trouble] we missed out on the Risen Star. Next stop: Kentucky!”
Miguel Mena, International Star’s pilot for all three Fair Grounds victories, said, “We got another good trip, had a clean run. He was the best horse in the race again today and I thank the connections for giving me the chance to ride him.”
Mike Maker, who trains the colt for the Ramseys, believes International Star is one of his best chances at a Kentucky Derby: “Definitely. He’s a special horse.” As to the colt’s affinity for Fair Grounds, Maker quipped, “I don’t know [why he is so good at this racetrack], but I think I might take some of the dirt from Fair Grounds up to Kentucky with us.”
In the immediate future, Maker said, “We will see how he comes out of the race and decide if we’ll train him like we did before this. I haven’t worked him until three weeks after his races.”
From five firsts and two seconds in nine starts, International Star has earned $1,010,979 to become the latest New York-bred millionaire. His points total of 171, which sets him atop the Kentucky Derby points leaderboard, derives from four victories and a third: 100 points the Louisiana Derby, 50 points for the Grade 2 Risen Star, 10 for the Grade 3 LeComte, 10 points for the Grey Stakes at Woodbine last October and one point for his show finish in the Kentucky Jockey Club at Churchill Downs.
Bred by longtime Maryland breeders and owners Katharine M. Voss and Robert T. Manfuso and foaled at Berkshire Stud in Pine Plains, International Star was purchased by the Ramseys as a yearling for $85,000 out of the Fasig Tipton select yearling sale in September in Timonium.
International Star’s dam Parlez is a multiple winner by French Deputy Parlez and a granddaughter of Halory (Halo), the dam of five graded stakes winners, including Blue Grass Stakes winner Halory Hunter.
Parlez has produced five winners in all, including stakes winners Fools in Love by Not For Love, who earned $240,746 and D C Dancer by the same sire, a $228,065-earner. She has a yearling colt by Not for Love, was barren in 2015 and bred back to Fusaichi Pegasus this year.
