Ricky’s Back! He’s On Top of the Quarter Horse World with Win Aboard King of the Tide in All American Futurity

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2025

KING OF THE TIDE

It seems that it might have taken just about twenty-one seconds for jockey Ricky Ramirez to get back on top of the quarter horse world. It turned out to be more like a five-year journey.

“This spring, I prayed to God to give me the right horse once again,” Ricky said this week following his victory aboard King of the Tide in the $3 million All American Futurity at the Downs of Albuquerque.

His prayer was answered when King of the Tide drove home a neck in front of Political Twist at the wire sending Ricky back to the All American winner’s circle for the second time Monday afternoon at the Downs of Albuquerque. Ricky previously won the All American with Whistle Stop Café in 2020.

“When I won the All American the first time, I went through a self-reflection period when I was searching for an answer to what was next in my life. At thirty-five, I had accomplished every individual goal that I had set for myself, so I walked away for about a year to spend time with my family.” Ricky is married to his wife Alejandra with two children, Santiago and Samantha.

At the time, Ricky could have been finished with racing. “I honestly couldn’t come up with a reason to continue,” he said. “There were rumors going around that I had changed, or that I didn’t have the same passion for riding. I guess that was true for a while, but at the same time I was simply enjoying spending time away from the game.”

Until that racing “itch” came back.  It’s the feeling everyone in the industry gets when they’re passionate and craving the competition.

“Coming back from semi-retirement meant that I would have to start all over again,” Ricky said. “I would have to begin working horses for different trainers just like it was back when I started as a teenager.” Ricky started riding at age 13 for his father Hector, match-racing around his home in Odessa, Tx.

Through the years, Ricky’s relationship with trainers Blane and Trey Wood remained strong but he had to work back to becoming the barn’s top rider again. “They had moved on with other riders, and I understood that they could not just put me back as their number-one call immediately. But I remained persistent helping them break horses. I have always remained close to the Wood family and their barn.”

Ricky first rode King of the Tide last January at Blane’s ranch in Ranger, Tx. “I thought the horse might be above-average in talent,” he said. “Then he broke his maiden at Sunland Park, but I was riding at Remington and was not able to make the race. We got together again in Ruidoso where he showed his talent in the Mountain Top (futurity) running second and clearly wanting 440-yards. Then when the horse got to Albuquerque in mid-July it was like a lightswitch turned on. From then on, I knew God was giving me a chance to win the big one again.”

Ricky was right. His prayer answered, he’s back on top at age forty with a renewed passion for riding. Especially King of the Tide who is eligible for a $1.2 million New Mexico-bred Futurity at the Downs of Albuquerque in a few weeks. A decision has not been made whether the horse will enter so soon after the All American.

“I’ll go wherever this horse goes,” Ricky said. “I’m feeling great physically and enjoying every moment of this new journey with King of the Tide.”