Trainer Lynn Chleborad reached the 1,000-career win milestone March 14 at Oaklawn Park when The Rock Rolls won the last of 10 races under jockey Alex Birzer (VIDEO).
A 4-year-old gelding by Rockport Harbor, The Rock Rolls ($11.60), won the $16,000 claiming race at six furlongs by 2 3/4 lengths for owners Poindexter Thoroughbreds. The final time was 1:12.49 on a fast track.
Chleborad is among the top trainers on the Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Iowa racing circuit. Her runners have earned in excess of $1 million each year since 2007, and she was the leading trainer in 2009 and 2010 at Prairie Meadows.
"I never really even thought about winning 1,000 races until it started to get close," said Chleborad. "I've had wonderful owners and wonderful people supporting me. I've had great horses and jockeys. There has been bad times, but a lot more good times. It's just been a lot of fun."
Chleborad, who grew up around show horses and competed in rodeos, was majoring in accounting at Stephens College in Columbia, Mo., when she realized she "couldn't sit still long enough to work in an office" and left to pursue a career with horses.
She started with show horses before making the move to racing. Her break came when she started grooming and galloping for Herb Riecken, a veteran Nebraska trainer who helped her get started. She took out her own trainer's license in 1987.
One of the better horses in her stable, and her personal favorite, is American Sugar. The filly has won four stakes in her career, including the 2013 Dixie Belle Stakes at Oaklawn.