Trainer Wesley Ward answers questions about his success at Royal Ascot, training 2-year olds, and more.
Wesley Ward, the ex-jockey-turned trainer, stunned the British racing world at Royal Ascot when two horses he trained became the first American-trained runners to ever win at the exclusive race meet.
Ward, who especially has a knack for training 2-year-olds to win, is a former rider who won the Eclipse Award in 1984 as leading apprentice. He retired as a jockey in 1989 due to weight problems and joined the training ranks in 1991. Since training eight winners from 48 starters that year, Ward’s success has grown to where he had 94 wins from 361 starts in 2008 for a 26% strike rate, and stable earnings in excess of more than $2.2 million. This year, his horses are winning at a 30% clip.