Dennis Ward notched the 1,000th victory of his training career Thursday at Gulfstream Park, saddling Greely Is Back for a half-length score in the fifth race.
Ward came right back in the sixth to saddle winner Dreaming of J C, who won by three lengths. Both winners are owned by Ridenjac Racing.
Ward, the father of former Eclipse Award-winning apprentice jockey and current international trainer Wesley Ward, has been training horses since 1983. The 71-year-old native of Seattle started as a jockey at Longacres in Washington State in 1962 before retiring in 1968, a week after his son was born.
Ward worked as a jockey's agent and valet before becoming a trainer. His son, upon retiring from riding in 1989, served as Ward's assistant before going out on his own in 1991.
New to the Paulick Report? Click here to sign up for our daily email newsletter to keep up on this and other stories happening in the Thoroughbred industry.
Copyright © 2019 Paulick Report.