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Derby-Winning Trainer John Ward Dies At 75

John T. Ward Jr., Kentucky Derby-winning trainer and former Kentucky racing executive, has died at the age of 75. Ward is best known for saddling 2001 Kentucky Derby winner Monarchos, who also won the Grade 1 Florida Derby and was third in the G1 Belmont Stakes.

Ward's training career spanned 40 years until his retirement in 2012, at which time he had saddled 3,671 starters and 574 winners for earnings of over $23 million. Besides Monarchos, he was also the conditioner of graded stakes winners Sky Mesa, Booklet, Beautiful Pleasure, Snow Dance, Forest Secrets, Gal in a Ruckus, and Strong Contender among others.

Ward was a third generation Kentucky horseman. His grandfather John S. Ward saddled runners in three consecutive Derbies, and John T. Ward Sr., trained and ran a farm in the Lexington area. His uncle Sherrill Ward was the trainer of Forego and is in the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. Ward Jr.'s claim of the roses in 2001 was the brass ring generations before him had reached for, as detailed in this feature from ESPN.

He served as executive director of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, chairman of the Association of Racing Commissioners International, and was also a founding member and former president of the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association. He served on the Sales Integrity Task Force for the Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders.

“John Ward Jr. personified the phrase 'Kentucky hard-boot,'” said Churchill Downs president Mike Anderson. “He was a third-generation horseman who worked tirelessly throughout his career, culminating with service as Executive Director of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission. The dedication to his craft as a trainer was amplified 20 years ago when he patiently prepared Monarchos to a memorable victory in the 2001 Kentucky Derby. Our hearts and prayers will be with Ward's family and friends throughout Derby Week as they grieve during this difficult time.”

“John T. Ward Jr. was a consummate horseman who enjoyed great success as both a trainer and as an industry executive, and engendered enormous respect among his peers throughout his career,” read a statement from the Breeders' Cup over the weekend. “From his training victories of Monarchos in the Kentucky Derby and Beautiful Pleasure in the Breeders' Cup Distaff, to his leadership as president of the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association, chairman of the Association of Racing Commissioners International and executive director of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, John served our sport with honor and distinction. We extend our deepest sympathies to his family and loved ones.”

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Kentucky Commission Approves New Conditions For HHR, Facility For Kentucky Downs Expansion As Bill Awaits Governor’s Signature

After the passage of Senate Bill 120 last week by the Kentucky House of Representatives, the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission breathed a sigh of relief that historical horse racing (HHR) would become part of the state's legal definition of permitted gambling. At Tuesday's commission meeting, the body began dealing with the next steps for HHR in the state.

SB120 has not yet been signed by Gov. Andy Beshear, only because the state senate recessed before forwarding it on to the governor's office. Once the body reconvenes, Beshear will sign the bill. The governor appeared via video conferencing at the start of Tuesday's meeting to assure commission members he was looking forward to signing the legislation. His signature is expected sometime next week.

Meanwhile, the commission unanimously approved several rule language changes clarifying language related to HHR so it will be in compliance with SB 120. It approved a set of conditions for facilities to conduct HHR in 2021, which among other things will require operators of HHR to present written reports from an independent testing laboratory confirming that the machines are in compliance with state code and constitute parimutuel wagering. The commission must approve the number of terminals, game themes, facility layout, security protocols, and hours of operation.

The association offering HHR will also have to create a initial seed pool to fund a wagering pool, and seed pools cannot be commingled without written authorization by the commission.

Further guidelines were approved to give commission executive director Marc Guilfoil the authority to approve some administrative changes that HHR operators may request. Some of those requests may later be ratified by the full commission depending upon statute, although more minor requests may be approved without the commission members' approval.

The commission also ratified Guilfoil's approval of a request from Kentucky Downs to expand its license to an extension facility in Bowling Green, Ky. The final location for the extension facility and a timeline for its opening have not yet been finalized by the track, but by state regulation it must be within 60 miles of Kentucky Downs without being within 60 miles of another association's racetrack or 40 miles of a simulcast facility. The request will allow the facility to host simulcast wagering and “exotic wagers yet to be determined,” which could include HHR.

The commission approved a request from Keeneland to begin its fall meet on April 2, rather than April 1 as originally requested.

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Kentucky HHR Bill Passes House Committee, On To House Floor

Senate Bill 120, which would expand Kentucky's definition of parimutuel wagering to include historical horse racing (HHR) machines, unanimously passed the House Committee for Licensing, Occupations and Administration Regulations on Wednesday morning.

The bill passed the state senate Tuesday afternoon on a vote of 22-15.

The house committee heard from a nearly identical group of proponents and opponents to the bill as the Senate Committee on Licensing and Occupations last week. The house committee is chaired by Rep. Adam Koenig (R-District 69), who is also the legislative representative on the Kentucky Equine Drug Research Council, a committee of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission. The senate committee is chaired by Sen. John Schickel (R-District 11) who is the bill's sponsor and also fielded questions from members of the house committee.

Horseman Tommy Drury provided the committee with his outlook on the way the cash influx from HHR has kept his business afloat, while representatives from The Family Foundation expressed a variety of concerns, framing the bill as a “millionaire's bailout” and citing concerns about the constitutionality of the bill's treatment of parimutuel wagering.

The bill's supporters have repeatedly expressed the reliance of Kentucky's racing industry on the increased purses and breeders' incentives from HHR income, with particular focus on the many jobs supported by that revenue and the secondary industries that rely on racing for business.

There are a few different points of opposition expressed by legislators who spoke against the bill during its senate vote Tuesday; some question the tax structure for HHR income, saying the state does not benefit enough from the income. Others believe a constitutional amendment is the only sure way to make HHR legal because the definition of legal gambling in Kentucky is outlined in the state's constitution. Still others have concerns about the potential for gambling addiction among HHR users, which they say disproportionately impacts poor families.

Early reports have indicated the bill could face more opposition in the house than it did in the senate. The bill may now go to the House floor for a vote, though it's unclear when that will happen. Wednesday begins the thirteenth day of the Kentucky General Assembly regular session, which is limited to 30 days this year.

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Bill To Legalize HHR In Kentucky Passes Committee Unanimously, On To Senate Floor

Senate Bill 120, which would expand Kentucky's definition of parimutuel wagering to include historical horse racing (HHR), passed the state's Senate Committee on Licensing and Occupations unanimously Thursday morning. The committee, led by bill sponsor Sen. John Schickel (R-District 11), heard testimony from representatives of the horse racing industry as well as The Family Foundation, which has long opposed HHR.

Trainer Tommy Drury provided the committee with perspective on the “trickle down” impact of the horse racing industry, beyond the people it employs directly and to the vendors who provide hay, grain, and other services to his barn.

Drury also pointed out that even with purses fueled by HHR, some Kentucky tracks are already struggling. He pointed out that for a given set of maiden conditions, the purse at Turfway is $32,000 while the same conditions at Oaklawn match a purse of $82,000.

In fact, Drury, who bases in Kentucky year-round, said he could afford to continue training while providing a consistent base for his family in part because Churchill Downs Inc., purchased Turfway Park and increased purses from where they had been — a move he credits to the income from HHR.

But predictably, The Family Foundation cast doubt on racing's portrayal of the HHR issue. The state supreme court ruled last fall that the Exacta Systems machines installed at Keeneland and Red Mile did match the legal definition of parimutuel wagering, and ruled Jan. 21 it would not rehear the case as requested by the tracks. Family Foundation spokesman Martin Cothran was critical of the tracks' decision to keep HHR running between the ruling in the fall and the appeal in January.

“They were the ones who asked the court if what they were doing was on the up and up,” he said. “Now we have that answer, and they've been ignoring it.”

Contrary to the usual terminology used by the racing industry, Cothran referred to the HHR machines as “slots” and pointed to CDI executives as beneficiaries of the games moreso than their employees.

“This company is associated in the minds of many people with a horse race which is considered by many to be the most exciting two minutes in sports and of which many of us, as Kentuckians, are quite proud,” said Cothran. “But in fact, this company has moved further and further away from racing, becoming an ever-more lucrative, multi-billion dollar casino corporation. Its stock is also publicly traded, which means it is owned by shareholders, many of whom live outside of the state.

“In 2019, 76.7% of this company's employees were hourly and the median compensation was $23,670 … and that calculation includes the compensation of the company's opulent executive cast. The CEO's total compensation in 2019 was $10,601,294 — 447 times the median compensation to gain entry. We wonder what that comes to as an hourly wage, and how it compares to the wages the company pays the grooms and the hotwalkers it is using to represent the industry.”

The primary question that seemed to concern committee members was whether the legislature could pass a law allowing historical horse racing to become part of the legal definition of parimutuel wagering, or if that would require an amendment to the state's constitution, which states that only lottery, charitable gaming, and parimutuel wagering are permitted. Racing supporters believe a legislative fix is sufficient, while The Family Foundation believes it requires constitutional amendment.

Schickel stated during the hearing he did not favor a constitutional amendment to address the question, as he does not want to open the door for casino gaming in Kentucky. While giving 'aye' votes, several committee members admitted they weren't sure which side was correct and suspected the issue would continue to be contested in court.

The bill will now move to the floor of the state senate. The Lexington Herald-Leader reported Thursday that it's generally expected to succeed there, but the state house of representatives is another question. The current bill does nothing to change the structure of tax revenue from HHR, which was one concern cited by critics. Besides that issue, there remain a number of socially conservative areas of the state which do not benefit from the racing industry as greatly or directly that are likely uncomfortable with additional gaming in the state.

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