John Ward Jr., Kentucky Derby-winning trainer and racing official, dies at 75

LEXINGTON, Ky. – John T. Ward Jr., a third-generation horseman who won the Kentucky Derby in 2001 with Monarchos and then became the head of Kentucky’s horse racing regulatory agency, died Saturday at the age of 75, according to Churchill Downs.

Ward, a native Kentuckian, operated a middle-class stable with his wife Donna when he received Monarchos from John Oxley, the colt’s owner and a longtime client. Monarchos won the 2001 Derby at odds of 10-1, instantly catapulting the trainer into the ranks of the sport’s top echelon.

Never comfortable with the spotlight, and forthright to a fault, Ward was well liked among his Central Kentucky peers. His uncle, Sherrill Ward, trained Forego, a three-time Horse of the Year, and is in the Hall of Fame. His grandfather, John Sherrill Ward, was one of the most respected horsemen in Kentucky during his time as a trainer.

Ward gave up training in 2011 to take a job as the executive director of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, a position he held for four years. He had been appointed by Gov. Steve Beshear, a Democrat, and was forced out when a Tea Party Republican, Matt Bevin, took office in 2016.

While at the commission, Ward often supported efforts to more tightly regulate racing medications, a stance that often put him in opposition to the state’s horsemen group. When he was replaced, he said that he did not plan to return to training but would stay active in the industry.

“This is the first morning in 50 years that I haven’t had a responsibility,” Ward told Daily Racing Form after being informed that he was being told to step aside.

Although Ward had hard-boot roots, he attended the University of Kentucky and received a degree in agricultural economics. He met Donna, who was a multi-generational horsewoman herself, while they were showing horses. At the age of 25, John Ward took over his family’s farm when his father became ill.

Ward took out his trainer’s license in 1972, and he struggled in his early years. But in 1999, he trained Beautiful Pleasure to a win in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff, and two years later found the Derby winner’s circle with Monarchos. Both horses were owned by Oxley.

For his career, Ward trained 574 winners from 3,671 starts, with total earnings of $23.9 million.

While he did not have the sustained success of some of his earlier family members, Ward had an out-sized presence on many backstretches due to his roots and the cultivation of the ethic handed down to him by his family. He was often sought-out for his advice on issues critical to horsemen, even if some of his views clashed with a newer generation of trainers.

“John Ward Jr. personified the phrase ‘Kentucky hard-boot,’ " Churchill Downs racetrack president Mike Anderson said in a release Sunday night. “He was a third-generation horseman who worked tirelessly throughout his career, culminating with his service as executive director of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission. … Our hearts and prayers will be with Ward’s family and friends throughout Derby week as they grieve during this difficult time.”