Turfway's cold weather doesn't bother Barkley as long as horses keep winning

The wind was whistling through his cell phone before dawn Wednesday, but Jason Barkley was impervious to the cold.

“It gets pretty bone-chilling at times,” said Barkley, who is overseeing the Wesley Ward stable at Turfway Park in northern Kentucky, near Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. “The wind comes across the track in the morning and over from the airport at night. There’s not a whole lot of hiding from it. But we’re winning, and that’s what matters.”

At this time of year, most of the stable’s top runners and upcoming yearlings are in south Florida, where Ward lives with his family. Barkley has just 12 horses at Turfway, but there are another 40 to 50 in training at Keeneland, a little more than a one-hour drive away. Shuttling horses in and out for racing, Ward has been among the most active trainers at the current holiday meet at Turfway and led the standings with six victories through last weekend.

“Wesley flies up most every weekend, which is when we usually have the most breezers,” said Barkley. “He’s logging a lot of air miles.”

Barkley, 27, is the son of longtime trainer Jeff Barkley. The family lives in Evansville, Ind., close to Ellis Park, with Jeff overseeing a small stable at the Riverside training center in Henderson, Ky.

“I’m going home for Christmas after we train Saturday,” Jason Barkley said. “I’ll be back late Sunday to be here for training Monday morning.”

Barkley had a brief stint as a trainer in 2015, going winless with eight starters. His intent is to go out on his own again in 2017, “maybe after either of the Keeneland meets in April or October,” he said.

“I’m meeting as many people as I can and trying to piece together some owners,” he said. “I’m trying to make a splash up here this winter so that maybe people will take notice. We’re winning at 30 percent (6 for 20) and I’m getting to work around some really nice horses, like Ventry Bay and Finnegan. Yeah, it’s cold, but I’d rather be winning than having my teeth kicked in somewhere else.”

Card lost to cold weather

Turfway canceled its Dec. 15 program with ample notice because of bitter cold, but the cancellation last Sunday was something different.

Following heavy rain Saturday, racing was expected to resume the following afternoon, but with only about 10 minutes to post for the first race, the decision was made to cancel because temperatures had plummeted below freezing and the Polytrack racing surface had become dangerously uneven.

Holiday meet nearing end

When racing resumes Wednesday night, Abel Lezcano will be atop the jockey standings by a 13-11 count over Alonso Quinonez. After three days of racing, Saturday and Sunday are dark because of the Christmas holiday, and then four cards (Dec. 28-31) will remain at the holiday meet. The three-month winter-spring meet runs Jan. 1 to April 1.

Sundays get dropped from the winter-spring schedule, and Wednesdays will also be dropped during March. The track’s marquee event, the Jack Cincinnati Casino Spiral Stakes, is set for March 25.