EJOHN AND DONNA WARD‘
O
A P t h°p
W ` t h S
Couple has spent 40 years training horses resulting in
more than 500 wins, including the 2001 Kentucky Derby.
By Robin Roenker
In Thoroughbred circles, husband-and-wife trainers ]ohn and Finding Their Calling
Donna Ward are whats known as a couple of Kentucky hardboots. Mementos of signature moments in their career are everywhere
Its a term that means traditionalist, even old-fashioned. in the oPEice. On the mantel, the trainers trophy for the 2001 Ken-
And, for 40 years in the business, it,s a title the Wards have em- tucky Derby win sits alongside Winner,s Circle photos with Beau-
braced. tiihl Pleasure at the Breeder,s Cup in 1999 and Gal In A Ruckus,
\Whi.le other trainers bask in the media spotlight, thats not the winner ofthe 1995 Kentucky Oaks — the Wards, Hrst big-time
Wards, style. That,s why — despite their training of 2001 Ken- win. One entire wall is a framed collage in homage to Monarchos,
tucky Derby winner Monarchos and 1999 Breeders Cup DistaH: made for them by a friend, with newspaper clippings, ticket stubs,
winner Beautiful Pleasure, among many other successes — their photographs, and magazine covers keeping fresh the memory of
names might not be as recognizable to people outside ofthe in- that sweet Saturday in May Above the mantle are striking canvas
dustry as those of other marquee trainers. images of Donna riding Gal, ta.ken by professional photographer
But thats Hne by them. Charles Rumph for his mid-1990s museum exhibit “VVbmen and
“1,m proud ofbeing a hardboot,’ says ]ohn Ward ,68 AG. “1ts a H0¢’5e5.)’On another wall a bright gold image ofjapans Mt. Pugi
heritage. I think the traditional horseman reacts to his animal and beams a bit unexpectedly down on the rest ofthe rooms unmis-
doesn’t react to the fanfare or any ofthe outside pressures. The tra- ta.kably Kentucky decor It was a gift from Fusao Sekiguchi, owner
ditiona.l horseman does what is best for the horse.,) of 2000 Kentucky Derby winner Pusaichi Pegasus, to thank ]oh.n
(Always,) concludes Donna Ward ,64 BE, without missing a for advising him in his purchase ofthe colt.
beat. Its a room perfect for a walk down memory lane. As their
Talki.ng to the pair in theirjohn T. Ward Stables oH:ice, a modest belovedjack Russell terriers, Saratoga and Browni.ng, snooze
1920s-era white building on Rice Road just outside Keeneland,s alongside them i.n cozy dog beds atop a red leather couch, the
Gate 3 on a cold, gray afternoon, you get a sense of why the two Wards tell how it all began.
ca ma.ke such a good team. After 35 years of marriage and business Though they a.re both Lexington natives, it wsn’t until after
§ partnership, they seamlessly finish one anothers sentences, docu- graduation from UK that Donna Clancy met john Ward, while
$3 menti.ng thei.r major wins, their struggles, and how UK prepped both were riding and showi.ng horses. ]ohn had grown up in a
5 them for — and even pushed them into — this unique and some- house literally a stones throw from Keenela.nd, immersed in the
§ what crazy life. Thoroughbred industry His grandfather,]ohn Sherill Ward, had
S entries in the 1916 a.nd 1917 Kentucky Derbies and at the Hrst
www.uka|umni.net 17 ((