W. Elliott Walden (born February 10, 1963, in Lexington, Kentucky) is the president and CEO of racing operations for WinStar Farm near Versailles, Kentucky and a former Thoroughbred racehorse trainer.Elliott Walden at WinStar Farm
Early life
From a racing family, Walden grew up in the industry. As a kid, Walden cleaned stalls, washed horses and rode horses. Walden's father attached a basketball hoop on top of one of the stalls which racehorse No Robbery was in, and Elliott would play basketball there with his brother Ben Jr.
Career
He worked as an assistant for high-profile trainers such as LeRoy Jolley and John Gosden before taking out his trainers' license in 1985 and trained four horses for his father, Ben P. Walden Sr.
In 1998, Elliott Walden conditioned Victory Gallop to a win in the Belmont Stakes, the third leg of the U.S. Triple Crown series.New York Times - June 7, 1998 The following year Victory Gallop gave Walden his first Champion when he was voted the 1999 American Champion Older Male Horse.Associated Press Archive - January 18, 2000 In 2001, Walden trained License Fee to victory in the Just a Game Stakes.
In 2002, Walden took over training of the Winstar Farm racing stable and in 2003 was appointed vice president of racing and bloodstock services. Since 2010, Walden has been the CEO of Winstar Farms.
Personal life
Walden's wife Rebecca is a native of England. Walden and his wife Rebecca have four children together. Walden is a born again Christian.
References