Walden Jr. Named COO of Royal Saint Lucia Turf Club

Ben Walden Jr., a lifelong fixture in the U.S. racing industry, has been named chief operating officer of the fledgling Royal Saint Lucia Turf Club.

Walden will have the reins as the Club stages its second-ever race meeting Feb. 16, marking Saint Lucia's Independence Day. The first races were held in December at a new track on the Caribbean island's south coast.

"Ben Walden comes to Saint Lucia with a wealth of knowledge and experience, and we look forward to his contribution here," said Teo Ah Khing, the chairman of the Royal Saint Lucia Turf Club and founder of the China Horse Club, which has been instrumental in the creation of Saint Lucia racing as part of a planned multibillion-dollar "Pearl of the Caribbean" development.

"This is an industry built on relationships, and our Club is working diligently to be part of the local community as well as the international racing community," Teo said. "Ben is going to be integral to growing these relationships as well as mentoring the young Saint Lucians who are entering this new industry."

Walden is the son of legendary horseman Ben Walden Sr. He founded Vinery Stud in 1986 and sold it in 1998. He has held multiple positions in the industry since then, including ownership of Pauls Mill Farm in Kentucky. He sold that property and dispersed his stock in 2017.

His brother, WinStar Farm president Elliott Walden, serves on the China Horse Club advisory board and has worked closely with the CHC in international racing projects.

After a briefing by Teo and local RSLTC officials, Walden said, "There was not a shadow of (a) doubt that all of my past experience in the horse business had prepared me for such a time as this, in such a place as this, for such a project as this.

"I am also most excited to be developing the new curriculum for the Winston Trim Equine School for young Islanders, to teach them to be fine horsemen and horsewomen, and to include a mentoring program."