Trainer Glatt Scores 1,000th Career Win

Trainer Mark Glatt registered a major milestone when he rung up the 1,000th victory of his career Nov. 20 at Del Mar with the speedy gelding Zestful in a nine-furlong allowance-level race.

Zestful, who is owned by Shanderella Stables, Glatt, Danny Haramoto, and Sheldon Kawahara, scored in his dirt test by 2 1/2 lengths in wire-to-wire fashion and paid $6.40 to win. Ridden by Edwin Maldonado, he covered the distance on the fast track in 1:50.94.

"It is real important and a very nice accomplishment," Glatt said. "We work extremely hard to train and race these horses, and there are a lot of ups and downs. This is certainly an up, and we're going to enjoy it.

"The big (race wins) you remember more, but they all count, and they all feel the same in that moment when your horse crosses the finish line first."

Glatt, 47, grew up on a farm in Auburn, Wash., about 30 miles south of Seattle. His father, Ron, was a racehorse trainer throughout the Northwest. Glatt served as an assistant to his father and others, took out his training license soon after graduation from Western Washington University at the age of 21, and has gone from the Pacific Northwest to Northern California and then Southern California circuits, the last move coming in 2000.

"I grew up with horses, and I knew at a very young age that there wasn't going to be anything else that I really wanted to do," Glatt said. "This isn't going to a factory and doing the same thing day after day. A new challenge is almost a daily occurrence. It's the love of the horses that keeps us all going, and to get to work with horses and be outdoors—how can you beat it?"

Glatt was dutiful in pointing out that it was not an individual accomplishment.

"You're only as good as your help, and I've been very fortunate to have very good assistants and a heck of a crew," Glatt said. "And I've been fortunate to have (owners) who have given me quality horses to train, have been loyal, and have stuck with me through the good times and the bad."

Glatt, who has been training since 1994, had his best year in 2019 when his horses won 73 races and more than $3.3 million in purses. Through Friday, he had 1,000 wins, 932 seconds, and 875 thirds from 6,584 starts and earnings of $32,458,403.

On Nov. 7, Glatt sent out multiple graded stakes winner and millionaire Sharp Samurai to finish third in the Big Ass Fans Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) at Keeneland. He saddled his first grade 1 winner Aug. 1 when Collusion Illusion won the Bing Crosby Stakes (G1) at Del Mar. Glatt has also trained graded stakes winners Blackjackcat—third in the 2017 Breeders' Cup Mile (G1T)—Law Abidin Citizen, Eddie Haskell, Silent Bird, Leroy's Dynameaux, and Elusive Diva.