Catalano Trains 3,000th Winner

Trainer Wayne Catalano accomplished a career milestone July 21 as Alilnalot  streaked across the Ellis Park wire in the day's fourth race, a maiden claiming race, to become the trainer's 3,000th winner.

"I've been waiting on this one a long time," Catalano said. "I got to have my family here today and it means the world to me."

A native of New Orleans, Catalano was a hot walker for Hall of Fame trainer Jack Van Berg as a teenager and became a jockey at age 18. He won his first of 1,792 races aboard Hellfire at Churchill Downs in 1974.

Chronic knee injuries caused Catalano to transition into training in 1983, saddling his first winner Aug. 11 of that year when Dreaming of You won an Arlington Park maiden claiming event.

Since then, Catalano has saddled horses for over 15,000 starts and accumulated purse earnings of over $76.1 million. Catalano trained his first of 49 graded stakes winners when Cuzzy Bear won the 1990 Hawthorne Budweiser Breeders' Cup Handicap (G3) and tallied his first of seven grade 1 wins when Dreaming of Anna won the 2006 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1).

In addition to Dreaming of Anna, Catalano also trained Breeders' Cup winners She Be Wild  (2009 Juvenile Fillies), Stephanie's Kitten  (2011 Juvenile Fillies Turf-G2T), and Aloha West   (2021 Sprint).