During another busy campaign for him in what has become the rule and not the exception, trainer Anthony Farrior has already eclipsed a pair of training milestones this year highlighted by sending out his 1,000th lifetime winner earlier this month.

In any given week, Farrior can be seen saddling horses in Delaware, Maryland, Ohio and West Virginia; and his traveling regimen has paid off handsomely in recent years. It was in Ohio, at Thistledown Racino, where Farrior attained the 1,000th training victory of his career October 1.

That day Conquest Dancer forged a very mild upset as the 6-5 second choice in a one-mile allowance for fillies and mares when she drew clear to a four-length score over 4-5 favorite Colormecairo.

Farrior, who also earlier this year surpassed the $20 million milestone in earnings, has enjoyed the steady climb to success and is quick to credit those around him. That includes wife Kayla Farrior and assistants Derrick Goetz and Clifford Tuomisto. 

“I’ve always said that I wouldn’t have any success without the great help that I have,” Farrior said. “My wife, Kayla, has done the books for 12 years and both Derek and Cliffie, my assistant trainers, are there with me every day. I also have a number of really good grooms. They’re all a big part of getting those 1,000 wins. When I first started in this business, I never thought that I would win 1,000 races.”

Through Thursday’s action, Farrior has sent out 713 starters and recorded 164 wins this year with seasonal earnings over $3.2 million. Overall, Farrior now has saddled 1,017 winners from 4,481 starters with lifetime earnings of over $20 million. 

Farrior’s career has been one of steady progress. Since going 5-for-56 in 2016, he has sent out more starters each year, reaching 947 last year, and won more races with higher purse earnings. Last year, his 226 winners helped him generate more than $4.7 million in purse earnings. Since 2019, his barn has won at a 23% clip or better each year.

He also went through a somewhat high-profile case with the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU). In late 2023 a horse he trained tested positive for the banned substance Metformin, for which he could have faced a two-year suspension. But Farrior and attorney Drew Mollica exercised their right to a split sample test, and the volume of the secondary sample was “insufficient for analysis,” according to HIWU’s website. That led the body to drop the case. 

Since eclipsing the 1,000-win plateau, Farrior has scored a West Virginia Breeders Classic stakes win at Charles Town with Diakonissa. Diakonissa, owned by Ultra Championship Racing, is targeting the $75,000 James & Eleanor Casey Memorial for state-bred two-year-old fillies on Nov. 2 for her next start.

“It’s always nice for your owners when they win a stakes race anywhere,” Farrior said. “I’ve got a lot of really good owners and horses like her help keep them invested in the game. They only gave $7,000 for her as a yearling and she’s already won two stakes. It’s a lot of fun for the owners seeing their horses win races like that.”

Although Farrior has gradually added stakes wins to his growing resume, his early training days revolved around claiming horses. In fact, only three of Farrior’s trainees have surpassed $200,000 in career earnings.

“When we started, we had almost nothing except some $5,000 claimers,” said Farrior, who was only two years of age when Hollywood Park hosted the first Breeders Cup in 1984. “I like having upgraded our barn to have some stakes horses. But I can’t say it’s really a dream of mine to win a Breeders’ Cup race someday. But I would like to win the Kentucky Derby. Now that’s something that would be a dream come true.”

Of course, the week ahead will be another busy one for Farrior and his assistants with horses entered on Saturday at Laurel Park and Charles Town then others set to compete on Monday and Tuesday at Mahoning Valley in Pennsylvania. 

It’s not the Kentucky Derby, certainly, or even the Breeders’ Cup. But Farrior, currently seventh in the nation by wins this year, is always ready to go where there are races to be won.

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