DURAN’S 1,000TH WIN WAS TRAINER WILSON’S SECOND
While jockey Francisco Duran celebrated his 1,000th career victory last Friday at Golden Gate Fields trainer Andy Wilson cherished his second career win.
Duran scored his milestone victory in the sixth race aboard the Wilson-trained gelding Karmalize, who gave Wilson his first training win since Dec. 12, 1978. No, Wilson wasn’t in the slump of all slumps, he merely took a 26-year break from running his own stable.
“I got my trainer’s license when I was 21 and won my first race at Bay Meadows with Murrays Venture,” said Wilson. “But I wasn’t making a living at it so I took a job on the starting gate and worked on the gate for 14 years.”
Wilson jumped off the gate in 1996 when leading trainer Jerry Hollendorfer offered him a job. Wilson worked for Hollendorfer for 12 years and for most of those years was in charge of the stable’s “off-track” runners, that is, the horses training at the racetrack not conducting a live meeting.
Hollendorfer is known for being quite an intense individual. Asked how he handled working for “The Dorf” all those years, Wilson quipped, “Being at the off track definitely helped.”
Wilson, 54, resumed training on his own last year and Karmalize was just his 10th starter. Wilson has an in-the-money percentage of 60 as he has three seconds and two thirds to go along with Karmalize’s win.
“I have three horses and two of them I own with my wife Laurie,” said Wilson of his stable.
Laurie Wilson owns Karmalize which made Friday’s victory extra-sweet not only for Duran, but also the Wilsons.