Northfield, OH — After winning a pair of races on Wednesday night, trainer Keith Kash Jr. entered Saturday (Feb. 4) only needing one victory to reach the 1,000-win milestone. He wasted no time getting it done in the first race on the program, driving 5-year-old mare Ball Diamond to the victory.

Kash won his first career race on Jan. 31, 2000, at Northfield Park aboard Kopiki.

Keith Kash Jr. scored his 1,000th career training victory Saturday at MGM Northfield Park. Casalinova photo.

“One thousand training wins means a lot to me. I owe a lot to every owner I’ve had in the past, and every bit of help that has helped me get this far,” said Kash. “I’ve had a lot of great workers help me achieve this goal.”

Leaving from post four, Ball Diamond got parked throughout most of the opening half-mile. Takes The Rock (Billy Davis Jr.) and Morning Miracle (Kurt Sugg) exchanged blows as they hit the opening quarter in :27.3, with Kash stuck on the rim behind them.

Kash continued to advance forward and finally got Ball Diamond to the lead midway through the second turn. He got a slight breather coming to the half in :56, leading Takes The Rock and Always B Somewhere (Ronnie Wrenn Jr.), who was first over.

Into the clubhouse turn, Kash stepped on the gas with Ball Diamond, opening up to a 2-1/2 length lead past three-quarters in 1:24.2. The mare continued to draw off through the stretch, winning by 3-1/4 lengths in 1:53.3.

Kash began his training career in 2000 and has amassed $6,426,691 in career earnings in 9,336 starts entering Saturday. In addition to his 1,000 training wins, he also now has 3,089 driving victories.

“When I started out, I was hoping just to get 1,000 driving wins; here I am with 1,000 training wins; I’m very proud of this accomplishment,” said a jubilant Kash.

Owned by Bruce Soulsby and Dannie Ray Hostetler, Ball Diamond earned her first victory of the year and advanced her career earnings to $127,944.

MGM Northfield Park currently races on Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. For more information on live racing and promotions, visit www.northfieldpark.com.