Ian R. Wilkes

$2,055,985

2016 earnings

13%

2016 wins

$25,731,806

lifetime earnings

racing Record

2016 Stats

Career Stats

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46 Firsts 484

47 Seconds 476

53 Thirds 470

209 Unplaced 2,098

355 Starts 3,528

$2,055,985 Earnings $25,731,806

$5,792 Earnings / Start $7,294

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Bio

Wilkes grew up on a dairy farm in New South Wales, Australia,
and started his racing career at 16 as a groom and exercise rider.
He worked in the stables of Australian trainers Paul Sutherland,
Vic Thompson Jr., and Colin Hayes and arranged through a friend to
come to the U.S. and work for trainer Carl Nafzger. Wilkes arrived
in 1989 and galloped horses for a year and a half. Among the horses
he climbed aboard during that tour with Nafzger was Unbridled, the 1990 Kentucky Derby and Breeders' Cup Classic winner, who

Wilkes grew up on a dairy farm in New South Wales, Australia,
and started his racing career at 16 as a groom and exercise rider.
He worked in the stables of Australian trainers Paul Sutherland,
Vic Thompson Jr., and Colin Hayes and arranged through a friend to
come to the U.S. and work for trainer Carl Nafzger. Wilkes arrived
in 1989 and galloped horses for a year and a half. Among the horses
he climbed aboard during that tour with Nafzger was Unbridled, the 1990 Kentucky Derby and Breeders' Cup Classic winner, who
went on to be an important sire. Wilkes went back to Australia to
train for three years and returned in 1993 to work for Nafzger and
became the top assistant. When Nafzger began scaling back his
operation in 2005 and moved into semi-retirement in 2006, he turned
the bulk of his stable over to Wilkes, who is based in Louisville.
They continue their close association, and Wilkes helped Nafzger
with the development of 2006 Breeders' Cup Juvenile and 2007
Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense. Wilkes' stakes horses include Breeders' Cup Classic winner Fort Larned as well as multiple graded stakes winners Neck 'n Neck and Miss Isella.