‘I’ll Do It As Long As I Can’: 46 Years And Counting For Maryland Trainer Henry Walters

[Wandering Eyes]

Stepping into the shedrow of Laurel Park's Barn 22 late in the morning on a dark day, all is relatively quiet. Outside of the office, a groom rakes up loose pieces of straw as the horse residing in the first stall peers out inquisitively, all the while his neighbor to the left lies curled up in freshly tossed bedding. Further down, a wheelbarrow sits parked outside of the fifth stall, which is where you'll find trainer Henry Walters as he finishes mucking out. After setting aside the pitchfork and giving his trainee a pat on the neck, Walters re-clips the webbing and carries on down the aisle.

The hands-on routine is one that has long been second nature to Walters, a Maryland native who has trained horses in his home state for the last four decades. A career turned life's work fueled by a deep-rooted passion for the horse, it was all inspired by Walters's father, Charles.

“It all began with my dad. He started owning racehorses sometime in the middle of the '60s, cheaper horses. Somewhere along the line, he wound up with three that needed some time off. While looking for a place to turn them out, he pulled up to a horse farm on the corner of Falls Mountain Road and Bel Air Road. The husband and wife came out and it just so happened that the man, either in his late 70s or early 80s at the time, was a retired trainer,” recalled Walters.

“His name was August Rogan. He had been retired for about 10 years at that point but used to train horses on the half-mile circuit at tracks like Bel Air and Hagerstown. When my dad asked him about bringing the horses, the old man was all for it. That's how it started for us, my brothers and I.”

One of nine children in his immediate family, Walters and his two brothers, John and David, were the trio to follow their father down the path in pursuit of what he considered life's greatest thrill: horse racing. Day in and day out, the three boys would venture out to Rogan's farm to learn everything firsthand from the industry veteran.

Eventually, the horses were ready to return to the track and with them, Rogan came out of retirement to oversee their training. He was joined by the Walters boys, all making the transition from farm to the racetrack as grooms for their father's horses in the early 1970s. John was the first go out on his own as a trainer, followed by David and finally, Henry.

Henry Walters spends time with Barbadian Runner | Sara Gordon

“It was 1973. We were increasingly getting involved as we were all eyewitnesses to Secretariat winning the Triple Crown, with our enthusiasm for the sport getting bigger and bigger,” said Walters. “I bought a yearling that year and that horse turned out to be the reason behind my love for the game to this day. His name was Rainy Lane [Umbrella Fella] and he became a really good horse, a total speedball. He was the first horse I groomed and I was there to watch him win nearly 20 races for us. Eventually, we lost him in a claiming race in 1980, and that's when I decided to go out on my own.

“I had my first winner in 1981 and I've been a hands-on guy ever since.”

Throughout his decades-long career, Walters has never had more than 11 horses in the barn. It was in 1995 that he had his highest number of starts, totaling 95, followed by a career-high total of 17 wins nine years later in 2004.

“I've never had any big owners come to me and say, 'Hey, I've got five or six horses that I want you to train.' But I'm proud to say I've made some pretty decent claims over the years, with a lot of them becoming either stakes winners or stakes-placed,” said Walters.

The sale purchases have also left their mark under Walters's tutelage, led by Maryland-breds Tommy Shelby (Super Ninety Nine), a $2,000 yearling, and Addy's Laddy T N T (Golden Lad), a $9,000 yearling. Both were stakes-placed.

Up until 2025, Tommy Shelby led as Walters's highest-earning trainee. That is, until Barbadian Runner (Barbados) came along.

The story begins at the 2023 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Fall Yearlings Sale. Walters and owner Scott Groh of AJ Will Win Stables, LLC had already been outbid on three or four yearlings before a dark bay Barbados colt out of Quiet Run (Northern Afleet) walked into the ring. Bred and offered by Shamrock Farm, the Maryland-bred colt came from a modest pedigree but showed enough physically to warrant a second look from the trainer-owner duo.

When the hammer struck at $5,000, the colt was destined for Walters's barn.

“There was nothing fancy about him. He'd come in, do his work, and he was always very forward in his training. When he started breezing as a young horse, I'd hook him up with one of mine or somebody else's, and he always held his own against them,” said Walters. “He was never a minute of trouble.”

Debuting at Laurel as a 2-year-old in June of 2024, Barbadian Runner broke his maiden at second asking the following month. The young gelding finished on the board in six of his eight starts that season, highlighted by back-to-back third-place finishes in the Maryland Juvenile Stakes and Heft Stakes.

“In the back of my mind, he was a closing sprinter. I never would have dreamt that he would go beyond seven-eighths of a mile because his dad couldn't,” said Walters.

Barbadian Runner wins the 2025 Robert Hilton Memorial | Coady Media

Heading right into stakes company as a 3-year-old, Barbadian Runner reeled off consecutive victories in the Spectacular Bid Stakes, going seven furlongs, and the Miracle Wood Stakes, where he made a successful step up to the mile distance.

With the goal of testing his versatility further, Walters sent Barbadian Runner out to make his turf debut in the James W. Murphy Stakes on Preakness Day at Pimlico Race Course. The gelding finished a respectable fourth, marking the only time he'd finish out of the top three in his 12 starts that season.

Barbadian Runner wheeled back two weeks later to dominate an off-the-turf edition of the Jersey Derby at Monmouth Park, followed by a trio of consecutive runner-up finishes in the Delaware Derby, the Star De Naskra Stakes and the Petramalo Mile Stakes that summer.

Continuing his tour of the Mid-Atlantic circuit, the 3-year-old took his talents to Charles Town for the Robert Hilton Memorial Stakes, where he went on to best a field that included Kentucky Derby starters Owen Almighty (Speightstown) and Neoequos (Neolithic).

“I always felt like my horse is really handy, he accelerates on the turns, so I thought, 'Why not give him a shot around those two turns?'” said Walters. “He caught a monster field, but under a beautiful ride from Forrest Boyce, he saved ground, swung out and just went about his business. That was a great win.”

It was at that point that all focus turned to the Oct. 11 Maryland Million Classic, where the sophomore would take on older horses for the first time, including multiple graded stakes winner Post Time (Frosted).

Though the Brittany Russell trainee may have been the more experienced of the two, it was Barbadian Runner that proved the ultimate talent that day as he geared down to best Post Time by three-quarters of a length.

“Just crossing the finish line on Maryland Million Day was a great thrill, but the biggest thrill was when he came back to the winner's circle. The entire grandstand was hollering and clapping, almost like a Super Bowl moment. I didn't realize that many fans were into this horse. It was special,” said Walters.

Barbadian Runner closed out his 2025 season with a victory in the Richard W. Small Stakes and a second-place finish in the Robert T. Manfuso Stakes. Among his 20 career starts, the Maryland-bred has proven to be the model of consistency, with 17 top-three finishes highlighted by six stakes victories—all won as a 3-year-old. The $5,000 yearling purchase has earned upwards of $810,000.

Barbadian Runner wins the 2025 Maryland Million Classic | Jim McCue/TMJC

His trainer's first stakes winner since 2004, Barbadian Runner now reigns as the most successful horse Walters has ever trained.

“Usually, Barbadian Runner is the first horse trained in the morning and he's an easy one to work with. He is very playful but when he's on the racetrack, he's all business. Sometimes he wants to fool around a bit, making it feel like I didn't do enough with him that day, but if I trained him as hard as I thought he needed, he probably wouldn't be as good as he is,” said Walters. “He definitely has a personality. He's a candy freak, pawing in the corner of his stall as soon as I get here in the morning. I try to appease him.”

Walters has yet to set any concrete plans for his stable star's upcoming season, though he did mention that the Mid-Atlantic circuit will remain the focus. In the meantime, Barbadian Runner has been enjoying a well-deserved winter break and will return to Laurel this month.

Prior to his seasonal debut, the multiple stakes-winning Maryland-bred will be in the spotlight once again at the upcoming Maryland Thoroughbred Industry Renaissance Awards, celebrating Maryland's top equine athletes and connections from the 2025 season, which will be held Sunday, March 22. Barbadian Runner is a finalist for both Maryland-bred champion 3-year-old male and male dirt horse of the year.

As for Walters, the Maryland trainer closed out 2025 with a record of 8-12-4 from 71 starts with season earnings totaling $859,670. To sum it up, his best season yet.

When asked what keeps him going, Walters delivered a simple yet poignant response for a man now training into his 46th year.

“I guess I just wouldn't know what else to do. It's the only thing I know to do, and as long as I'm physically able to do it, I'll do it as long as I can. I'll always have a passion for the game and the horses themselves.”

The post ‘I’ll Do It As Long As I Can’: 46 Years And Counting For Maryland Trainer Henry Walters appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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