HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Trainer Rusty Arnold registered his 2,000th career victory Saturday when his promising 3-year-old Unsearchable won a maiden race in impressive fashion.
Arnold, who turns 71 later this month, celebrated the milestone in the winner’s circle with his wife, Sarah, who has served as his long-time assistant.
“She’s the backbone of the operation,” Arnold said of his wife. “She’s been there for them all, just about. I’ve had a bunch of really, really good assistants and been very lucky. Good owners, good assistants, and a great wife that oversees it all and steadies me when I need steadying.
“We’ve stood the test of time. It’s been a long haul. Good horses keep you going. That makes you wake up a little more excited. And [Unsearchable] is one of them.”
Arnold has banked nearly $92.4 million in earnings since going out on his own in 1975. He has reached seven figures in purses earned an amazing 40 times over the last 41 years, posting a career high of $5.6 million in 2025. Last fall, he became the all-time leading trainer at Keeneland with 309 wins, one more than Hall of Famer Bill Mott.
“The last three years have been the best three years we’ve had,” Arnold acknowledged. “That stuff doesn’t usually happen when you’re my age. It kind of keeps you going.
“Becoming the all-time lead leading trainer at Keeneland was big for me because I grew up there. There’s a lot of things to sit back and reflect on. To come to work and do this job for 51 years, I’ve been lucky. It doesn’t happen much.”
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