Kash gives Ward reason to smile

By Jordan Gerrans

If Deagon conditioner Darryl Ward can prepare Bring Me Kash to his fourth win in a row on Saturday at Doomben, he will be over the moon.

If the horse doesn’t score and the winning run ends at three, the hobby trainer will still have a smile on his face.

The 53-year-old’s perspective on racing - and life in general - has completely flipped over the last year or so.

Ward cheated death earlier this year when he suffered a massive heart attack while at Dalby in regional Queensland and had to be airlifted via helicopter back to Brisbane.

After battling to walk to the fridge from the couch in the weeks after the heart attack, Ward is on the comeback trail to training after recently having a defibrillator installed.

“I'm getting back to normal in my health,” he said.

“It's bloody strange having a heart attack and it changes your outlook on life completely.

“So, I don't stress about things as much as I used to. If the horse wins, it's great. If he doesn't, bad luck. Things could have been a lot worse. I've got healthy kids.

“I've got a great family. I've got great support. And, that means the world to me.

“So, I'm happy no matter what these days. It's taught me not to take things too seriously and not to stress the big stuff or the small stuff for that matter.

“And, just take it all on your chin and go at it day by day and see what happens. I'm fortunate enough, but I've also got a real good network around me.”

Ward’s Bring Me Kash is a speed machine as a veteran galloper.

The Deagon mentor trained the seven-year-old from 2022 up until early 2025, before he was transferred to Stephen Lee.

Bring Me Kash raced under Lee’s banner for much of 2025 without any success from 12 efforts.

Since returning to Ward’s care following his recovery, the son of Kobayashi has rattled off three straight victories, including his most recent win on a Saturday in town.

The gelding goes in search of his second straight metropolitan triumph this week, with Dale Smith to partner him in the Open Handicap.

Experienced hoop Smith regains the ride after apprentice Rob Thorburn was in the saddle earlier this month when the gelding made it three on the trot.

“He's going pretty good. I was fortunate enough to win eight races with him when I had him earlier in his career,” Ward said.

“The owners asked me if I wanted to have him back. So, we did and we've been lucky enough to win more races with him.

“The times he's running and the way he's now racing, he is attractive now.

“Once upon a time, he either had the lead and if he didn't lead, he spat the dummy a little bit.

“Now he's a little bit more mature and being a seven-year-old, he's learning to race and learning his craft a bit better and he's running some pretty good time.

“We'll just take it race for race. We'll see how we go and just keep going and hopefully keep winning.”

Bring Me Kash’s three wins - at the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and Eagle Farm - have played an important role in Ward’s recovery.

“It's kept me going,” he said.

“It's been pretty good for me coming at the right time. I was paddling a bit, so it's come along right at the right time.”

Ward has trained his own small team in Queensland for around 25 years while also working as a foreman for fellow Deagon trainer Steele Ryan.

Ryan took on Bring Me Kash in the initial months following Ward’s heart attack.

Veteran trainer Ryan is glad to see his mate back fit and on the improve.

“It's a tough gig. This is a tough task to get out of bed in the morning,” he said of coming to the track to train horses.

“I think just keeping the numbers to his one horse is important, having a purpose is a big thing.

“Having something to do is important, not just for your general health, but for your cognitive health, as well, to be able to think and have something else on your mind other than your health.

“He's handling it well and has a little bit to go, but he's well on the road to recovery. He's very happy with his efforts and the horse looks amazing.

“I think they were meant to be together, those two boys, Darryl Ward and Bring Me Kash. They really fit each other.”

Jockey Smith did the post-race talking to the waiting media when Bring Me Kash won earlier this month in the city.

Ryan said that Ward would have been too emotional to speak about his pride and joy after such a big win following all his health battles.

By the same token, Ward gets emotional when he speaks about Ryan and those who supported him through his ups and downs this year.

Ward was effusive in his praise of his mate Ryan, as well as his extended family.

“To be honest with you, it's not just physical,” Ward revealed.

“It's a mental struggle. It's not easy. It's hard to explain. But, without the support, you would really struggle.

“You're literally sitting on the couch doing nothing, watching television. You can't do anything, I couldn't walk.

“I couldn't walk from the lounge to the kitchen without puffing and knocking up.

“The first day I went for a walk to the stables, I came home and slept for five hours.

“It just drained me and that takes a long time to get over. So, you need the support.

"The doctors at the Princess Alexandra Hospital are magic, as are my wife, mum, sister and the rest of my family.

“They put their lives on hold to come and make sure I was okay.”

Ward has prepared a bigger team than just one galloper earlier in his career, but notes that keeping his numbers small at this stage of his life is where he wants to be right now.