Attfield Still at the Top of His Game

The term 'living legend' is tossed around ad nauseam in modern thoroughbred racing times, with virtually any above-average senior horseman still able to tighten a girth being labeled such with either a splash or a deluge of hyperbole. Often simply an acknowledgment of longevity in an unforgiving game, the industry fastens on such a designation with deftness and doing so allows generations to connect and appreciate one another amid the timeline of a long and storied sport.

Then there is Roger Attfield.

For five decades, the native of Newbury, England, has accomplished an enviable amount of accolades and shows nary a sign of slowing down anytime soon. An inductee into both the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame and U. S. National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, Attfield has won the Queen's Plate a record-tying eight times, won or placed in four Breeders' Cup events, been leading trainer for purses-earned in North America, trained three of the 12 Canadian Triple Crown winners, won the Sovereign Award for outstanding trainer eight times and is a member of the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame.

Currently conditioning a string of 45 mostly allowance and stakes horses at Woodbine Racecourse in greater Toronto, the soon-to-be 77-year-old is preparing some of his stable stars for the fall season and still maintains the same competitive vigor that has typified his career. As sharp in performance as he is in wit, his athletes have won 28 times in 2016, good for a 21.4% strike rate, and annexed three graded stakes so far – two in Canada (GII Eclipse S. with Are You Kidding Me {Run Away and Hide} and GIII Singspiel S. with Danish Dynaformer {Dynaformer}) and one in the United States (GIII Transylvania S. with Shakhimat {Lonhro [Aus]}).

“It's been good and bad so far this year, like most people experience in the horse business, but in general everything is going well,” Attfield explained. “Some of our top horses like Danish Dynaformer and Are You Kidding Me are doing very well, but at the same time we lost a 2-year-old we thought highly of in a work that took a bad step and we gave Shakhimat some time off after we found a little bone bruising. We will kick it up a bit with him after Christmas.

“Throughout the years, I just have tried to do everything as right as I possibly know,” Attfield continued. “I had some proper horsemen back in England who taught me when I was very young and I've always believed in giving horses plenty of time when they need it. Keeping them happy means you have a happy and healthy horse and they're going to give you their best. Sometimes it's not easy to do, but if you try to work around it, it'll backfire on you. When I moved to North America, I really had great admiration for trainers like Allen Jerkens, who I thought was the epitome of a horseman and I watched him closely and really respected him.”

Much like 'The Chief,' Attfield has never been one to shy away from going against the grain or trying new ways to approach training and enhance his success. Limiting his use of anti-bleeding medication Lasix to when “absolutely necessary” with his pupils, he is a proponent of the movement to do away with raceday medication. On the lighter side of policy, he uses stuffed animals as mollification devices outside his horses' stalls–an amusing sight when walking the shedrow. Danish Dynaformer, for example, has a green alligator he routinely tosses around like a rag doll for passers-by to see.

“Horses get bored and get bad habits like cribbing and weaving and it's just caused by being bored. I have always been very conscious of that,” Attfield explained. “We had bouncy balls and stuff like that before, but years ago my girlfriend at the time who rode on the American equestrian dressage team always

believed in having stuffed animals. So, one day when we had this filly who was quite a problem and very difficult, so we got her a teddy bear. It really changed her and she loved that thing. Now all of our horses have them and they really like having them. They work like a pacifier and if it works, it's fine with me. I've seen one or two [other Woodbine trainers] who now have them hang up in their barns.”

A barn favorite, aforementioned Danish Dynaformer is preparing for the GI Northern Dancer S. on Sept. 17–a race in which he may be favorite based on his victory over the course and distance in the Singspiel and a quality fifth-place effort– beaten less than two lengths–last out in the GI Arlington Million Aug. 13. The improving 4-year-old colt is already a Canadian Classic winner, having taken last year's Breeders' Stakes at the grassy 12-furlong Northern Dancer trip.

Danish Dynaformer | WEG/Michael Burns

“He's doing very well and we are really happy with him,” Attfield said. “Everything is so far, so good. I was pleased with his run in the Million considering he bobbled at the start, lost some lengths and then only lost by a length and a half going a mile and a quarter. If he hadn't lost that many lengths, he would have been a lot closer at the end. It was a commendable effort. I'm looking forward to moving on to the mile and a half, which is definitely up his alley and better for him.”

A victory by the son of late, great sire Dynaformer would set him up for a return to the GI Canadian International next month, a race in which he finished seventh as a 3-year-old. A victory in either for the Charles Fipke homebred would be his initial at the top level, allowing the good-looking bay colt to join a long list of Grade I winners trained by Attfield.

“I've obviously been very lucky to train some of the great horses I have,” Attfield reflected. “[1989 Canadian Triple Crown winner and 1990 Breeders' Cup Turf runner-up] With Approval (Caro) was the horse I probably got the most out of. After his 3-year-old year, he hurt his back in a thunderstorm and missed the rest of the year. At that point, I was worried he would never come back, but he did and then set a world record for a mile and three-eighths and I thought he would have won the Breeders' Cup had he moved a little later. [1990 Canadian Triple Crown winner] Izvestia (Icecapade) was probably a better horse than him, but I didn't manage to do the same with him. I was totally convinced he would win the Triple Crown and he did, but he didn't return as the same horse the following year. [Five-time Sovereign Award winner and Breeders' Cup Sprint runner-up] Play the King (King of Spain) was maybe my favorite because he had such a big heart and was a great individual. He wasn't the most talented, but he overcame so much. And then, of course, there's [Grade I winner and Preakness runner-up] Alydeed (Shadeed), who was probably the most talented horse I ever trained. He was simply so fast, but mentally couldn't handle it.

“There have been so many good ones over the years,” Attfield said, capping an abbreviated laundry list that could have continued for quite some time. “I've been fortunate. As far as the [United] States, I've never had the opportunity to run in as many of the big stakes as I would've liked, but I do still want to win the Kentucky Derby one day.”

Having made a habit of winning some of the top races on the continent, a victory by this living legend in any Classic event would not surprise anyone in the racing industry. Much can be said–in the same tone–of his character, which is exemplified by levels of candor and class that are matched only by his extraordinary horsemanship and humility.

“I've had some great owners over the decades and that makes it much more enjoyable,” he concluded. “If we can all get along together, we already are off to a great start, and that's when they make it a pleasure to come in and train. That's what it's all about. I love to train and as long as it's not a chore, I see no reason not to keep doing it.”