For award-winning horse trainer Kevin Attard, no place feels more like home than Woodbine, the iconic horse-racing track in Toronto’s Etobicoke neighbourhood. It’s where he not only trains horses, but watches them race (alongside his son, his favourite companion), has most of his meals and spends time with friends and family.
“I’ve been here all my life,” says Attard. “I’ve spent a lot of hours here, sweat a lot and cried a lot here, so it holds a special place in my heart.”
Attard comes from a long line of trainers, including his father Tino, who inspired his son at a young age while he grew up on a farm in Tottenham. Attard says, “I was raised around horses all my life. So, while most of my friends played hockey on the weekends, I went to the race track at Woodbine.”
It all really started, however, with a horse affectionately named Fozzie Bear, who was trained by his father. As Attard recalls, he was his father’s first stake winner, in 1986: “I was 11 years old at the time, and he was undefeated at the age of two. He ran six races, won all six, and broke a track record in his very first lifetime start. So, he was the horse that really probably inspired me to become a trainer.”
FAST FACTS
Name: Kevin Attard
Go-to spot to watch a race or grab a meal: “Woodbine! To be honest, a lot of my dinners or lunches are spent here. The roast beef sandwich is my favourite.”
Who you love to spend time with in the city: “My son—we love to watch the races together.”
Favourite place to relax and wind down: “At home, with my family. I’m a simple guy.”
Eventually, Fozzie Bear (whose name was later changed to “Bold Revenue” to avoid any potential lawsuits with The Muppet Show) would accumulate over 200 wins, while Attard would win his first career race in the summer of 2001.
“Over time, I’ve fallen in love with watching horses grow and develop,” he says. “They’re a lot like young children; you see them mature over time. They’re athletes themselves, and you’re looking to get the best performance out of them, so there’s a lot of satisfaction and thrill watching your horse cross the finish line first.”
Attard is considered one of the strongest trainers in Canada, with his horses setting a personal best of 95 races and over $5.3 million USD, including a victory at the Queen’s (now King’s) Plate, and a career-best 14 stakes in 2023.
As someone who indeed loves to win, Attard has been busy preparing for King’s Plate, Canada’s most prestigious championship thoroughbred race, set to be held at Woodbine on Aug. 17. Although, at the end of the day, it’s all about the horses, it’s also as glam as you can imagine, with decked-out special guests (there will be many a fascinator), fine dining and live music.
“It’s an exciting time of year for everybody here,” says Attard. “It is a big race on our calendar; it’s our Stanley Cup. Everybody thrives on winning, but it’s a very difficult race to win. Right now, we have some prospects. They’re doing well, but they still need to take that next step and develop a little bit further. So we’re obviously optimistic and looking forward to the big day.”
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When it comes to preparation, it’s all about the team, he says, from the groomers to riders. And then add in acupuncturists, veterinarians and even blacksmiths to ensure all hooves are in order. From the front of the stage to behind it, a lot goes into making King’s Plate a spectacle.
But for Attard, the goal always remains the same: crossing the finish line.
“There’s nothing better. There’s a lot of a lot of hard work that’s put into [this] that people don’t see, and races are usually anywhere from a minute to two minutes long, so it all makes for a big rush that goes through your veins,” he says. You’re rooting your horse on down the stretch as they approach the finish line and hoping it gets there first. That whole feeling, if you could bottle it up, it would be a special something to sell, that’s for sure.”
