Roger Attfield
Encyclopedia
Roger L. Attfield is a Canadian
thoroughbred
horse trainer
and owner.
In his native England
, Attfield had become an accomplished international-level equestrian
competitor when he emigrated to Canada in 1970. Five years later he returned to the sport he loved and began working as a trainer of show jumping
horses and eventually was offered the chance to train thoroughbred race horses
. Instant success led to training opportunities for other owners including for Frank Stronach
and Kinghaven Farms
where he met with his greatest success.
A resident of Nobleton, Ontario
, Roger Attfield won the Sovereign Award for Outstanding Trainer
a record six times. Of the seven horses who have won the Canadian Triple Crown
, three were trained by Attfield. A winner of twenty Canadian Triple Crown races, he holds or equals the record for most wins in each of the three races. In 2001, he set a record for most wins by a trainer in the Breeders' Stakes
and in 2005 set the record for trainers by winning his fifth Prince of Wales Stakes
. At the 2008 Queen's Plate
, Attfield tied the record with Harry Giddings, Jr.
as a trainer with eight wins. This was his first win as an owner. Overall he has trained nearly forty Champions
, six of which were voted Canadian Horse of the Year.
As the trainer for Kinghaven Farms, in 1990 his stable was the leading money winner in North America
. In the United States
, his horses race at Gulfstream Park
in Hallandale Beach, Florida
, the Fair Grounds Race Course
, in New Orleans, Louisiana
and at the Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky
. Attfield trained horse has won a number of important U.S. Stakes races including the 1995 Wood Memorial and Gotham Stakes
.
In 1999, Roger Attfield was inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame
and in 2006, http://www.canadianhorseracinghalloffame.com/trainers/1999/Roger_Attfield.html he was nominated for induction into the U.S. National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
. http://www.racingmuseum.org/news/nrm-news-view-story-detail.asp?varID=101
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
thoroughbred
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
horse trainer
Horse trainer
In horse racing, a trainer prepares a horse for races, with responsibility for exercising it, getting it race-ready and determining which races it should enter...
and owner.
In his native England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Attfield had become an accomplished international-level equestrian
Equestrianism
Equestrianism more often known as riding, horseback riding or horse riding refers to the skill of riding, driving, or vaulting with horses...
competitor when he emigrated to Canada in 1970. Five years later he returned to the sport he loved and began working as a trainer of show jumping
Show jumping
Show jumping, also known as "stadium jumping," "open jumping," or "jumpers," is a member of a family of English riding equestrian events that also includes dressage, eventing, hunters, and equitation. Jumping classes commonly are seen at horse shows throughout the world, including the Olympics...
horses and eventually was offered the chance to train thoroughbred race horses
Thoroughbred horse race
Thoroughbred horse racing is a worldwide sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport: Flat racing and National Hunt racing...
. Instant success led to training opportunities for other owners including for Frank Stronach
Frank Stronach
Frank Stronach, CM is an Austrian-Canadian businessman. He is the founder of Magna International, an international automotive parts company based in Aurora, Ontario, Canada, and Magna Entertainment Corp., which specializes in horse-racing entertainment...
and Kinghaven Farms
Kinghaven Farms
Kinghaven Farms is a thoroughbred horse racing stable founded in 1967 by Donald G. "Bud" Willmot. Located in King City, Ontario, north of Toronto, the success of the stable would see it expand to the United States with the acquisition of a farm and training center near Ocala, Florida. Kinghaven...
where he met with his greatest success.
A resident of Nobleton, Ontario
Nobleton, Ontario
Nobleton is an unincorporated village in southwestern King, Ontario, Canada. It is the third-largest community in the township, after King City and Schomberg. Located south of the Oak Ridges Moraine, Nobleton is surrounded by hills and forests...
, Roger Attfield won the Sovereign Award for Outstanding Trainer
Sovereign Award for Outstanding Trainer
The Sovereign Award for Outstanding Trainer is a Canadian thoroughbred horse racing honor given annually since 1975 by the Jockey Club of Canada. Part of the Sovereign Awards, the "Outstanding Trainer" laurel is similar to the Eclipse Award given to horse trainers in the United...
a record six times. Of the seven horses who have won the Canadian Triple Crown
Canadian Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
The Canadian Triple Crown is a series of three Thoroughbred horse races run annually in Canada which is open to three-year-old horses foaled in Canada...
, three were trained by Attfield. A winner of twenty Canadian Triple Crown races, he holds or equals the record for most wins in each of the three races. In 2001, he set a record for most wins by a trainer in the Breeders' Stakes
Breeders' Stakes
The Breeders' Stakes is a Canadian stakes race for Thoroughbred race horses first run in 1889. Since 1959 it has been the third race in the Canadian Triple Crown for three-year-olds...
and in 2005 set the record for trainers by winning his fifth Prince of Wales Stakes
Prince of Wales Stakes
The Prince of Wales Stakes is a Canadian Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Fort Erie Race Track in Fort Erie, Ontario. Restricted to three-year-old horses bred in Canada, it is contested on dirt over a distance of a mile and three sixteenths . In 1959, the Prince of Wales Stakes became the...
. At the 2008 Queen's Plate
Queen's Plate
The Queen's Plate is Canada's oldest thoroughbred horse race. It is run at a distance of 1¼ miles for 3-year-old thoroughbred horses foaled in Canada. The race takes place each summer in June or July at Woodbine Racetrack, Etobicoke , Ontario...
, Attfield tied the record with Harry Giddings, Jr.
Harry Giddings, Jr.
Harry Giddings, Jr. was a Canadian owner, breeder, and trainer of thoroughbred racehorses. He was born in Trafalgar Township in Halton County, Ontario now at the outskirts of the city of Oakville...
as a trainer with eight wins. This was his first win as an owner. Overall he has trained nearly forty Champions
Sovereign Award
The Sovereign Award is given annually since 1975 by the Jockey Club of Canada to the outstanding horses and people in Canadian Thoroughbred racing.The most prestigious award for horses is Sovereign Horse of the Year....
, six of which were voted Canadian Horse of the Year.
As the trainer for Kinghaven Farms, in 1990 his stable was the leading money winner in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. In the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, his horses race at Gulfstream Park
Gulfstream Park
Gulfstream Park Racing & Casino is a racetrack and county-approved racino in Hallandale Beach, Florida, in the United States. During its annual meet, which spans December through April, it is one of the most important venues for horse racing in America....
in Hallandale Beach, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, the Fair Grounds Race Course
Fair Grounds Race Course
Fair Grounds Race Course, often known as New Orleans Fair Grounds, is a thoroughbred racetrack and racino in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is operated by Churchill Downs Louisiana Horseracing Company, LLC....
, in New Orleans, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
and at the Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
. Attfield trained horse has won a number of important U.S. Stakes races including the 1995 Wood Memorial and Gotham Stakes
Gotham Stakes
The Gotham Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old horses run in early March at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York. A Grade III event with a purse of $250,000, it is set at a distance of one and one-sixteenth miles on the dirt...
.
In 1999, Roger Attfield was inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame
Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame
The Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame was established in 1976 at the Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario to honor those who have made a significant contribution to the sport of harness and thoroughbred horse racing in Canada....
and in 2006, http://www.canadianhorseracinghalloffame.com/trainers/1999/Roger_Attfield.html he was nominated for induction into the U.S. National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and trainers...
. http://www.racingmuseum.org/news/nrm-news-view-story-detail.asp?varID=101