The Last Word
By
By ROB LONGLEY -- Toronto Sun
Without a horse in tomorrow's Breeders' Stakes, this won't be Roger Attfield's most memorable conclusion to the Canadian Triple Crown.
It may, however, be among the most gratifying.
There isn't a trainer who has had more success both in the series and in the race itself. The affable veteran has won the Breeders' a record seven times and, remarkably, has trained half of the six horses who have claimed the Crown.
Other than those entrenched in the Wando camp itself, there won't be many rooting harder for the talented chestnut than Attfield.
Besides his unparalleled success developing champion race horses, Attfield has also been a trainer of trainers.
One of his most successful former proteges is Wando's conditioner, Mike Keogh.
Like Attfield, Keogh is a native of England but they share much more than that in common. By taking a job with Attfield in 1986, Keogh made the first steps on the road to becoming one of his adopted country's best.
The 46-year-old was fortunate that his tutorship began at the peak of Attfield's Hall of Fame career, one that is still going strong.
Keogh worked as an assistant when With Approval won the Triple Crown in 1989 and again when Izvestia swept the series in 1990.
Three years later, it was almost time to move on, but not before Peteski won the Plate on the way to his Triple Crown triumph. There hasn't been another to capture the coveted trifecta since.
"I took in everything that Roger did," Keogh said the other day. "I mean, he's the master. You couldn't ask to learn from anyone better."
Apparently Keogh took good notes along the way. Wando has been the dominant Canadian-bred all year. He won early prep races for the Plate then romped by nine lengths in the main event. Next up was an embarrassingly easy four-length score in the Prince of Wales Stakes.
That Wando is the even-money favourite for the Breeders' and on the brink of becoming the next trainer to win Canada's toughest racing prize is a source of pride for Attfield.
"Mike's a very good horseman and he served a long apprenticeship," Attfield said. "He's very adaptable to different situations and knows what's best for the horse. He's not going to have any problem with that part of it at all."
The two are still in close contact. Attfield was one of the first at the Keogh barn to share a victory drink after the Plate and congratulate his former pupil.
Last weekend, they had dinner together and talked about the wild week full of hype that awaited.
"Any time I need to ask him anything, he's there for me," Keogh said. "He's like a second dad to me."
Most years, Attfield would be bummed at not having a horse for the Breeders'.
Among his many talents, the trainer excels at getting a horse to go a distance on the grass, the surface in question for the Crown's final leg.
This year though, Attfield happily will watch from the sidelines, cheering the strongest he has for a Triple Crown since Peteski won it a decade ago.
"I've enjoyed over the years upsetting the apple cart every now and then," Attfield said of his success in the Breeders'. "I don't have one in this year and I'm sort of glad I don't.
"I really want to see Mike get it done."
