Joshua Attard, the 17-year-old son of multiple stakes winning trainer Kevin Attard, is hoping his colt Keep Grinding gets a shot at Queen's Plate glory on August 22.
In his last year of high school, Joshua has high praise for his 3-year-old Ontario-bred (trained by his grandfather Tino Attard), who capped off his 2-year-old year with an impressive victory.
Horse: Keep Grinding
Sire: Tizway
Dam: Samsal
Trainer: Tino Attard
Owner: Joshua Attard
Breeder: Huntington Stud Farm Corp.
Record: 1-0-0 from 3 starts
On being a teenage Thoroughbred owner:
“It feels great. I never would have expected, to be honest, to have a horse like this at my age. I'm really excited to have an opportunity to have a horse that is eligible for the Queen's Plate, and that has a chance to be in the race.”
On when he knew Keep Grinding had potential:
“I knew when he started to work as a 2-year-old last year. I used to go in the summer, when I didn't have school, to watch him work and he would put on a show. His first race on the grass, I knew he had some talent because he came from far out of it and the race was a little short for him. He's a two-turn horse. When he broke his maiden, that's when I said I had a Queen's Plate prospect.”
On why he chose the name:
“I wanted to name my horse something that motivated me. I play hockey. When I go into the corners, I always tell myself to keep grinding for the puck. So, if I ever had the chance to own a horse I would name it Keep Grinding. It's something that motivates me and I hope it motivates other people.”
On the thought of having a Queen's Plate starter:
“I'm very excited and happy. I'm really looking forward to that possibility of being in the Plate. Hopefully, everything goes well and we make it to the race. He started training in the past three weeks. It would be great if my grandfather and I had a shot to be in the Plate.”
On staying patient with the race being run on Aug. 22:
“I try not to think about it. I keep my thoughts to myself. I know it's a hard road to get to the Queen's Plate, so we'll just hope the horse keeps developing and getting better each week.”
The post 17-Year-Old Joshua Attard, Grandfather Tino Attard Team Up With Plate Hopeful Keep Grinding appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
