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ROGER ATTFIELD
Born: November 28, 1939 in Newbury, England
RECORD AT KEENELAND
Total Wins: 68
Stakes Wins: 17
CAREER FIRSTS
First Grade 1 Win: 1985 Pan American at Gulfstream Park with Selous Scout
First Stakes Win: 1976 Plate Trial at Woodbine with Norcliffe
First Graded Stakes Win: 1985 Pan American at Gulfstream Park with Selous Scout
First Career Win: 1976
At Keeneland
Won first Keeneland race during the 1990 Spring Meet.
First Keeneland stakes win was the 1990 Forerunner (G3) with Izvestia.
17 stakes wins include the 2003 Shadwell Turf Mile (G1) and 2004 Maker’s Mark Mile (G2) with Perfect Soul (IRE). Won the 2019 Bewitch (G3) on closing day of the Spring Meet with Ickymasho (GB).
Trained popular gray Musketier (GER), who won the 2010 and 2011 Elkhorn (G2), the latter at age 9.
Career
Became the first Canadian-based trainer to be elected to the Racing Hall of Fame in 2012.
Breeders’ Cup win: 2011 Filly and Mare Turf with Perfect Shirl.
North American career earnings exceed $106 million with 1,973 wins through Dec. 10, 2020.
Inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame in 1999, his first year of eligibility.
Has eight Sovereign Awards as Canada’s outstanding trainer (1986, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1993, 2002, 2009, 2010).
Has trained more than 50 Sovereign Award winners, including six Canadian Horses of the Year. They are Alywow (1994), Peteski (1993), Izvestia (1990), With Approval (1989), Play the King (1988) and Norcliffe (1976). Other Canadian champions include Talkin Man, Carotene, Perfect Soul (IRE), Musketier (GER) and Forte Dei Marmi (GB).
Trained three Canadian Triple Crown winners: Peteski, Izvestia and With Approval.
Won Canada’s premier race, the Queen’s Plate, a record eight times (1976, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1995, 2008).
Background
Roger grew up riding horses and competed on the international show jumping circuit, briefly attempting a career as an amateur steeplechase rider. He earned a degree in agriculture, specializing in farm management, from Parkhurst College in England.
After moving to Canada in 1970, Roger worked with horses and opened a chain of clothing boutiques but returned to horses full time in about a year. He took out his trainer’s license in 1971 after galloping horses for other trainers and began his training career with Roy Kenney’s Gateway Farms in Milton, Ontario. He later trained for Charles “Bud” Baker’s Norcliffe Stable and Bud Willmot’s Kinghaven Farms.
