Attard and Ares Notch Up Another Cluden Winner

Newly arrived trainer Chris Attard and the Ares racing syndicate showed they will be a potential premiership force with another winner at Cluden Park.

The Ares operation notched up their third winner since relocating to the city in August when Bondi Beau landed a major betting move with victory in the Hygain Class 4 Hcp (1200m).

Attard and Ares managing director and prominent Townsville businessman John Horan shifted an initial team of 16 horses from Rockhampton to their new Wulguru base in Cup week and now have 22 in work.

As well as landing three Cluden winners, the stable finished the closest of seconds in the Townsville Cup with Bering Sea.

“We have a good team of horses here and another five or so at Mount Hay and I think we will have heaps of ammo to win races,” 33-year-old Attard said.

“We made the decision to move to Townsville because John’s here and so are a number of our other owners, and the StrathAyr track at Cluden like Mackay can race all year round.

“It’s been an easy move and we’re going really well.

“We’ve got some nice horses and six young ones – two and three-year-olds – that are shaping up nicely.

“It was pretty hectic with the 16 horses in the first month until we arranged for extra staff but the local jockeys have been really good at helping us out.

“I went to school at William Ross and then to Uni here and to win the premiership is something I’d like to do.

“It’s tough though against Roy Chillemi who always has good young horses coming through.”

Attard was born into a racing family. His father Mick was an accomplished jockey in Mackay for years and his brother Lee rode successfully around Queensland.

It has been an emotional time for the family after his father was savagely kicked by a horse at his Hawkesbury establishment in August and suffered serious injuries.

Attard said his father’s condition was improving but he had more months ahead recovering in hospital.

Bondi Beau’s win yesterday was a good tonic for the Attard camp but it was lesser fancied stablemate Kefalonia that almost upstaged the favourite.

In a desperate finish Bondi Beau, with Nathan Day in the saddle, won by a short half head over Kefalonia with Oswana a nose away in third.

Kefalonia’s defeated deprived jockey Wanderson D’Avila of a treble after he won on In His Time in the 3yo QTIS Mdn (1300m) and Norwegian Wood in the BM 0-55 Hcp (1200m).

Attard is looking forward to running his Townsville Cup runner-up Bering Sea in the Toowoomba Cup on Saturday week and then the Queensland Cup at Eagle Farm on October 9.

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