Trots Centre: No holding back for Mario now

Mario Attard has long been a builder but it’s the trots that have arguably given him his most challenging, but ultimately rewarding, project.

After a few testing years, Dont Hold Back is showing some of the ominous signs that served up his Group 1 Vicbred and Group 2 Breeders Crown triumphs, with consecutive wins bringing great satisfaction to his owner-trainer-driver.

“It’s really good to see that you can get a horse to perform well,” Attard said. “It tells you you are able to get the best out of a horse and certifies what I’m doing right.”

Dont Hold Back will hunt a third successive victory at Tabcorp Park Melton when he fronts for tonight’s Allied Express Pace, which streams on Trots Vision at 8.30pm. It’s been a satisfying uptick after his preceding 19 starts since his 2017 Breeders Crown win had delivered just the one victory.

According to Attard, the improvement this campaign has a simple explanation.

“Because of the issues he has had he has always been hard to train in that you couldn’t put the work into him, it was always in the back of your mind and you were always walking on eggshells,” Attard said.

“He is seven now, I have thrown a bit of caution to the wind and put the work back into him. When you train a horse you can tell if the horse is feeling well. He recovers fine and is well within himself, and you can only go by what the horse is feeling.”

Having managed to “get over” Dont Hold Back's past issues with leg sorness and heart fibrillation, Attard said he could now “work him as you would a normal horse” and potentially add to the $256,895 in stake winnings.

“He’s been a nice horse,” he said. “There are things I probably would have done differently, but it is what it is. The beauty of it was that he’s my horse.

“You have trainers who get good horses and owners’ expectations that are really high. Every trainer, I don’t care who it is, puts their heart and soul into it. You do your best and when it’s your horse you don’t have the pressure of someone taking the horse off you.”

And so for the 45^th time as horse and driver the pair will step out tonight and hope the good times continue to roll.

“You never know what’s around the corner,” Attard said. “You can’t get too confident. Just take it one race at a time.

“He’s had a couple of nice races, gotten good runs. The barrier draw (tonight) makes things hard. He will have to snag back and come from the rear of the field.”

Dont Hold Back is one of three Attard runners fronting tonight, with three-year-old Art Major gelding Wow You Can Dance to debut in the Woodlands Stud 3YO Pace at 6.34pm and Power Of Faith to contest the TAB Long May We Play Pace at 9pm.

Attard said he bought Wow You Can Dance as a yearling but only “had him three weeks and then he hurt himself in the paddock”.

A fetlock injury lingered for a year and a half, and then “about 12 weeks ago I went to the paddock and thought I might as well jog him up and he is not sore any more”.

“He trialled on Saturday and was star gazing, but hopefully he might develop into a nice horse,” Attard said. “He is a sensible horse and on Friday night we should know what he can do, but he will definitely be better for it.”

Power Of Faith has been racing well, winning two of her past three outings and placing in the other, but Attard said tonight’s gate six draw and an unsuitable distance would make things difficult.

“She tries really hard,” he said. “The barrier draw isn’t going to do her any favours and she prefers long distances. You can’t get her out of the gate and she doesn’t have high speed, but will keep running all day.”

TALKING TROTS ON SENTRACK:

Join hosts Jason Bonnington and Blake Redden as they talk trots from 11am-1pm on SENTrack on 1593AM in Melbourne, 1539AM in Sydney, 657AM in Perth, 801AM in Gosford, 96.9FM in Ingham, 99.1FM in Atherton and 1575AM in Wollongong.

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