Husband and wife duo Jason Attard and Lucy Keegan-Attard have had a steady rise as trainers in the racing industry. The local partnership continues to work hard and win.
Though training horses as the Attard Keegan Attard (AKA) Racing Partnership since 2019, the pair's love for horses began at an early age.
Jason was born and raised in the Hawkesbury and from a young age made it his mission to become a horseman and breaker.
As he spent more time around the horse industry he gained his trainer's license and took the next step in his career.
Lucy grew up in England and showed enormous passion for horses, spending her childhood and early teenage years show jumping, hunting and competing in hunter trials.
She obtained her Higher National Diploma in Equine Science and later a move to Australia saw her passion for the racing industry blossom.
In 2015 Lucy and Jason formally joined forces to begin their journey in training, and by 2019, as a partnership, the duo saw its first AKA Racing horse hit the track.
The partnership operates from a property at Grose Vale.
The home farm is 15 pasture improved gently undulating acres where Jason and Lucy reside, and offers:
- Two barns which stable 14 horses
- Outdoor yards with shelters
- Daily grass turnout yards
- Horse walker
- Swimming channel
- Oversized sand arena
- Fully post & rail enclosed lunge/jump ring
- Variety of show jumps and poles
- Indoor wash bay
- Full laundry facilities
- Spelling paddocks with shelters
The majority of the training is done at Hawkesbury Racecourse.
Lucy said they're progress had been steady, especially as they concentrated on working at the newly purchased farm, putting the horses a bit on hold.
"We needed to come up with a revised plan for where we wanted to be heading going forward from purchasing the farm and the direction that the business was to go in," she said.
"So, we had a little bit of a quiet stage there ... but as we've seen in the last 12 months, the results now are really starting to show.
"The plan that we wanted to achieve is starting to come together."
AKA Racing started their 2022/23 season with a 100 per cent strike rate on placegetters, running a comfortable third at Kembla Grange and then two horses winning back-to-back at Hawkesbury.
Lucy said they want to keep turning out the winners this season and improve with each horse in the stable.
"We'd like to see this be one of our best seasons and we both feel that it's achievable with the horses and the support from owners that we've got at the moment," she said.
"Between the team of staff that we have, the vets that we use, and farrier (all local) ... I think that's been a real benefit to our team and how the horses are going.
"The results are showing for everybody pulling together and working together."
Finn Coleman
Having grown-up in the Hawkesbury, I understand the importance of the Hawkesbury Gazette in highlighting stories that members of the local community care about - including events, businesses, sports and the people that make our town unique.
Having grown-up in the Hawkesbury, I understand the importance of the Hawkesbury Gazette in highlighting stories that members of the local community care about - including events, businesses, sports and the people that make our town unique.
