Attard Returns Safely to Canada With Stable in Tow

When Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made his March 18 announcement that the United States/Canada border would be closed to all goods-bearing vehicles deemed "non-essential" in order to slow the progress of COVID-19, trainer Kevin Attard knew he had a problem on his hands. 

With nine horses—including Sovereign Award-winning champion turf female Starship Jubilee—stabled at his Gulfstream Park base in Hallandale Beach, Fla., as well as others training nearby in Ocnala, the native Canadian scrambled to define what exactly constitutes an "essential" good, and if his horses fell within those parameters. 

"With us being from Canada and trying to get back home to Canada, we were hearing border restrictions announced by our Prime Minister and the President (Donald Trump)," said Attard. "That became a little concerning especially with the two-week quarantine rules that require travelers to go into self isolation. When everything was transpiring, people weren't sure at the time if that meant the drivers of the vans had to go into quarantine for two weeks after they crossed the border and, if that was the case, shipping companies would run out of drivers in a hurry.

"It's almost like a mass exodus. Everyone wants to ship now and there are only 'X' amount of trucks able to do that. When you're coming from Florida to Canada it's obviously a long drive and takes a couple of days including the turn around." 

On March 20, the United States Department of Homeland Security placated some of the growing concerns for traveling horsemen when they issued a statement listing those working in animal agriculture as "essential" infrastructure workers. Specifically, those employed in veterinary health, the manufacturing and distribution of animal medication, bedding, feed or feed ingredients, and the transportation of live animals were all listed as critical and therefore granted freedom of movement. 

With these guidelines in mind and the possibility of stricter border closures a distinct possibility, Attard was finally able to secure transport out of South Florida for both his horses and Canadian staff March 24. Traveling in a cavalcade north to Canada on Tuesday, all parties made it safely across the border. 

"We all came across the border yesterday following each other in a couple of cars," said Attard, who stables his horses at Woodbine, where he was the second-leading trainer by earnings and fourth in wins last year. "The border official asked us a few questions obviously like if we were sick, where we had been, and made sure we were aware we were required to be in self-isolation for two weeks and if we had any questions he gave us a number to call.  

"Fortunately, the horses and drivers were exempt and considered to be 'essential.' Other than a very long line for commercial vehicles it was all OK. That seemed to really be the hardest part of it was the horses having to sit and wait in the lineup but it went smoothly. For us it went well and the horses are now at Woodbine. They all shipped up well and they're all eating so I couldn't be happier." 

According to Attard, customs officers stationed at the border informed all crossers that they would be required to enter a mandatory two-week self isolation period upon returning to their homes. While Attard has no current plans to ship any horses back the United States to race, he remains hopeful that the pandemic will be contained in the near future, allowing racing to resume. 

"I don't know (what will happen)," said Attard. "At this moment I was more concerned with getting back into Canada. Obviously racing across North America is down to something like three Thoroughbred tracks that are running. For us it was about getting back home and now I'm in self-isolation for two weeks. I'm allowed to go back to Woodbine April 8 and then when I get back there, hopefully, the world will have a better picture of where we are at and we can get back to normal life—as much as normal is now—as quickly as we can." 

Woodbine Entertainment announced March 14 that Thoroughbred racing at Woodbine would be closed to the public for a minimum of two weeks. Plans to resume the Thoroughbred racing season were scheduled for April 18 until Woodbine Entertainment announced March 23 that it was postponing the start of the season until further notice. Training facilities at the Toronto track have remained open with screening for those entering the backstretch. Access to the grounds is restricted to licensed personnel only.