"It's something I always dreamed of. You start off here watching the big races on TV, hearing about the big trainers and drivers. Now I have the chance to be there with them."
As Truro Raceway gets set to kick off its 140th season of harness racing, one of its up and coming stars is preparing for his last opening day. Trainer Ben Hollingsworth will be heading to Ontario and working as a lead assistant trainer for Tony Alagna.
It wasn't all that long ago that Illinois native Alagna would be the trainer based out of Ontario, heading up the Canadian arm of a U.S.-based operation as the assistant trainer for Erv Miller. Alagna has since branched out and opened his own stable, developing and training the likes of superstar Captaintreacherous, Wake Up Peter and 2015 North America Cup Spring Book favourite Artspeak.
The magnitude of the opportunity isn't lost on the 23-year-old Hollingsworth, who also worked with Alagna's stateside stable last year.
"I didn't think it was worth it to go work for some Joe Schmo who's just got a couple of alright horses," he told the Truro Daily News. "I wanted to go somewhere with top horses, racing on the Grand Circuit."
Hollingsworth will send out Charlottes Style in the second race on Truro's 2015 opening day card. He's progressed from working for the likes of local standouts Bernard (Pooker) McCallum, Danny Romo and Darren Crowe to racing against them.
"These guys are my family. They're the ones who have taught me everything I know in this business. If it wasn't for them I wouldn't be where I am."