Up and coming horseman and aspiring veterinarian Ben Hollingsworth was lured into Truro Raceway’s grandstand while on his way to visit his grandmother six years ago and has since been unable to leave the track
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Learning the harness racing ranks under the wing of veteran horseman Phil Pinkney, a recipient of the O’Brien Award of Horsemanship in 2008, Hollingsworth started at the bottom mucking stalls and has since worked his way to become a licensed groom, trainer and driver – and a winning one at that. He notched his first victory in the bike on June 6 at Truro aboard the Dale Pinkney-trained House Of Rocknroll.
"I sat on Darren Crowe's back and at the three-quarter pole I moved. I could hear Joe [Kelly] saying first pari-mutuel win and I thought, 'Joe, I'm not there yet.' The thrill of the win was unbelievable," recalled Hollingsworth in an article in the Truro Daily News. "There were stake races that night so there were a lot of people there cheering. It was a muddy night and I was covered in mud but it didn't matter."
"It's a different lifestyle," he added. "When you have to travel to stake races you can be here at six in the morning and not get home until two or three the next morning. It's addictive though. Once you get the bug it's hard to get away from it."
To read the Truro Daily News article profiling Hollingsworth in its entirety, click here.
(With files from the Truro Daily News)