BIBLE HIILL - Riding a bike past Truro Raceway six years ago, Ben Hollingsworth decided to stop in and learn a bit about the track. He didn't know it then, but it was a decision that would change his entire life.
Today, the 18-year-old is a licensed groom, trainer and driver who plans to become a veterinarian.
"I lived in town then and was biking by because I was on my way to visit my grandmother, who lived on College Road," he explained. "I was always interested in horses. When I got involved with racing I fell in love with it."
One of the first people he met was Phil Pinkney, a successful veteran trainer/driver. Pinkney took the youngster under his wing and taught him about horses and harness racing.
"I started with sweeping the floor, cleaning harness and mucking stalls," recalled Hollingsworth. "I liked getting up in the mornings and coming to the track.
"Phil taught me everything. I asked a lot of questions. If there was something I didn't understand, I asked."
He faithfully showed up at the barn and eventually learned to jog horses. Phil sat next to him on the cart at first, watching closely.
"The first horse I jogged alone was in a blizzard," he laughed. "It was after about a year of mucking stalls."
He got his trainer's license in 2009, and in January obtained his driver's license. His first drive was on a horse called Heart of Rocknroll, who ran behind the gate. The young driver was able to move his horse up later and was third across the finish line, but was placed eighth for interfering with another driver.
He clearly remembers the excitement of his first win, which was on June 4, with a horse called 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.
"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."
Hollingsworth also owns a horse now, a four-year-old called Allamerican Parade. He said the horse is nice to work with and drive, and was even paying his way until he moved up in class.
Hollingsworth currently works with Dale Pinkney (Phil's son) six days a week and works on Tuesdays with Colleen Dickie, a veterinarian who visits the raceway.
He graduated from CEC in June and is going to take the pre-veterinarian program at the NSAC in the fall. He hopes to go to Prince Edward Island after the two-year program is complete, and train to be a vet.
He gives a lot of people at the track credit for helping him, and feels many of those he met there are like family.
"Dale is like a father and Phil is like a grandfather," he said.
Phil Pinkney remembers the day Hollingsworth arrived at his barn.
"He came one day on his bicycle and hasn't missed too many days since," he recalled. "I kind of took him under my wing.
"He's a pretty sharp lad, and is keen about horse racing. He has a good attitude, does well in school and is a big help to Dale now."
Hollingsworth acknowledges that racing is a lot of work, but he loves it.
"It's a different lifestyle," he said. "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."
