Rob Atras striking out on his own with some help from former boss Diodoro

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Rob Atras may be an unfamiliar name to New York horseplayers, but the 34-year-old is no stranger to training or winning.

Atras, most recently the New York-based assistant to trainer Robertino Diodoro, has opted to go out on his own. He has taken over the training of eight horses that used to run in Diodoro’s name. Despite winning 80 races on the New York Racing Association circuit since opening up a division at Belmont in April 2017, Diodoro has pulled out of New York. Diodoro asked Atras if he wanted to take over the training of some of his horses and Atras agreed.

“He talked to a couple of the owners for me; he helped me out that way,” Atras said Monday at Belmont Park. “I kind of thought about it for a few days, thought it might not be a bad idea to give it a shot.”

Atras ran his first horse on Saturday, finishing second with Promise Me Roses in a maiden $25,000 claiming race. Atras entered horses for Thursday and Friday at Aqueduct.

Before going to work for Diodoro in the fall of 2014, Atras trained on his own in Winnipeg at Assiniboia Downs. He also stabled two years at Turf Paradise in Arizona. From 2009 through 2014, Atras won 105 races from 424 starters. He has picked up a few other wins from being the trainer of record while Diodoro was under suspension.

Atras recently got married to Brittney Atras (née Dixon), who worked last summer in the horsemen’s relations office at Saratoga. Atras said he’s training for Drawing Away Stable, Sanford Goldfarb, Bob Bone, and Larry Roman.

“That kind of helped my decision, knowing they were good owners and good guys I get along with,” Atras said.

Atras said he’s tried to claim a few horses, but thus far has been outshook.

Both of Atras’s runners this week look competitive. In Thursday’s fifth, a $40,000 claimer for non-winners of two races, Science Fiction takes on winners for the first time. She won a maiden claimer by 11 3/4 lengths, a margin inflated after the horse with whom she was dueling early, Big Mischief, pulled up a quarter-mile into the race with an injury.

“She did win by a large margin, but it wasn’t a real competitive field,” Atras said. “I think she’s in the most logical spot off the win.”

In Friday’s fourth, a first-level allowance/optional $30,000 claimer, Atras sends out Daria’s Angel. The 5-year-old daughter of Gemologist has won two straight. Steve Klesaris was listed as her trainer of record for the last start, but he was filling in for Diodoro, who was on suspension.

“She’s moving up a little bit, but I think she fits in there numbers-wise,” Atras said. “It’s not an easy race, but she looks like she’ll be competitive.”