On Tuesday, July 23, 2020, ten retired racehorses from the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation (TRF)’s Second Chances herd boarded a Brook Ledge van at the Wallkill Correctional Facility to begin a journey to their new home at Pastures of Point Lookout (PPL) in Chadds Ford, Pa. Each horse has a unique story that led to his retirement with the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation, but today they all shared a similar stroke of good fortune thanks to an extraordinary gesture of kindness, love and generosity.
Category: Horse Racing News
Now 8, Pink Lloyd is ‘Better Than Ever’
When Pink Lloyd (Old Forester) ended his 2019 campaign with a perfect six-for-six record it seemed almost inconceivable that the he could do any better this year. He would be eight in 2020 and, perhaps, the aging process would do what very few competitors had been able to accomplish over the years–give him a problem.
Not that trainer Bob Tiller was worried.
“Age doesn’t matter,” Tiller said. “It’s just a number.”
That’s not always the case, but the popular Canadian sprinter may be about to add another remarkable chapter onto the story of his career. He is two for two in 2020, with wins in the GIII Jacques Cartier S. and the Shepperton S. Against fellow Ontario-breds, Pink Lloyd wasn’t facing the toughest field in the July 23 Shepperton, but it was among the most impressive performances of his career. Carrying 128 pounds, he was blocked for much of the way until finding a hole near the top of the stretch. Once free, jockey Rafael Hernandez didn’t have to shift gears. Pink Lloyd looked like he was out for a morning gallop as he drew off to win 1 3/4 lengths.
“I think he’s better than ever,” Tiller said. “He just seems to be getting better as he gets older. He’s a miracle, this horse.”
The legend continues. Pink Lloyd, who has never raced outside of Woodbine, is 24 for 29 in his career and has won 21 stakes and eight in a row. He’s won the Jacques Cartier four times, the GIII Vigil S. three times, the Shepperton three times. He was the 2017 Horse of the Year in Canada and has been champion male sprinter there three times, from 2017 through 2019. He record might look even better if he didn’t sometimes have a problem at the break. In the 2019 Vigil, he broke through the gate and was declared a non-starter even though he finished fourth in a race that does not count against his record.
With his catchy name and his winning ways, Pink Lloyd has become one of the most popular horses ever to race in Canada. Both the Jacques Cartier and the Shepperton were originally scheduled to be run on Saturdays, but were postponed and held on the following Thursday. Woodbine didn’t want poor betting races with short fields to clog up a Saturday card, but moving the races also allowed for Pink Lloyd being featured on the Racing Night Live broadcast on Woodbine’s show on The Sports Network.
“It warms my heart [that he’s built up a big fan base]. They should love him. I love him so much,” Tiller said. “The owners love him so much. I’m not saying he’s the best horse ever. I’m saying he’s got the most heart and charm of any horse I’ve ever seen, and I’ve trained a lot of good horses.”
Pink Lloyd has his quirks, but that may have something to do with why he has remained so good for so long. Tiller wasn’t able to get him to the races until he was four. Once he started training, he was so aggressive in the mornings that he would run off and chase other horses. Now, Tiller takes him to the track at the last instant and by the time Pink Lloyd is done he will be the only horse out there. Tiller will work him on occasion, but most of his training revolves around long, slow gallops, which leaves a lot left for his races.
“He loves to go out there and hack and gallop very easily. Long miles,” Tiller said. “We have a totally different way of training him than we would with other horses, where we would work them maybe a week before a race.”
Because Pink Lloyd likes to kick when back at his barn, Tiller has also had to create a special stall for the gelding, one that is padded with rubber.
Pink Lloyd’s next start will come in the Aug. 15 GII Bold Venture S. A victory would move him one step closer to equaling the longest winning streak of his career, which was 11 straight during his 2017 and 2018 campaigns. Another 11 straight should be well within his reach. Tiller will likely pick out the same races Pink Lloyd runs in every year, which is, basically, whatever sprint stakes comes up next on the Woodbine schedule. As long as he doesn’t have any problems at the gate, it’s hard to see him losing anytime soon.
But that’s also the one knock on Pink Lloyd. He has performed only at Woodbine, only over a synthetic surface and has spent most of his career beating up on the same horses. He has not been given a chance to prove himself against the best sprinters in North America or over a dirt surface.
“There have always been races here for him, so why does he need to go anywhere?” Tiller said. “What does he have to prove? Those have been our reasons for not shipping anywhere. You don’t just win 24 races and 21 stakes with a horse. This is the home team. It’s his home and all he does is win and the money is good.”
He added that Pink Lloyd’s unique stall and training habits would make it difficult to run him outside of Woodbine.
But Tiller has opened the door a crack for Pink Lloyd to head out of town. He said that may happen if some of the stakes on his schedule don’t fill, creating a gap in Pink Lloyd’s schedule.
“I’m not closing the door [on Pink Lloyd racing away from Woodbine],” he said. “These races here are not always going to fill. If that keeps happening we might have take another look at this. It’s not impossible that we might wind up in New York with this horse one day.”
Tiller is already looking ahead to Pink Lloyd running at nine. Once he is retired he will be sent to LongRun Thoroughbred Retirement Society.
“When he shows any signs of not wanting to do it anymore, that’s going to be it for him,” he said. “It will be a sad day but we are prepared for it.”
Some day he will slow down. But it doesn’t look like that is going to happen this year.
“This party,” said Tiller, “it’s not over yet.”
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The 2020 All American Quarter Horse Congress Has Been Cancelled
The Ohio Quarter Horse Association regretfully announces the cancellation of the 2020 All American Quarter Horse Congress, scheduled for September 29 through October 25. The uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic simply prevents safely moving forward in Columbus, Ohio. The well-being of our workers, exhibitors and attendees is our highest priority and based on the information we have today, the risk is simply too great. Thank you for understanding this difficult decision.
“It is a sad day with the cancellation of the 2020 All American Quarter Horse Congress. Hearing all the concerns from the local and state health departments, and the CDC, it was the right decision to make to keep people safe and healthy,” said Dr. Scott Myers, CEO of the Ohio Quarter Horse Association. “It is disappointing to all who worked tirelessly in preparation for this year's Congress, and I want to personally thank you for your continued support. I look forward to the biggest and best Congress ever in 2021.”
Sincere thanks to the many loyal Congress sponsors, exhibitors and supporters. We are in this together, our industry is strong and rest assured, the Congress will be here in 2021. Details on moving forward and further updates will be available here.
The post The 2020 All American Quarter Horse Congress Has Been Cancelled appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
Maximum Security Returns To Fourth Position In NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll
Champion Maximum Security, who led the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) Top Thoroughbred Poll in early March, has moved back into the top five of the rankings this week following his victory in the Grade 2 San Diego Handicap at Del Mar July 25.
In his first start since taking the $20 million Saudi Cup on February 29, Maximum Security showed his grit when he prevailed by a nose over Midcourt in the 1 1/16-miles San Diego Handicap. That effort – which was also his first since joining the barn of Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert – earned the 2019 Eclipse Award-winner for champion 3-year-old male 2 first-place votes and 228 points this week, moving him from tenth to fourth overall in the poll standings.
Ranking ahead of Maximum Security is fellow champion Midnight Bisou, who continues to lead the poll with 22 first-place votes and 365 points as she readies for her expected run in the Grade 1 Personal Ensign Stakes at Saratoga on Aug. 1. Midnight Bisou worked a half-mile in :50.55 on Monday morning in preparation for her title defense of Saturday's test.
Tom's d'Etat, who is expected to start in Saturday's Grade 1 Whitney Stakes at Saratoga, holds in second with 10 first-place votes and 335 points while fellow top-level winner Vekoma is third with 2 first-place votes and 294 points.
Zulu Alpha (158 points) sits behind Maximum Security in the fifth position followed by Monomoy Girl, the champion 3-year-old filly of 2018, in sixth with 1 first-place vote and 129 points. By My Standards, who is also slated to start in the Whitney, is seventh with 113 points while top-ranked sophomore Tiz the Law is eighth with 2 first-place votes and 112 points. Mucho Gusto (92 points) and Code of Honor (1 first-place vote, 83 points) round out the top 10.
Less than two weeks from his planned start in the Grade 1 Travers Stakes at Saratoga, Tiz the Law continues to hold a commanding lead in the NTRA Top Three-Year-Old Poll with 39 first-place votes and 399 total points. Honor A. P., who is set to run in the Shared Belief Stakes at Del Mar on Aug. 1, ranks second with 1 first-place vote and 355 points and is followed by Grade 1 Haskell Stakes victor Authentic (284 points).
Grade 2 Blue Grass Stakes winner Art Collector (254 points) and Los Alamitos Derby victor Uncle Chuck (150) sit fourth and fifth, respectively, with Haskell runner-up Ny Traffic (129) in sixth. King Guillermo, winner of the Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby, ranks seventh with 117 points followed by leading sophomore fillies Gamine (107 points) and Swiss Skydiver (102). Dr Post (100 points) completes the top 10.
The NTRA Top Thoroughbred polls are the sport's most comprehensive surveys of experts. Every week eligible journalists and broadcasters cast votes for their top 10 horses, with points awarded on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis. All horses that have raced in the U.S., are in training in the U.S., or are known to be pointing to a major event in the U.S. are eligible for the NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll. Voting in both the Top Three-Year-Old Poll and the Top Thoroughbred Poll is scheduled to be conducted through the conclusion of the Breeders' Cup in November.
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