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‘Happier Than A Bumblebee’: Pink Lloyd Chasing Another Record In Shepperton

Canada's sprint superstar Pink Lloyd will attempt to share the record for most wins in the Shepperton Stakes, Thursday afternoon at Woodbine.

Another race, another chance to add to a stacked racing résumé.

A victory in the 6-1/2-furlong, $100,000 main track Shepperton would tie champion Pink Lloyd with three-time winner Paso Doble, a son of Bold n' Flashy who took the 2011, 2013 and 2014 editions of the race.

Pink Lloyd, who won the 2017 and 2019 runnings, comes into the race off another record-setting performance.

On June 27, Canada's reigning three-time Champion Male Sprinter notched a record fourth straight victory in the Jacques Cartier Stakes and recorded his 20th overall added-money win. His initial Jacques Cartier score in 2017 was his first stakes victory and the start of an unprecedented 11-race win streak.

“It was a good race and a good start for him,” said trainer Robert Tiller. “Like me, he's getting older. But I'd say he ran very well. I certainly wouldn't knock it. He's doing very well. He's very happy. He hasn't worked since his last race – he does a lot of long miles. He's happier than a bumblebee.”

The eight-year-old son of Old Forester, owned by Entourage Stable, now turns his attention to the Shepperton, a race Tiller has won a record five times. Forever Grand (2003), Dave The Knave (2006), Dancer's Bajan (2008) are the conditioner's other Shepperton winners.

Bred in Ontario by John Carey, Pink Lloyd now boasts 23 wins from 28 starts lifetime with purse earnings over $1.8 million. The chestnut gelding is currently riding a seven-race win streak.

Tiller continues to marvel at the six-time Sovereign Award winner, who was named Canada's Horse of the Year in 2017.

“You know what, you probably run out of questions when it comes to this guy. I've run out of answers. You could ask me, 'At eight, is he still the same old Pink Lloyd?' My answer would be, 'Absolutely.' He doesn't know he's old. He's a lot like me. He's bucking and kicking, and feeling good.”

Pink Lloyd launched his career in 2016, winning his first three races, including a victory in his debut on August 28, a 1-1/2-length score over six furlongs on the Woodbine main track.

“It warms my heart [that he's built up a big fan base]. They should love him. I love him so much. 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.

“I'd like to see him get over $2 million in career earnings, Canadian,” continued Tiller. “He'll go to LongRun [Thoroughbred Retirement Society] and have a great retirement. He'll be a movie star there after being a rock star on the racetrack.”

The Shepperton is scheduled as the seventh race on Thursday's eight-race program. First post is 3:20 p.m. Fans can watch and wager on all the action via HPIBet.com. Racing Night Live returns on Thursday, with live action from Woodbine Racetrack and Woodbine Mohawk Park from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on TSN.

FIELD FOR THE SHEPPERTON

Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer

1 – Pink Lloyd – Rafael Hernandez – Robert Tiller

2 – Souper Success – Kazushi Kimura – Michael De Paulo

3 – Silent Jimmie – Daisuke Fukumoto – Paul Buttigieg

4 – Magical Man – Steven Bahen – Gail Hughes

5 – Dun Drum – Emma-Jayne Wilson – Ian Black

6 – Not So Quiet – Justin Stein – Mark Casse

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‘So Great To See Her Back’: La Troienne Likely Next For Returning Champion Monomoy Girl

Michael Dubb, Monomoy Stables, The Elkstone Group, and Bethlehem Stables' Monomoy Girl returned to graded stakes-winning form on Saturday with a two-length triumph in the Grade 2 Ruffian at Belmont Park, earning a career-best 104 Beyer Speed Figure.

Owner Sol Kumin of Monomoy Stables said he was pleased with the winning effort.

“It was so great to see her back,” Kumin said. “She had been training so well going into the race and this was just so exciting to see.”

Monomoy Girl will look to build on Saturday's victory with a possible start in the Grade 1 La Troienne on September 4 at Churchill Downs going 1 1/16 miles.

Trained by Brad Cox, Monomoy Girl was crowned Champion 3-Year-Old Filly in 2018, winning five Grade 1 races including the Acorn and Coaching Club American Oaks on the NYRA circuit en route to a triumph against elders in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Distaff at Churchill Downs.

The 5-year-old Tapizar chestnut did not race at age 4 and was sent to WinStar Farm last spring after a mild case of colic and suffered an injury to her hamstring last fall when preparing for a potential comeback.

Prior to her Ruffian score, Monomoy Girl bested an optional claiming field over a sloppy main track going a one-turn mile at Churchill Downs by 2 ¾ lengths.

“Most likely she'll come back in the La Troienne,” Kumin said. “It's a good distance, there's good spacing between her races, and it's at Churchill Downs which is right at her front door. We'll discuss it further with the rest of the partners, but more than likely that's where you'll see her.”

Kumin is also a part owner of reigning Champion Older Filly Midnight Bisou as well as dual Grade 1 winner She's a Julie.

“Obviously the day is going to come where they'll have to face each other, but we'll keep them separate for the time being. I'm just very lucky to be involved with such great fillies. This is what the game is all about,” Kumin said.

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Uni Could Try For Redemption In Aug. 22 Fourstardave At Saratoga

Following a third in her seasonal bow in the Grade 1 Just a Game on June 27 to stable mate Newspaperofrecord, reigning Champion Turf Mare Uni is a possibility to face colts in the Grade 1, $400,000 Fourstardave on August 22 at Saratoga Race Course.

Trained by Chad Brown, Uni suffered her only loss of 2019 in last year's Fourstardave, where she made up 17 lengths to finish third, beaten 2 ½ lengths to a track-record setting performance by Got Stormy. The 6-year-old daughter of More Than Ready solidified championship honors in her next two starts in taking the Grade 1 First Lady at Keeneland where she set a new course record for one mile on the turf and the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Mile at Santa Anita.

“The only Grade 1 going a flat mile on the grass at Saratoga is against boys. Will we try it? Probably,” said Bradley Weisbord of BSW/Crow Bloodstock, who manages Uni on behalf of owners Michael Dubb, Head of Plains Partners, Robert LaPenta and Bethlehem Stables. “She was an unlucky loser last year to Got Stormy. We could take that route again this year and try to protect our title in the First Lady at Keeneland and the Breeders' Cup Mile.”

Since joining Brown's all-star shed row in 2017 after beginning her career in France for Fabrice Chappet, Uni has placed in all but one of her 13 starts for the four-time Eclipse Award-winning conditioner, including a total of eight stakes victories over six different tracks. Additionally, all of her last nine starts took place going a flat mile.

“She's won on soft turf before, but [jockey] Joel [Rosario] said she was struggling with the turf that day,” Weisbord said of the Just a Game. “She probably needed the race. She had a splint issue in April and breezed four or five times heading into the Just a Game so she wasn't super cherry heading into the race and you have to be cherry to beat a filly like Newspaperofrecord. Hats off to Chad for getting her back to Grade 1 form. She'll be tough the rest of the year.”

In 2018, Uni won twice over soft and yielding turf in the De La Rose at Saratoga and the Grade 3 Noble Damsel at Belmont Park. Although the turf was listed as “firm” for the Just a Game, there were rain showers in the Elmont area earlier in the program.

Uni, bred in Great Britain by Haras D'Etreham, is out of the Dansili broodmare Unaided.

Rockemperor who was a close second in the Grade 1 Manhattan to stable mate Instilled Regard, could target the Grade 1, $1 million Old Forester Turf Classic on September 5 at Churchill Downs

The Brown-trained son of Holy Roman Emperor had dead aim on the pacesetters when four-wide at the top of the stretch under Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez, briefly took command within the final half-furlong, but was nosed out of victory by stablemate Instilled Regard.

“It's hard to know what his best distance his, but a mile and an eighth should hit him right over the head,” Weisbord said. “We've gotten beat a lot in stakes, but what made that such a brutal beat was because he had the horses in front of him collared. I don't think the horse or Johnny saw Instilled Regard coming.”

Still in search of his first North American victory, Rockemperor has placed in four of his five starts in the United States. He made his seasonal bow in the Grade 2 Muniz Memorial Classic at Fair Grounds before being disqualified from second to third in the Grade 2 Charles Whittingham at Santa Anita.

Rockemperor is owned by Madaket Stables in partnership with Michael Dubb, Wonder Stables, Michael E. Kisber and Bethlehem Stables.

Bred in Ireland by Haras du Mezeray, Rockemperor is out of the Muhtathir broodmare Motivation and comes from the same family as multiple graded stakes winner on turf Yagli. Both hail from the prestigious lineage of prolific broodmare Best In Show.

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Enable Showed ‘Zest And Desire’ In Sunday’s Coral-Eclipse Defeat By Ghaiyyath

Champion racemare Enable, kept in training for 2020 to seek a third victory in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, began her 6-year-old season with a strong second in Sunday's Group 1 Coral-Eclipse at Sandown. The John Gosden-trained Juddmonte mare was defeated 2 1/4 lengths by frontrunner Ghaiyyath, but fended off challenges from Japan, Magic Wand, and Deirdre.

“We're delighted with that, she ran a gorgeous race,” Gosden told racingpost.com. “We know about Ghaiyyath and Sandown is a great front-runner's track. We're very happy. She enjoyed it and the zest and desire was there, but trying to get involved with a front-running horse like him was never going to be her deal.”

Gosden said Enable was only 85 percent fit for Sunday's race, and jockey Frankie Dettori confirmed that the mare was a bit tired in the final 100 yards.

Up next, plans call for Enable to try for a record-setting three-peat in the King George at Ascot on July 25. The mare's major year-end target is a historic third win in the Arc, a goal she fell just short of last year when Waldgeist ran her down over the very soft ground at York.

Enable won the Arc in 2017 and 2018, and became the first horse in history to win the Arc and the Breeders' Cup Turf in the same season when she crossed the wire first at Churchill Downs in November 2018.