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Seven-Time Sovereign Award Winner Pink Lloyd Kicks Off 2021 Campaign Sunday At Woodbine

Multiple stakes champion and fan favourite Pink Lloyd goes after his fifth straight Grade 3 Jacques Cartier Stakes crown, Sunday at Woodbine, part of a 12-race card that also features the $125,000 Woodstock Stakes.

A seven-time Sovereign award winner, including Horse of the Year honours in 2017 and four straight (2017-2020) Male Sprinter titles, Pink Lloyd, owned by Entourage Stable and trained by Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame inductee Robert Tiller, will launch his 9-year-old campaign in a race he has dominated since 2017.

With regular rider Rafael Hernandez on the sidelines after an injury suffered in an opening day spill on June 12, Daisuke Fukumoto will take the reins of the speedy son of Old Forester in the $150,000 Jacques Cartier.

Tiller, who has campaigned the ultra consistent chestnut since his first start in 2016, will take a race-to-race approach with Pink Lloyd this season.

“You're dealing with a 9-year-old,” said Tiller, who won the first race of the 2021 Woodbine Thoroughbred meet with Five Days in May. “This horse, his career will be over this year at some time. He will be retired this year. He's been a wonderful animal, he's earned over $2 million, and he loves racing. He's happy and he's sound right now – that's why he's running. We're going to take it one start at a time and make a decision after each start.”

Bred by John Carey, Pink Lloyd launched his career five years ago, winning his first three races, including a victory in his debut on August 28, 2016, a 1 ½-length score over six furlongs on the Woodbine main track.

The veteran campaigner hasn't missed a beat since then, racking up a slew of stakes triumphs while filling his connections' trophy cases with hard-earned hardware.

“We have a lot of challenges for this race,” noted Tiller. “He carries high weight again. If he runs a good race like he did in his last race of 2020, I'll be happy and we'll see how he comes out of it. The horse is doing well and he has every right to run in this race.”

When Pink Lloyd is retired, he'll be sent to LongRun Thoroughbred Retirement Society to enjoy his post-racing life.

As Tiller noted last year, “He'll be a movie star there after being a rock star on the racetrack.”

Other contenders include Wesley Ward trainee Joker On Jack, 2020 Jacques Cartier runner-up Malibu Secret, Zilli Racing Stables' 5-year-old Readyforprimetime, Live Oak Plantation homebred Souper Stonehenge, and stakes winner Dixie's Gamble.

Listed at 25-1 in the Queen's Plate Winterbook, Derzkii, a 3-year-old son of Frac Daddy, will make his 2021 debut in the Woodstock Stakes, traditionally a key prep on the road to Canada's most famous horse race.

Owned by Fieldstone Farms Inc., and trained by Carlos Grant, the two-time winner from six starts closed out his 2-year-old campaign with back-to-back scores, on October 18 and November 12.

Grant saw potential in Derzkii early on, but waited until after the dark bay's first race to see if his confidence was warranted.

“Some of them will fool you, so you just have to wait until they start racing. When he was a yearling, he'd be running around the paddock like a madman. There would be ice and everything in the paddock, and he'd be going like a madman. I always told my wife and my brother-in-law, 'He's a freak.' Nothing will faze him. That's what you want in a horse.

“He just can't stand it when you leave him in his stall. I have to train him first in the morning and when he comes off the track, he's still full of energy. He's got no shortage of energy. He's a beautiful horse to be around.”

After a third, fourth, fifth and second to begin his career, Derzkii, bred by Megan Allan and Lesley Kraus, hit his best stride in his past two performances.

Grant was thoroughly pleased with his rookie campaign.

“He had a beautiful year. He came out of all the races very happy and he showed us all what he could do out there. I usually give my horses three days off, depending on how they come out of the race, but he was ready and raring to go again the day after his races. During his training, I realized he wanted to go further. After every work, I would say, 'This guy wants to go long.' In his third start, I noticed him looking around, so we put the blinkers on. We made that adjustment and that was all he needed.”

This will be the second stakes appearance for Derzkii, who finished fourth in the 2020 Simcoe Stakes.

His connections are hoping it's the start of even bigger things to come.

“I dream about it [Queen's Plate] every day, every single minute,” said Grant. “Racing in the Plate would be a dream come true. We have to keep our fingers crossed.”

The field showcases stakes winners Chasing Artie, Jaxon Traveler, Master Spy, and Outadore, along with multiple stakes placed Sky's Not Falling, and Saturday George, who broke his maiden with an impressive turf triumph last September at Woodbine.

FIELD FOR THE JACQUES CARTIER

Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer

1 – Joker On Jack – Emma-Jayne Wilson – Wesley Ward

2 – Pink Lloyd – Daisuke Fukumoto – Robert Tiller

3 – Malibu Secret – Kazushi Kimura – Martin Drexler

4 – Readyforprimetime – Justin Stein – Michael De Paulo

5 – Souper Stonehenge – Patrick Husbands – Mark Casse

6 – Dixie's Gamble – Luis Contreras – Josie Carroll

FIELD FOR THE WOODSTOCK

Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer

1 – Chasing Artie – Kazushi Kimura – Wesley Ward

2 – Outadore – Justin Stein – Wesley Ward

3 – Saturday George – David Moran – Michael De Paulo

4 – Jaxon Traveler – Luis Contreras – Steve Asmussen

5 – Sky's Not Falling – Gary Boulanger – Michael Trombetta

6 – Derzkii – Emma-Jayne Wilson – Carlos Grant

7 – Master Spy – Patrick Husbands – Mark Casse

The Jacques Cartier is scheduled as race seven. The Woodstock goes as race 10. First post is 1:20 p.m. Fans can watch and wager on all the action via HPIBet.com.

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Canadian Triple Crown Hopeful Mighty Heart Is ‘Up To The Challenge’ In Saturday’s Breeders’ Stakes

Mighty Heart will continue his quest to join an elite group of horses to sweep all three legs of the OLG Canadian Triple Crown this Saturday in the $400,000 Breeders' Stakes at Woodbine Racetrack.

Trained by Hall of Famer and three-time Queen's Plate winner Josie Carroll, Mighty Heart headlines the final jewel of the tri-surface series for Canadian-bred three-year-olds, which concludes on Woodbine's world-renowned E.P. Taylor Turf Course with the longest leg at the distance of 1 ½-miles.

The son of Dramedy, bred and owned by Lawrence Cordes, is the even-money morning line favorite in the field of 12 having already scored wins in the $1 million Queen's Plate at 1 ¼ miles over Woodbine's Tapeta track on September 12 and the $400,000 Prince of Wales at 1 3/16 miles over Fort Erie's dirt course on September 29.

“He's a little horse that's overcome [a lot],” said Carroll, who won the 2006 Plate with Edenwold and the 2011 running with the filly Inglorious. “There's something in racing we call heart, and horses with heart are what you're looking for more so sometimes than horses with talent.”

Aside from contending with 11 rivals, Mighty Heart could have to contend with turf that has some give to it. The Toronto area has experienced rainy weather in the lead-up to Saturday.

“I can't tell you how he's going to handle a yielding turf,” offered Carroll. “In North America, we very seldom get the chance to run on very soft turf. I believe he'll handle the grass. He's run once on the grass, and we had him up on the E.P. course the other day, and he just skipped across it. Pedigree-wise, we have every reason to think he'll handle it [the 1 ½-mile distance], but until a horse does that, you really don't know. It's a very, very challenging thing to be asking him to do right now. This horse has run two hard races and now you're asking him to go a mile and a half on a possibly tiring course. Hopefully, he's up to the challenge.”

Cordes is thrilled to see the outpouring of affection for Mighty Heart, which continues to swell ahead of the Breeders' Stakes.

“In this time of COVID, this is a boost to people,” he said. “The phone calls I get from the west coast to east coast of Canada, my girlfriend and I have had multiple dozens of calls… people are just so excited. I feel the same thing, it just puts the excitement into me, so for all of the racing fans and all of his fans, let's make it happen. Just cheer him on, we need everything we can get.”

Mighty Heart will once again have Daisuke Fukumoto in the irons.

The young Japanese-born rider is still wrapping his head around the significance of what it would mean to come out on top in the Breeders' Stakes.

“It would be very special,” said Fukumoto. “To win the Queen's Plate is already special, but the Triple Crown is the highest. You never think of winning the Triple Crown.”

The pair will square off against some familiar foes on Saturday.

Trained by Kevin Attard, Clayton (6-1), who won the Plate Trial in mid-August, was third in the Queen's Plate and runner-up in the Prince of Wales. Owned by Donato Lanni and Daniel Plouffe, the son of Bodemeister finished second, 2 ½ lengths behind Mighty Heart in the middle jewel at 1 3/16 miles over Fort Erie's dirt track on September 29.

Belichick, who finished a strong second in the Queen's Plate, and is the 7-2 second choice in the morning line, will look to turn the tables on his stablemate.

The son of Lemon Drop Kid, also coached by Carroll, has a pair of seconds and a third in three lifetime starts.

Owned by NK Racing and LNJ Foxwoods, Belichick should appreciate the move to turf and the mile-and-a-half distance.

“This is a really talented horse,” said Carroll, who won the 2014 Breeders' Stakes with Ami's Holiday. “I think from the moment he came in my barn, he showed a great deal of ability. If anything has surprised me, it's that it has taken this long for him to really blossom. I'm not surprised to have him in this position. It's also very rewarding to train a horse of his caliber.”

Other Breeders' Stakes hopefuls include Conrad Farms' Muskoka Giant (20-1), who broke his maiden over one mile of turf two starts prior to his fifth-place finish in the Prince of Wales for trainer Mark Casse.

A two-time (2014 with Lexie Lou and in 2018 with Wonder Gadot) Queen's Plate winner, Casse, who won the 2007 Breeders' with Marchfield and the 2018 renewal with Neepawa, will also send out Deviant (30-1).

A chestnut son of Daredevil, Deviant won last year's El Joven Stakes and Sunday Silence Stakes. The Red Lane Thoroughbreds' gelding will be making his second straight start at Woodbine, after finishing seventh in the Queenston Stakes this July.

Unraced as a two-year-old, English Conqueror (12-1), a chestnut son of English Channel, will make his Triple Crown debut in the Breeders'.

Bred and owned by JWS Farms, the Darwin Banach trainee finished third in his career bow on July 5 at Woodbine, a seven-furlong maiden special weight turf engagement. After a disappointing 10th-place finish next time out, English Conqueror rebounded with a fourth in 1 1/16 mile race run on the E.P. Taylor Turf Course, an effort that saw him display plenty of vigor in the late going.

He arrives at the Breeders' off a maiden-breaking score on September 19, a head victory that was earned over 1 1/16 miles on the Woodbine Inner Turf.

“He's doing really well,” said Banach. “He's like an immature little boy, in that it took him a little while to learn what was going on, and he's still learning. You have to ask him to do what you want him to do. He doesn't just go ahead and do it. I thought Emma [jockey, Wilson] would suit this horse fantastically after he finished fourth, and it did. I was quite concerned in that race because they went so slow early, but he does have a great turn of foot and he was able to kick on from there, get the lead and then get the win. I was very happy with that effort.”

Banach believes the lightly-raced Ontario-bred will be even better on Saturday.

“We always thought he was a good horse. We even considered the Queen's Plate and other races, but he couldn't quite get his game together before that time. So, here we are. We think he can handle a mile and a half and we've got to give it a shot.”

A victory would be even more special considering the sire of English Conqueror's dam, champion Sky Conqueror, was bred and owned by William Sorokolit, Sr., who recently passed away.

Banach trained the multiple graded stakes winning son of Sky Classic for Sorokolit. Sky Conqueror's victories included consecutive (2006-07) editions of the Northern Dancer Turf Stakes (G2T) and the 2007 running of the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic (G1T). Multiple graded stakes winner Classic Stamp was also another a horse of note for Sorokolit.

A successful businessman and entrepreneur, Sorokolit won 212 career races along with over $10.1 million (U.S.) in purse earnings.

“Emma rode Sky Conqueror, so maybe this is meant to be,” said Banach. “We loved training for Mr. Sorokolit and he'll be dearly missed. I believe he started owning horses in university, so for 70-some years he owned horses.”

Enchant Me (50-1), Glorious Tribute (30-1), and Olliemyboy (12-1) will also go postward after making an appearance in the opening legs of the Triple Crown.

Told It All (12-1), Meyer (30-1) and Kunal (50-1) complete the field.

In 2018, the Casse-trained filly Wonder Gadot won the first two Triple Crown races but did not compete in the Breeders' Stakes. Casse sent out Neepawa to victory in the final leg that year.

The last Triple Crown contender prior to Wonder Gadot was the great Wando, just the seventh horse to complete the series sweep since it was established in 1959 when he won the 2003 Breeders' Stakes with jockey Patrick Husbands aboard for trainer Michael Keogh and the late owner/breeder Gustav Schickedanz.

Since then, A Bit O'Gold (2004), Pender Harbour (2011) and Tone Broke (2019) also claimed two-thirds of the Triple Crown by taking the last two legs.

The longest shot to win the Breeders' was Miami Deco in 2010. The Ontario-bred son of Limehouse returned $132.10 for a $2 win bet. Catherine Day Phillips became the first female trainer to win the race courtesy of A Bit O'Gold in 2004. One year later, she was in the winner's circle again, this time with Jambalaya. Roger Attfield holds the record for most wins by a trainer with nine. His first came with Carotene in 1986. Jockey Rafael Hernandez has won three of the past four runnings.

“This is a great time for racing in Ontario,” said Woodbine Entertainment CEO Jim Lawson. “It's fun. It's a wonderful opportunity for us to promote the sport of horse racing. We're thrilled that there is this opportunity.”

Post time is set for 1:10 p.m. ET, with the Breeders' Stakes scheduled as the ninth race (approximately 5:39 p.m. ET). The historic event will be broadcast live from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. ET on TSN. Coverage is led by Canadian broadcasting legend Brian Williams, alongside TSN's Laura Diakun and Woodbine Entertainment's Jason Portuondo, with Brodie Lawson contributing reports from track level.

FIELD FOR THE BREEDERS' STAKES

Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer – Owner – Morning Line

1 – Meyer – Sahin Civaci – Martin Drexler – Bruno Schickedanz – 30-1

2 – Enchant Me – Steven Bahen – Santino Di Paola – York Tech Racing Stable – 50-1

3 – Clayton – Rafael Hernandez – Kevin Attard – Donato Lanni and Daniel Plouffe – 6-1

4 – Olliemyboy – Patrick Husbands – Sid Attard – JMJ Racing Stables LLC – 12-1

5 – English Conqueror – Emma-Jayne Wilson – Darwin Banach – JWS Farms – 12-1*

6 – Glorious Tribute – David Moran – Barbara Minshall – Bruce Lunsford – 30-1

7 – Deviant – Jerome Lermyte – Mark Casse – Red Lane Thoroughbreds LLC – 30-1

8 – Mighty Heart – Daisuke Fukumoto – Josie Carroll – Lawrence Cordes – 1-1

9 – Belichick – Luis Contreras – Josie Carroll – NK Racing and LNJ Foxwoods – 7-2

10 – Kunal – Emile Ramsammy – Steven Chircop – Bruno Schickedanz – 50-1

11 – Told It All – Kazushi Kimura – Norm McKnight – Rainbow Stables – 12-1*

12 – Muskoka Giant – Justin Stein – Mark Casse – Conrad Farms – 20-1

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Mighty Heart Conquers Second Jewel Of Canadian Triple Crown

Mighty Heart made it look mighty easy winning the Prince of Wales Stakes. The one-eyed three-year-old now holds the first two jewels in the OLG Canadian Triple Crown, and if all goes well has his eye set on the Breeder's Stakes in October. The last Canadian Triple Crown winner was Wando in 2003.

Mighty Heart and Clayton were sitting fourth and fifth going into the last turn, with Clayton on the outside. Jockey Daisuke Fukumoto was intently tracking Clayton's steps, and as Clayton made a run for the front four-wide in the final turn, Mighty Heart came to call on the outside and easily took the lead with no urging. Mighty Heart beat Clayton by two and a half lengths. Dotted Line battled throughout and persisted for third, and Bold Victory made a late run for fourth.

“A couple horses went to the lead so I let them go and sat behind them. He can take a little air so I changed up the tactic, and when I asked him at the quarter pole he went on again,” said Fukumoto after the race. “Last time he won very easily, and he did it again today.”

Trainer Josie Carroll said she's excited about the possibility of running Mighty Heart in the Breeders' Stakes. “We always wait to see how the horse comes out, that's the key. He's a wonderful little horse and he gets better every time.”

Owner Lawrence Cordes called Mighty Heart a gift.

”He was handicapped from day one and his future looked bleak because of his injury, but we had faith in him from the day he stepped on the track. We have to see how he comes out of this race, but we would like to compete for the Triple Crown.”

Mighty Heart paid $3.70 to win as the 4-5 favorite, $2.60 to place, and $2.20 to show. Clayton paid $3.40 to place and $2.40 to show. Dotted Line paid $3.20 to show.

Despite being closed to the public and the loss of on-track wagering, Tuesday's Prince of Wales Stakes produced a record handle of $3,028,600, topping the previous record handle under Fort Erie Live Race Consortium's management of $2,188,171 from 2016 when Amis Gizmo won for Josie Carroll.

Tuesday's final race of the day featured a mandatory payout on the .20 jackpot Hi-5, with a carryover of $178,381.93. $701,151.21 in new money was wagered in the pool, with a payout of $7,657.83 on a .20 cent ticket.

The $400,000 Breeders' Stakes is the third and final jewel of the OLG Canadian Triple Crown, scheduled for Saturday, October 24. The event is one and a half miles on Woodbine's E.P. Taylor Turf Course.

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Queen’s Plate Winner Mighty Heart In ‘Extremely Good Order,’ To Start In Prince Of Wales

It will be a field of nine for the 85th running of the Prince of Wales Stakes, the 2ndjewel in the OLG Canadian Triple Crown, to be held on Tuesday, Sept. 29 at Fort Erie Racetrack.

Five of the top Queen's Plate competitors will be taking another run for a triple crown jewel, including the first-place finisher, Mighty Heart. The one-eyed wonder trained by Josie Carroll for Lawrence Cordes, will once again have Daisuke Fukumoto looking to steer the race favorite first across the finish line and continue his quest to be the first Canadian Triple Crown winner since Wando in 2003.

“He came out of the Queen's Plate in extremely good order and breezed very well on Thursday,” said Carroll. “We thought he deserved a chance for a run at the Canadian Triple Crown.”

Trainer Kevin Attard is looking for better results with Clayton after a third place finish in the Plate, a neck ahead of Tecumseh's War, who will also be trying for a Prince of Wales victory for trainer Catherine Day Phillips.

Truebelieve, owned by Niagara's Centennial Farms shipped in to Fort Erie's backstretch and was out on the track for morning training on Friday.

“He came out of the gate a little bit stronger than I wanted him to, and didn't really settle, but he ran a good race and we wanted to give him another try with the Prince of Wales,” said trainer Cole Bennett about Truebelieve's performance in the Plate. “Now that he's had a race into him he's a little bit fitter and a little bit tighter. We've taken the blinkers off, which will hopefully help him to relax a bit. He likes the dirt and trained really well over Fort Erie's track, so we think the surface will suit him.”

Dotted Line will be taking another swing at a triple crown race after finishing 7th in the Plate. Trainer Mark Casse has entered Bold Victory and Muskoka Giant into the competition, and trainer Santino DiPaola will be running Enchant Me.

Many Fort Erie locals will be cheering for supplemental entry Red Mercury, who is stabled in Fort Erie's backstretch. Trained by Paul Lepaine, for MPB Stables, he will be the race longshot at 30-1.

The $400,000 Prince of Wales Stakes is the 2nd jewel in the OLG Canadian Triple Crown, for three-year-olds foaled in Canada, running 1 3/16 miles on Fort Erie's dirt surface. First race post time on September 29 is 2:10 p.m., with the Prince of Wales race scheduled for approximately 5:37 p.m. Due to COVID-19, Fort Erie Race Track will be closed to spectators. Fans can tune in to the Canadian Triple Crown broadcast on TSN sponsored by OLG, beginning at 5:00 p.m. on TSN channels 1,3, 4, and 5.

Tuesday's card will include a mandatory payout of the Jackpot High-5 pool in our final race, with a carryover amount of $178,381.93.

For more information, visit www.FortErieRacing.com

Prince of Wales Stakes

Post	Horse	Owner	Trainer	Jockey	MLO
1	Truebelieve	Centennial Farms (Niagara) Inc.	Cole Bennet	Keveh Nicholls	30-1
2	Mighty Heart	Lawrence P. Cordes	Josie Carroll	Daisuke Fukumoto	7-5
3	Dotted Line	Norseman Racing Stable	Sid Attard	Justin Stein	8-1
4	Red Mercury	MPB Stables	Paul Lepaine	Simon Husbands	30-1
5	Enchant Me	York Tech Racing Stable	Santino DiPaola	Luis Contreras	20-1
6	Bold Victory	John Oxley	Mark Casse	Patrick Husbands	12-1
7	Tecumseh's War	Ilium Stables, LLC	Catherine Day Phillips	Emma-Jayne Wilson	4-1
8	Muskoka Giant	Conrad Farms	Mark Casse	Kazushi Kimura	12-1
9	Clayton	Lanni, Donato and Plouffe, Daniel	Kevin Attard	Rafael Hernandez	5-2

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