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‘Never Be Another One Like Him’: Pink Lloyd Could Surpass $2 Million Mark In Vigil Stakes

Multiple graded stakes winner and 2017 Canadian Horse of the Year, eight-year-old Pink Lloyd, faces eight rivals in the $125,000 Vigil Stakes (Grade 3), Saturday at Woodbine.

Sovereign Award winner and 22-time stakes champion Pink Lloyd chases another stakes crown in a race he has owned the past three years. Trained by Robert Tiller for Entourage Stable, the eight-year-old gelded son of Old Forester goes after his fourth consecutive Vigil score.

The chestnut, bred by John Carey, has rhymed off a perfect three straight victories this season, his latest tour de force coming in the Bold Venture (G3) on August 15.

Pink Lloyd launched his current campaign with a triumph in the Jacques Cartier (G3) on June 25. That was followed by a win in the Shepperton Stakes on July 23.

Riding a nine-race win streak, the Ontario-bred could go double platinum in earnings with a first or second-place finish in the Vigil.

Tiller, who would love to see Pink Lloyd reach the $2 million (CDN) mark in career purse earnings this Saturday, is keeping his focus strictly on the race itself.

“I try not to think about things like that,” said the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame inductee. “I've reached the point where if I start thinking about winning another race with him, or any other accomplishment… we just try to keep carrying on and what will be will be. Thank God I have enough horses in the barn to keep my mind occupied. Winning another race with Pink Lloyd… we just try to our best with him. If we win, I'm thrilled, obviously. But I try to stay as grounded and focused as possible.”

Admittedly, it's not always an easy task.

But watching the multiple stakes champion make his way to the winner's circle is a scene that never gets old for Tiller.

“They'll never be another one like him, and they'll never be another one close to him. I'm always trying to come up with a new phrase or new way to talk about him. It's hard, but I'll think of something soon. He's just a phenomenal animal and athlete. He's amazingly perfect. The more he wins, the more you realize that.”

As does everyone who works with Tiller.

“The groom, the exercise rider, the hotwalkers – everybody loves him. No question. We're all very much in love with him.”

Win or lose this weekend, Pink Lloyd isn't ready to hang up his horseshoes for now.

“The party, it's still on,” said Tiller.

Trainer Mark Casse sends out the trio of Blind Ambition, Not So Quiet, and Olympic Runner. A four-year-old son of Gio Ponti, Olympic Runner finished second, just a neck back of Pink Lloyd in the Bold Venture.

Multiple stakes placed Silent Jimmie, bred, owned, and trained by Paul Buttigieg, was second to Pink Lloyd in the Shepperton.

Trainer Barb Minshall won three straight editions of the Vigil, two with Kiridashi (1996-97) and the other with Sea Wall (1995).

Post times for the Thoroughbred racing programs on Friday, Sept. 4, and Saturday, Sept. 5 at Woodbine Racetrack have been shifted earlier to 12:50 p.m. ET. Sunday's first race post time will remain unchanged (1 p.m. ET).

The Vigil is slated as race nine on Saturday's 11-race card. First post time is 12:50 p.m. Fans can watch and wager on all the action via HPIBet.com.

FIELD FOR THE GRADE 3 VIGIL STAKES
POST – HORSE – JOCKEY – TRAINER
1 – Silent Jimmie – Daisuke Fukumoto – Paul Buttigieg

2 – City Boy – Davy Moran – Mike Keogh

3 – Not So Quiet – Emma-Jayne Wilson – Mark Casse

4 – Malibu Secret – Sahin Cavici – Martin Drexler

5 – Eskiminzin – Darryll Holland – Carlos Grant

6 – Olympic Runner – Kazushi Kimura – Mark Casse

7 – Pink Lloyd – Rafael Hernandez – Robert Tiller

8 – Blind Ambition – Patrick Husbands – Mark Casse

9 – Roaring Forties – Justin Stein – Daniel Vella

The post ‘Never Be Another One Like Him’: Pink Lloyd Could Surpass $2 Million Mark In Vigil Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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‘It’s A Fairy Tale’: Canadian Star Pink Lloyd Flies The Banner For Carey’s Breeding Program

It is every Thoroughbred breeder's dream to find that perfect match of mare and stallion, a union that will not only produce a good racehorse, but boost business at the annual yearling sales.

John Carey has been perfecting the Ontario breeding, sales, and stallion business for some 40 years and his T.C. Westmeath Stud in Shelburne is firmly established as one of the most successful in the country.

He has bred stakes winners, sold stakes winners, and brought some of the best stallions in Ontario racing history to the province.

All impressive accomplishments indeed.

But above all that, Carey will forever be known as the breeder and consignor of one of the greatest sprinters in Canadian racing lore, the remarkable Pink Lloyd.

Purchased for $30,000 at the 2013 Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society's Canadian Premier Yearling sale at Woodbine racetrack, he recently won his 22nd stakes race when he bulled his way through rivals to take the Grade 3 Bold Venture Stakes Aug. 15 at Woodbine.

In fact, for four years since he made his career debut in August 2016, the tall and leggy “Lloyd” has rolled through stakes victories for the ownership group Entourage Stable and trainer Robert Tiller, piling up purses that are just $23,000 (CAD) shy of $2 million.

He is second only to Grade 1 winner Heart to Heart (American-based earner of $2.038 million) as the richest CTHS sales graduate in the long history of the sale and he's gaining quickly on that fellow.

“He is something, isn't he?” Carey said after watching “Pinkie” overcome a bit of a crowded journey to win the Bold Venture. “It's a fairy tale. You can never know when you breed them that one could be this good.”

Pink Lloyd, a son of Carey's amazing stallion Old Forester (Forestry) from the mare Gladiator Queen, a daughter of one of Carey's first stallions, Great Gladiator, is three-for-three in 2020 as an 8-year-old in what is likely his last season of racing.

Following his Bold Venture victory, Tiller said, “He's eight years old; these are 4-year-olds and 5-year-olds and he just keeps doing it and doing it. I just cannot believe a horse could stay this good in every season of the year and keep winning. He's a blessing.”

Pink Lloyd's exploits, including his eight-for-eight campaign in 2017 that netted him Canadian Horse of the Year, champion sprinter and champion older male honors, have also provided Carey, wife Doris and twin sons Tyler and Trevor with the ability to continue doing what they love: breeding and selling racehorses.

Carey, an eighth generation horseman from Ireland, has bred dozens of stakes winners in addition to Pink Lloyd and in his latest stakes-caliber runner, Forester's Fortune, is another super advertisement for Old Forester.

Forester's Fortune, produced from the mare Nursery Song by Beau Genius, did not reach his $12,000 reserve at the 2018 CTHS sale and was later acquired by the late Laurie Silvera. As a 2-year-old in 2019, Forester' Fortune was third in the Victoria Stakes and this year, racing for Silvera's widow Claudia and Archie Lee, Forester's Fortune was second in the Greenwood Stakes at Woodbine. His earnings have gone past $100,000.

Carey's 2020 Canadian Premier Yearling Sale consignment of almost two dozen yearlings includes some well-bred youngsters by Old Forester. Carey's young stallion-on-the-rise, Souper Speedy, is also well represented in the sale.

Will another Pink Lloyd come out of this year's sale? That would be difficult to envision, but what the powerful and popular gelding has done for Carey, and Ontario racing, is shown the world that great racehorses can be found in Ontario.

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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.”

The post Now 8, Pink Lloyd is ‘Better Than Ever’ appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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The Beat Goes On: Shepperton Win Gives Pink Lloyd 21st Stakes Triumph

The incomparable Pink Lloyd deployed his usual tactics, powering past the competition in the stretch to add more hardware to his collection as he won the 45^th edition of the $100,000 Shepperton Stakes on Thursday at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario.

Winning his third Shepperton title, Pink Lloyd ties Paso Doble with the most wins in the main track stakes event, which has been run at a distance of 6 1/2 furlongs for all but two editions.

The Robert Tiller trainee also won this race in 2017 and 2019, and finished third in 2018. Paso Doble took the 2011, 2013 and 2014 events.

Carrying a field height weight of 128 pounds, Canada's reigning three-time Champion Male Sprinter stalked the leaders along the rail before jockey Rafael Hernandez maneuvered him outside in the stretch and took off.

Stopping the clocked in 1:16.44 nearly two lengths in front, Pink Lloyd paid $2.60 to win as the overwhelming 1-9 favorite in the six-horse field. There was no place or show wagering.

Early trailer Silent Jimmie chased the champion home and got up for second just ahead of the front-runners, Dun Drum and Not So Quiet, who had set fractions of :23.25 and :45.88. Magical Man and Souper Success completed the order of finish.

“He's got the heart and desire to be probably the best sprinter in Canada the last 50 years,” said Tiller, who has won the Shepperton a record six times for a trainer. “He is amazing. He was in trouble all the way. We got the box trip with the one-hole, and it worked out well. Rafii waited and waited.”

“We're very proud of him and I love him dearly,” said the Hall of Fame horseman.

Bred by John Carey and owned by Entourage Stable, the 8-year-old Ontario-bred son of Old Forester now boasts 24 career wins from 29 starts and is approaching the $2 million mark in career earnings.

A 21-time stakes winner, Pink Lloyd previously put together an 11-race win streak in stakes action, beginning at the start of his 2017 Horse of the Year campaign. Pink Lloyd's current streak is now at eight after going six-for-six in 2019 and winning a record fourth Grade 3 Jacques Cartier Stakes in his season's debut on June 25.

“Last time, he gave me a little hard time – he had to work hard to get there – but after the race, I told Bob, 'Now he's ready 100 per cent,'” said Hernandez. “He showed up today. He just broke out of the gate, sat behind good and he just did the best thing he knows how to do… he just switched the lead in the stretch and 'let's go.'

“He knows how to do it, he knows how to win.”

And so does Hernandez, who is the leading rider at the 2020 Woodbine meet and won half of Thursday's eight races.

Live Thoroughbred racing continues, without spectators, on Friday at Woodbine Racetrack. Post time for the first of eight races is set for 1 p.m.

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