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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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‘He Knows How To Win’: Pink Lloyd Wins 20th Stakes In 8-Year-Old Debut

Canada's reigning three-time Champion Male Sprinter Pink Lloyd kicked off his eight-year-old campaign with a record fourth straight victory in the $125,000 Jacques Cartier Stakes and recorded his 20th stakes win overall on Thursday at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Jockey Rafael Hernandez, who partnered with Pink Lloyd for his previous 1:08.05 track record victory in the 2018 edition of the Jacques Cartier, was reunited with the chestnut gelding for the 67th running of the Grade 3 six-furlong sprint.

Pink Lloyd, carrying 124 pounds, stalked three-wide just off the lead through fractions of :22.23 and :44.53 before taking over command down the stretch to score by two lengths in 1:09.61. Malibu Secret finished second off a ground-saving trip ahead of Not So Quiet while pacesetter Circle of Friends completed the finish order in the compact field of four.

“He broke well, he did his thing,” said Hernandez. “He's older, he knows how to win. He can come from anywhere, he just does his thing. He showed up today. He's one of the best, he does his job. He don't give up, never.”

Hernandez, who has competed against Pink Lloyd in 20 prior starts, noted it was nice to be aboard for the win instead of chasing the revered Old Forester gelding.

“That's right, you know how many times I've tried to figure out how I can put my horse in different positions to try to beat him,” said Hernandez. “The only way I can [win] is when I'm on him.”

Bred in Ontario by John Carey, Pink Lloyd now boasts 23 wins from 28 starts lifetime with his purse earnings soaring over $1.8 million for his Entourage Stable ownership group.

Hall of Famer Robert Tiller's beloved trainee now counts the Jacques Cartier grand slam among his impressive list of accomplishments.

“This is one of the greatest sprinters that's ever raced in Canada and I think his record speaks for itself,” said Tiller of the six-time Sovereign Award winner, who was named Canada's Horse of the Year in 2017. “He really has a lot of heart, a lot of desire. He wants to do it, he loves winning and I don't know if there will ever be another one like him… not for me, that's for sure.

“A lot of hard work at the barn, there's a lot of details that go along with him. But when you're standing here like this, it all works out. He's such a champion, such a sweetheart and I love him dearly.”

Sent postward as the overwhelming 1-5 favourite, Pink Lloyd paid just $2.50 for a $2 win ticket. There was no place or show wagering.

The field was reduced to just four starters with Dixie's Gamble scratched, making it one of the smallest fields that Pink Lloyd has faced.

Often scaring away the competition, he's conquered small four-horse fields on three other occasions but has successfully competed in a field as big as 12 horses when winning last year's Jacques Cartier Stakes. His initial Jacques Cartier win in 2017 was his first stakes victory and the start of an unprecedented 11-race win streak.

Essence Hit Man won three consecutive editions of the Jacques Cartier Stakes from 2011-2013.

Live Thoroughbred racing continues, without spectators, on Friday afternoon. Post time for the seven-race program is 1 p.m.

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Canadian Hall Of Famer Tiller Saddles 2,000th Career Winner

Canadian Hall of Fame horseman Robert Tiller celebrated a career milestone on Friday afternoon at Woodbine Racetrack near Toronto, Ontario, as he earned his 2,000th training win when Have a Souper Day crossed the wire on top in the seventh race.

With Rafael Hernandez aboard, the Tiller-owned 3-year-old Have a Souper Day ($2.90) wired the field of six for his first career win, clocking seven furlongs in 1:24.62. The Souper Speedy gelding prevailed by 1 3/4 lengths over first-time starter Beyond the Budget and Valuable Pillow.

Woodbine Entertainment made a special winner's circle presentation to Tiller following social distancing protocols currently in place because of the coronavirus pandemic.

“It's a great honor,” said Tiller, 70, of the milestone moment. “It's been a lot of years. The biggest thing I like about this is most of these starts were right here at home at Woodbine because I don't winter-race usually. I've been training [since the 1970s] and 2,000 wins is a wonderful honor. I just wanted to get it out of the way and I'm very, very honored and pleased.”

The multiple graded stakes winning trainer won his first race in 1972 courtesy of Royal Greek Ship and has since campaigned winners of more than $66.6 million in purse earnings. He has earned three Sovereign Awards as Canada's Outstanding Trainer (2001, 2003 and 2004) and the highest achievement in the sport as a 2008 inductee in the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame.

Tiller still manages a 45-horse stable that includes Canada's top sprinter Pink Lloyd, who will make his season's debut in Thursday's $125,000 Jacques Cartier Stakes (Grade 3) at Woodbine.

Live Thoroughbred racing continues at Woodbine without spectators on Saturday afternoon. First race post time is 1 p.m.

Feature on Robert Tiller.

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Canadian Champion Pink Lloyd Chasing Fourth Straight Score In Jacques Cartier Stakes

Multiple stakes winner and multiple Sovereign Award champion Pink Lloyd, with Rafael Hernandez in the irons, will make his eight-year-old debut in Thursday's Grade 3, $125,000 Jacques Cartier Stakes, at Woodbine.

Trained by Hall of Fame conditioner Robert Tiller and owned by Entourage Stable, Pink Lloyd, a 22-time winner from 27 starts, chases his fourth straight score in the six-furlong Jacques Cartier.

A victory would put the Ontario-bred son of Old Forester in the record books as the only horse to win four consecutive editions of the race. Pink Lloyd currently shares the mark with Essence Hit Man, an Ontario-bred son of Speightstown, who won the added-money race from 2011-13.

“That would be astronomical,” said Tiller, one win shy of 2,000 for his career. “There's really no word for it. There are no words for this horse, whether he wins or loses. I know he's going to run a big one. I've got him as ready as I can get him. He's a legend. If that [stakes record for wins] were to happen, it would be absolutely wonderful.”

While his stature as a fleet-of-foot sprinter and fan favorite remains unchanged, there will be one notable difference when Pink Lloyd takes to the Tapeta on Saturday.

His regular rider, champion jockey Eurico Rosa da Silva, called it a career at the end of the 2019 Woodbine campaign, finishing with 2,286 wins, including 249 stakes triumphs.

The seven-time Sovereign Award-winning rider will be tuning in to watch the Jacques Cartier.

“I will watch the race and I will say to Pink Lloyd, 'Just give your best, be safe, and I love you.' That's what will be in my mind when he loads into the gate,” said Da Silva.

Hernandez will now take over the reins of a horse that went undefeated in eights starts – all stakes – in 2017, en route to three Sovereigns, highlighted by Horse of the Year honors.

“It's not a new rider, it's an old rider,” said Tiller, of Hernandez (Da Silva was serving a riding suspension), who teamed with the chestnut to win the 2018 Jacques Cartier while also setting the track standard, 1:08.05, for six furlongs on the Tapeta. “He's won with the horse. It was a logical choice, a no-brainer to me.”

“For me to ride the horse back is a pleasure,” said Hernandez. “He's an unbelievable horse. The only time I was on the horse, he broke the track record. I feel good about that.

“I'm always going to do my best and try to win as many as we can. He knows how to run. He's an old horse and does everything by himself. He just needs somebody on him to make the race official. He's so good, he doesn't need anybody on his back. He can do everything. He broke good, he can get himself where he wants, and he knows when it's time to run. When he turns for home and he switches leads, he knows it's time to go and the next stop for him is the winner's circle.

“I appreciate the owners and Bob Tiller giving me the opportunity to ride him back and I'm going to do my best every time I get on the horse. I feel that horse is like Woodbine's horse. Everybody cheers for that horse every time he runs.”

In May, Pink Lloyd, bred by John Carey, was voted top male sprinter for the third straight year. Unbeaten in six stakes starts in 2019, he also won his second Sovereign as champion older male main track runner.

The gelding's sizable talent – and trophy haul – is matched by a big personality.

“His personality is ridiculous,” said groom Michelle Gibson, with a laugh. “I guess the best way to describe 'Pink' would be a grumpy old man. He is not a mushy, lovey kind of horse, except in his own way. You have to know him to appreciate when he's lovey-dovey. He is all class every day and extremely smart. He knows when it's entry day, race day or just a walk day. And he's very vocal. He lets you know he is the man. The way he comes out of the starting gate is pretty much the same as when he exits his stall to go train in mornings. He loves it. And when he is in his 'spot,' chilling, nothing is going make him move – not me or the boss. 'Pink' really only does what 'Pink' wants and of course we all allow it. So when you see him switch leads in the stretch and come flying down to the wire, you know that's because 'Pink' wants it.”

When asked for two words to describe one of Canada's most prolific sprint stars, longtime assistant trainer Tom Lottridge responded, “simply awesome.”

“This horse, he has given me more thrills and excitement than any other horse in my career,” said Gibson. “I cry every time he crosses the wire because he just does it with all heart and for the pure love of racing. I am honoured and blessed to be in his company every day. I would do anything for 'Pink' and he would do the same for me.”

Tiller is expecting another strong showing from his stable star in his season's debut.

“He's doing very, very well right now. I expect a big race. Sometimes he gets too sharp, and he gets goofing off around the gate, but he's been really good. And he's had a lot of training on the main track, which I think is going to help him. If he behaves himself, I think he's going to be very hard to beat.”

The Jacques Cartier is slated as race seven on Thursday's eight-race card. First post time is 3:45 p.m. ET. Fans can watch and wager on all the action via HPIbet.com and tune into Racing Night Live on TSN3 and TSN5 from 6-8 p.m. for live racing from Woodbine Racetrack and Woodbine Mohawk Park.

$125,000 Jacques Cartier Stakes (Grade 3)

Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer

1 – Malibu Secret – Emma-Jayne Wilson – Martin Drexler

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

3 – Circle of Friends – Patrick Husbands – Donald MacRae

4 – Not So Quiet – Kazushi Kimura – Mark Casse

5 – Pink Lloyd – Rafael Hernandez – Robert Tiller

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