Rafael Hernandez | Horse Racing Free Tips

Stalwart Pink Lloyd Gets Another Stakes Win In Ontario Jockey Club

Out of a mare named Gladiator Queen, perhaps Pink Lloyd should be known as the Gladiator King. The 9-year-old gelding, a fixture on the Woodbine Tapeta, outlasted a persistent Souper Hot in the stretch to take the Ontario Jockey Club Stakes by a neck at the Toronto, Ontario track.

From post two, Pink Lloyd took up position on the rail, a half-length off of Souper Hot inside the first furlong of the six-furlong stakes. Around the race's lone turn, Pink Lloyd pulled even with Souper Hot, poised to take over as frontrunner entering the stretch.

At the top of the straightaway, Rafael Hernandez gave Pink Lloyd the cue and eked out a short lead, but Souper Hot persisted, never allowing the favorite to get more than a half-length in the lead before fighting back. At the wire, Pink Lloyd had a neck on Souper Hot, with Told It All third.

The final time for the six furlongs was 1:09.52.

Pink Lloyd paid $3.10 and $2.10. Souper Hot paid $4.20. There was no show wagering.

Bred in Ontario by John Carey, Pink Lloyd is by Old Forester. Consigned by his breeder, the 9-year-old gelding was sold to Frank De Juilio, Jr., agent, for $28,446 at the 2013 Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society Canadian-Bred Yearling Sale. He is owned by Entourage Stable and trained by Robert Tiller. With his win in the Ontario Jockey Club, Pink Lloyd has two wins in four starts in 2021, for a lifetime record of 28 wins in 37 starts.

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Hernandez Heaps Praise On ‘Unbelievable’ Pink Lloyd Ahead Of Ontario Jockey Club

Multiple stakes winner and Canadian champion Pink Lloyd takes on five rivals in Sunday's $100,000 Ontario Jockey Club Stakes at Woodbine.

Bred in Ontario by John Carey and owned by Entourage Stable, the chestnut gelding, a 27-time winner, 24 of them stakes, arrives at the six-furlong Tapeta event for Ontario-sired three-year olds and up off his second straight Grade 3 Bold Venture Stakes score.

Trained by Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame inductee Robert Tiller, the nine-year-old son of Old Forester will once again have Rafael Hernandez in the irons.

“This horse, he's really strong and he can do anything you want from him,” said Hernandez. “He can get you in a good spot, but if you get into a tough spot, he can always find a way out. Last time, in the Bold Venture, there didn't appear to be much speed in the race. Was someone going to come and try to go with him fast early and then I wouldn't have anything left in the end, or were they thinking that he's a veteran horse and we'll let him go? Another horse tried to go for the lead, but he couldn't get to him. So, we had the lead and we went from there.”

A seven-time Sovereign Award recipient, including 2017 Horse of the Year honours, Pink Lloyd continues to be a fan favourite at the Toronto oval and beyond.

Hernandez, a lifetime winner of nearly 2,800 races, is one of Pink Lloyd's proudest supporters.

“He has so many stakes and he's a favourite horse of everybody, not just for me, not just for Bob Tiller, not just for his owner, but for the racetrack. I know people come to Woodbine just to see him.”

Being the pilot of Pink Lloyd is the ultimate adrenaline rush, said Hernandez.

“When you ride him, you don't feel yourself going fast because he spends so much time in the air. He has a big, big stride. He's unbelievable… he's push button. When you're in a race car and you push the nose and say, 'Bye-bye,' that's him. When you turn for home and push the button, it's, 'Bye-bye, come and get me.'”

Pink Lloyd's Sovereign bounty includes four consecutive (2017-2020) champion male sprinter trophies in and a pair of champion older male titles in 2017 and 2019.

He's recorded four consecutive victories in the Vigil Stakes and Jacques Cartier Stakes, along with three triumphs in both the Shepperton and Kenora.

Hernandez, who has 118 career stakes victories, hopes Pink Lloyd can add his lofty list of successes this Sunday.

“I talk to him, even before the race starts. I tell him, 'You take me where you want to go and do your thing. I'm going to wait for you to switch your lead and let you go.' When we go in the gate, I tell him to relax. He wants to go, but I take a hold and say, 'Not yet. Just hold on.' After the wire, we both breathe and I tell him, 'We did it, buddy. Good job.' Right now, I'm thinking about riding him in the race and it makes me smile. Every time I talk about him in an interview after the race, I tell them I am just a passenger. You need the horse to win the race. You can't say that you won the race. You need a good driver. With this horse, I am happy to be the driver.”

First post for Sunday's 10-race card is 12:55 p.m. The Ontario Jockey Club goes as race three. Fans can watch and wager on all the action with HPIbet.com and the Dark Horse Bets app.

$100,000 ONTARIO JOCKEY CLUB STAKES

Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer

1 – Told It All – Daisuke Fukumoto – Suzanne Drake

2 – Pink Lloyd – Rafael Hernandez – Robert Tiller

3 – Magical Man – Steven Bahen – Gail Hughes

4 – Souper Hot – Shaun Bridgmohan – Mike Mattine

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

6 – Forester's Fortune – Patrick Husbands – Rodney Barrow

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God Of Love, Fast Feet Make It A Casse Exacta In Cup and Saucer At Woodbine

Dual Hall of Fame conditioner Mark Casse hit the exacta with winner God of Love and runner-up Fast Feet in the 85th running of the $251,200 Cup and Saucer Stakes Sunday at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario.

While 7-2 choice Fast Feet set the early tone in the 1 1/16-mile turf classic for Canadian-bred two-year-olds, it was 7-1 stablemate God of Love, a son of Cupid, who finished strongest of all to take the spoils.

Fast Feet, bred and owned by Gary Barber, arrived at the Cup and Saucer off an impressive first-time out win in September, and looked sharp again, taking his 10 rivals through an opening quarter of :25:53, as Mentoring kept close tabs on the leader, with Dancin in Da'nile following in third. God of Love, with Rafael Hernandez aboard, was well back in the pack, sitting in ninth.

Fast Feet continued to set the pace, still operating on a half-length lead over Mentoring through a half in :50.44, as God of Love was still well back in eighth.

Heading into the final turn, Fast Feet began to pick up the pace and attempted to draw away from his pursuers. God of Love, ninth at Robert Geller's three-quarters call, still had plenty of work ahead of him.

After methodically picking off his rivals one by one, God of Love set his sights on his stablemate and began to carve into the former's lead, going on to secure a 1 ¾-length score in a time of 1:47.86 over a yielding E.P. Taylor Turf Course.

Stronger Together finished one length behind Fast Feet for third and Dancin in Da'Nile took fourth.

“I tried to get the times, tried to get closer, because I know the turf is soft and we didn't want to be stuck behind too many horses, but he refused to go early,” said Hernandez. “He said, 'Nah.' He was staying back, so I said we will try to make it in one run. I put him in gear, and he gave one run, and he came flying down the lane.”

The Ontario-bred returned $17.10 for the win.

Owned by Gary Barber and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, God of Love, bred by the late Bill Graham, was seventh as the favorite in his career bow, a 5 ½-furlong Tapeta race, on September 12 at Woodbine.

Hernandez, who teamed with Casse to win three races at Woodbine on Saturday, including the Overskate Stakes, thinks there are even better days ahead for the chestnut colt.

“He can go on both (surfaces). He just needs to go longer. The longer he goes, the better he's going to go.”

It was the sixth Cup and Saucer crown for Casse and his third straight.

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Not So Quiet Repeats In Overskate At Woodbine

Not So Quiet defended his Overskate Stakes title in impressive fashion Saturday at Woodbine Race Course in Toronto, Ontario.

Originally slated for 7 ½-furlongs on the Inner Turf, the Ontario-sired Overskate was changed to seven panels on the Tapeta after the Greater Toronto area saw steady rainfall on Friday evening through to Saturday.

Not So Quiet, under Rafael Hernandez, rained on everyone's parade in the Toronto oval's $100,000 feature.

Just as he did last year, the Mark Casse trainee arrived at the Overskate off a win in the Vice Regent Stakes.

It was longshot Derzkii, to the outside, and Not So Quiet who were running one-two, respectively, through an opening quarter of :23.02, but by the time the field of eight (Desolator was scratched) reached the half-mile marker in :45.76, Not So Quiet was a head on top.

Hernandez and the six-year-old son of Silent Name began to easily expand their lead around the turn for home. By the time the stretch drive got underway, Not So Quiet was already widening his advantage with ease and was volumes the best at the wire, winning by 3 ½-lengths in a time of 1:21.46.

Told It All rallied to finish second, Wave Baby was third and Derzkii was fourth.

Hernandez doled out high marks for the Heste Sport homebred who has enjoyed success at various distances and on different surfaces.

“He's nice. Last race [Vice Regent], he impressed me on the turf. He came running down the lane. It was the most impressive race he had so far. But he can do anything… he can do turf, he can do synthetic, he can be on the lead, come from off the pace. No matter how the race sets up for him, he finds a way to keep going.”

Not So Quiet, who paid $3.30 to win as the 3-5 second choice, is 8-0-2 from 16 career starts.

It was a big day for Casse, who won five races on the card: Similar Taste (Race 1), Ostracize (Race 2), Swot Analysis (Race 4), La Libertee (Race 5), and Not So Quiet (Race 9).

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