The venerable Pink Lloyd added yet another stakes victory to his brilliant career when prevailing over Souper Hot in the Nov. 7 CA$100,000 (US$80,277) Ontario Jockey Club Stakes at Woodbine.
Previous to the six-furlong occasion for Ontario-sired 3-year-olds and up, jockey Rafael Hernandez planted a kiss on Entourage Steady’s Pink Lloyd within the paddock. Throughout submit parade, the veteran rider gave the 9-year-old son of Old Forester a series of pats. At the end of the Ontario Jockey Club, Hernandez threw his arms around the sprint superstar for a huge embrace.
After what the champion chestnut has achieved, it’s straightforward to understand the rider’s heartfelt shows of affection.
Pink Lloyd, despatched off because the 2-5 selection, broke sharply from the gate and pressured Souper Hot from the inside, who took the six-horse field through a slow opening quarter in :23.37. Souper Hot continued to narrowly call the shots on the front end, holding a head advantage over Pink Lloyd as the pair clipped off a half-mile in :46:02. As the pace quickened into the turn for home, the front-running duo began to separate themselves from their rivals, as Souper Hot, on the outside, and Pink Lloyd, hugging the rail, commenced their tussle down the lane.
Pink Lloyd (right) wins the Ontario Jockey Club Stakes
On the wire, Pink Lloyd edged Souper Sizzling by a neck. The runner-up completed 1 1/4 lengths forward of Told It All .
The final time for the six furlongs on the Tapeta main track was 1:09.52. The chestnut gelding returned $3.10 for the win on a $2 bet.
“He was just playing with the other horse (Souper Hot),” said Hernandez. “He likes to fight all the time. He’s a 100% heart (this) horse. I know how special this horse is for the family and for Woodbine too. Everybody cheers for him. (Trainer Robert Tiller), he’s always got the horse 100% to the race, and he always shows up. He’s a great, unbelievable horse.”
It was a sentiment echoed by Pink Lloyd’s conditioner.
“It’s been a tremendous ride,” offered Tiller of the seven-time Sovereign Award winner. “I’ve always said it could end tomorrow and there would be no bad feelings. It would be sad that it’s over, but we’ll be very happy on other ends that it is over because five years of this hasn’t been easy. He’s just an absolutely amazing animal. He’s been great for Woodbine, he’s been great for Canadian horse racing. I just love him to death. He’s an icon.”
Pink Lloyd, bred in Ontario by John Carey, has earned $1,786,083 in his 37-start career. He was purchased for only the equivalent of $28,446 by Frank Di Giulio Jr., agent, from Carey’s consignment to the 2013 Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society (Ontario Division) Canadian-Bred Yearling Sale. Remarkably, he has found the winner’s circle in 28 of those starts, with 25 of those victories coming in stakes company. He is out of the stakes-placed Great Gladiator mare Gladiator Queen, whose most recent foal is a yearling full sister to Pink Lloyd named Just Pinky. The mare was reported bred to Old Forester for 2022.
As for the Ontario Jockey Club performance, Tiller added, “I know there’s going to be people that are going to say today this race wasn’t an impressive race. Well, wait until you see some speed in front of him and you’ll see what an impressive race you get from him.”
Video: Ontario Jockey Club S. (BT)
