Two stakes race previews for this Saturday at Woodbine includes the Grade 3 Bold Venture and a super field for the Duchess Stakes.
Multiple stakes winner and seven-time Sovereign Award recipient Pink Lloyd looks to add to his illustrious career with a win in Saturday’s Grade 3 $150,000 Bold Venture Stakes at Woodbine.
Owned by Entourage Stable and trained by Hall of Fame conditioner Robert Tiller, 9-year-old Pink Lloyd, whose huge hardware haul includes Canada’s 2017 Horse of the Year honours, will take on five rivals in the 6 ½-furlong main track Bold Venture.
The chestnut son of top sire Old Forester comes into the race off back-to-back runner-up performances in the Grade 3 Jacques Cartier and Grade 3 Vigil, contested on June 20 and August 1, respectively.
“He’s like me, he’s getting old,” quipped the 71-year-old Tiller, who will also send out Reconfigure. “He was tons the best in his last race, and he should have won it easily. He was in tight – that’s the kind of luck I’ve had lately with three or four of my horses – and grabbed a couple of times. If you watch the replay, you’ll see how much the best he was.”
The gelding, who sports a record of 26-3-2 from 35 starts, is also one of the most decorated thoroughbreds to have ever raced at Woodbine.
His Sovereign trophy case also includes four consecutive (2017-2020) champion male sprinter trophies in Canada and a pair of champion older male titles in 2017 and 2019.
Add in four straight scores in the Vigil Stakes and Jacques Cartier Stakes, along with three triumphs in both the Shepperton and Kenora, and the veteran campaigner, bred in Ontario by John Carey, ranks as one of Canada’s all-time great equine stars.
“They’re not supposed to be running at the age of nine with the best horses in the country, sprinting against younger horses,” stated Tiller. “But he is. We’re taking another shot at it. We’ve had two seconds in two starts this year. We’re looking forward to running him and we’ll see how he runs. Any race could be his last race, there’s no question about that. But he’s doing really well.”
According to Tiller, it’s all system’s go for Pink Lloyd ahead of his latest engagement.
“He still acts like a four- or five-year-old. I’m really pleased with him. We’ll see what happens. If we get one more stake with him – he’s won so many of them – that would be amazing. Frank [Di Giulio], one of my great owners and great friends, said to me that we really wanted to win that race last time out. It didn’t happen because of traffic problems, but if we could win one more with him, just to prove how great this horse is… if that was meant to be that would be amazing. But the most important thing is that we’ll always do what’s right for him. We love him. He’s one of the greatest horses in the last 50 years.”
Tiller, who has 2,054 career wins, likes what he sees in his stable star ahead of the Bold Venture test.
“I think we’re going to run really, really, really big. He doesn’t know he’s nine. He’s happy, very happy. We’ve pointed him for this race, so let’s hope for the best, and that he runs his race.”
Pink Lloyd won last year’s Bold Venture in a time of 1:16.03.
The champ is set to retire at LongRun Thoroughbred Retirement Society in Hillsburgh , Ontario at the completion of this year’s racing season.
FIELD FOR THE BOLD VENTURE
Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer
1 – Magical Man – Luis Contreras – Gail Hughes
2 – Lookin To Strike (S) – Emma-Jayne Wilson – Mark Casse
3 – Cash Dividend – Kazushi Kimura – Denyse McClachrie
4 – Pink Lloyd – Rafael Hernandez – Robert Tiller
5 – Lucky Curlin (S) – Antonio Gallardo – Mark Casse
6 – Reconfigure – Patrick Husbands – Robert Tiller
Hazelbrook, a three-year-old daughter of Bayern, a brings a two-race win streak into her first stakes test, the $125,000 Duchess, Saturday at Woodbine.
Trained by Lorne Richards for Keith Johns’s True North Stable, the Kentucky-bred filly shows up at the seven-furlong test over the Toronto oval Tapeta in top form.
Under Jason ‘Jet Li’ Hoyte, Hazelbrook, after breaking outwards, flew past her rivals in a 6 ½-furlong main track race on September 4, going on to record a 1 ¾-length victory in 1:16.42.
One race earlier, the bay broke her maiden courtesy of a 4 ¼-length romp at six panels on the Tapeta in a time of 1:09.05.
Hazelbrook debuted last November at Woodbine, sent off at 68-1 in the six-furlong main track race. She rallied to finish third, eight lengths behind winner Drunk Dial.
It’s been anything but a straight path to the races – both last year and in 2021 – for the filly.
“She’s quirky,” said Richards, who won the 2010 edition of the Duchess with Sharp Secretary. “She’s had a couple trips to Guelph [veterinary clinic], dealing with colitis-type issues. She’s just a very quirky horse.”
Fortunately for Richards, Hazelbrook’s regular rider has managed to click with her.
“That’s how Jason ended up riding her,” noted Richards. “He worked for me for years, galloping, and she was kind of a bad actor. I didn’t get a lot of takers wanting to ride her. We finally got her onto the track and she dumped her rider the first time she was supposed to run, and she ended up getting scratched. She’s doing good right now and Jason has really put in the work with her.”
The filly remains a work in progress, both on and off the racetrack.
That said, Richards was high on the horse early on.
“I always liked her from the get-go, but she was just so quirky and tough to deal with. She’s gotten a lot better, so we’ll keep our fingers crossed that she doesn’t have any more trips to the clinic. That’s my biggest fear with her. I had her entered after she won, but she ended up spending eight days in Guelph. We ended up changing her diet and it seems to be working so far. Hopefully, all goes well on Saturday.”
Richards, who recently eclipsed the 400-win mark for his career, was equally impressed by both of Hazelbrook’s victories. After the third-place effort to launch her career, the veteran trainer was expecting a quality showing in her second and third starts.
“I felt pretty good about her going into both races. She drew the outside [post 10, in her first race], which is good for her, and she did have a wide trip, but didn’t get in any trouble. She ran another good one second time out too. I think she had a little bit left in the tank. It’s a step up on Saturday, but she’s doing well.”
FIELD FOR THE DUCHESS
Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer
1 – Lady War Machine – Patrick Husbands – Josie Carroll
2 – Jilli Marie – Steven Bahen – Katerina Vassilieva
3 – Hazelbrook – Jason Hoyte – Lorne Richards
4 – Lorena – Gary Boulanger – Stuart Simon
5 – Souper Munnings – Kazushi Kimura – Mark Casse
6 – Miss Speedy – Rafael Hernandez – Mark Casse
7 – Salty as Can Be – Emma-Jayne Wilson – Mark Casse
8 – Aug Lutes – Antonio Gallardo – Michael Trombetta
9 – Bellissime – David Moran – Brendan Walsh
10 – Sweet Souper Sweet – Luis Contreras – Michael Trombetta
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