Kingsport, sent to post at odds of 18-1, took down his sixth career stakes score while putting an end to the win streak of Canada’s Horse of the Year, Pink Lloyd, with a rallying performance in Sunday’s $100,000 Shepperton Stakes, at Woodbine.
Trained by Sid Attard for Goldmart Farms and Royal Laser Racing Inc., the six-year-old son of Milwaukee Brew was taking his second Shepperton Stakes, a 6 ½-furlong Tapeta sprint for older horses, having previously won the 2016 edition.
Pink Lloyd, bet down to 1/9, brought an 11-race win streak to the Shepperton and was quick out of the gate under Eurico Rosa da Silva to battle through splits of :22.43, :44.86 and 1:09.27 with speedy Boreal Spirit. Pink Lloyd put away Boreal Spirit down the lane but Kingsport, last of five at the half-mile call under Patrick Husbands, made up 6 ½-lengths from the top of the stretch to win by 1 ½-lengths. Jacks Escarpment headed Pink Lloyd at the wire for place. Kingsport stopped the clock in 1:15.61.
Kingsport turned back from a pair of fourth-place runs in route races to secure his first win of 2018.
“Actually, this was the first year that he got a chance to train early in the spring,” Husbands said. “He never ran a jump in his last race, so Sid decided to cut him back. My game plan was that there was going to be speed up front, and give him one run. He gave me 110 (percent) today.”
Attard, just two wins shy of 2000 for his career, praised Kingsport’s versatility.
“He can do whatever you want. It just depends on how the race goes,” said the veteran conditioner. “When I saw him so far back, I wasn’t nervous. I knew he was going to come (with a run). I didn’t know if he was going to get there like he did, but Patrick really gave him a good ride. We’ve had a lot of good luck. He’s won a lot of big races for us.”
Da Silva, a multiple Sovereign Award champion, took the defeat in stride as Pink Lloyd’s unprecedented all-stakes Woodbine win streak came to an end.
“The horse has won a lot of races for me, I’m not going to be upset because we lost today,” said da Silva. “Bad luck that my horse broke too sharp and when I tried to take him back he was fighting me and I let him run. I made that decision and I had to live with it.”
Kingsport, bred in Ontario by Richard Moylan, banked $60,000 in victory while improving his record to 8-7-3 from 26 career starts.
He returned $39.10 for the win and fronted a 1-4 exacta with Jacks Escarpment worth $95. Pink Lloyd completed a 1-4-5 trifecta worth $112.60. San Nicola Thunder and Lokinforpursemonee were scratched.
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