Canadian superstar Pink Lloyd reclaimed his Shepperton Stakes crown to earn his 20th career win for Hall of Fame trainer Robert Tiller on Sunday afternoon at the Toronto oval.
The 6-1/2-furlong main track sprint, with a purse of $100,000, was Pink Lloyd’s fourth consecutive stakes victory this year and Tiller proclaimed, “The party is not over!”
Sent postward as the overwhelming 1-5 favourite in the six-horse field with regular reinsman Eurico Rosa Da Silva aboard, the seven-year-old chestnut gelding stalked the leaders in third before making his move on the final turn and drawing off easily to win by 4-1/4 lengths in 1:15.40.
Pink Lloyd, who was carrying 127 pounds, returned $2.30 to his backers at the betting windows. There was no place or show wagering.
Dixie’s Gamble, the 9-1 second choice, finished a non-threatening second off a ground-saving trip while Spanish Express held off Marten Lake in a show photo after setting fractions of :22.55 and :45.42. Call Me Wally finished ahead of Jacks Escarpment to round out the field.
“He’s just having fun and running so relaxed,” said Da Silva in a post-race interview. “He did it very easy today.
“I’m just grateful to be a part of Pink Lloyd’s life. He’s such a great horse to ride, and to work with this man here [Tiller], there’s nothing better,” he added.
Pink Lloyd previously won the Shepperton in 2017 before finishing third to Kingsport in last year’s edition ending his 11-race win streak.
Bred in Ontario by John Carey and owned by Entourage Stable, the Old Forester-Gladiator Queen gelding boasts an outstanding career resume that includes 17 stakes wins, four Sovereign Awards including a Horse of the Year title for his perfect eight-for-eight campaign in 2017, a track record of 1:08.05 for six furlongs on the Tapeta set in the 2018 Jacques Cartier, and more than $1.5 million in purse earnings from 25 starts.
“This is his 17th stakes win and his 20th win. I don’t remember having any [other] horses close to winning 20 races,” said Tiller. “I’ve never had a horse win more than three or four or five stakes.
“I’ve been doing this for 48 years and I’ve never seen a horse at Woodbine run like him and you never will again in the sprint races.
“I’ve lost words for explaining what he is. We love him to death. He’s just one of the great loves of my life.”
Live Thoroughbred racing continues on Monday at Woodbine, with the first of nine races set to begin at 1:05 p.m.
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