Entourage Stable's Pink Lloyd keeps rolling this year for Canadian Hall of Fame trainer Bob Tiller as the 5-year-old gelding adds the July 16 Vigil Stakes (G3) at Woodbine while picking up his first graded stakes.
Pink Lloyd is now perfect in four stakes races this year, winning the Jacques Cartier, New Providence, and Achievement stakes all over the Woodbine synthetic track prior to adding the seven-furlong Vigil. In a post race interview, Tiller stated Pink Lloyd was among the best sprinters he's ever had.
"This could be the best sprinter I've ever had," he said. “He is the best sprinter I've ever had. He's a wonderful horse and it's just an honor to have him. I was worried about all kinds of things today ... and he just proved me wrong again. He just went out there and did his thing. I love him."
The son of Old Forester has only two losses in his nine career starts, one of which was a runner-up finish to Stacked Deck in the Kennedy Road Stakes (G2) in November.
"I've been in his stall about four times today and probably 22 times in the last four or five days," Tiller said. "He's a gift from God, that's what I think. He's a monster. At the barn, he's difficult. He's a big boy and he loves to make you worry."
Carrying highweight of 124 pounds in the Vigil at odds of 1-5, Pink Lloyd broke alertly from post 3 and bounded to the lead under jockey Eurico Da Silva. Pressed by Great Wide Open, Pink Lloyd set fractions of :23.49, :46.08, and 1:09.98 through six furlongs.
On the turn, as Great Wide Open tired, Pink Lloyd fended off challenges from Western Elegance and Tale of the Nile. Coming off the turn he changed leads and accelerated to score by 2 1/4 lengths in a final time of 1:22.18. We Deer You closed for second.
"He ran very, very hard the last quarter," praised Da Silva. "You saw the end where he really kicked hard. He's a wonderful animal. He's amazing. You ride a horse like this and it gives you such a great feeling. I was frozen after the race."
The winner paid $2.50 and $2.10 with no show wagering. We Deer You returned $4.70 and Western Elegance stayed up for third.
Bred by John Carey in Ontario, Pink Lloyd is out of the stakes-placed Great Gladiator mare Gladiator Queen.
