Pink Lloyd game as ever in Jacques Cartier three-peat

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Pink Lloyd, the 2017 Canadian Horse of the Year, ran down a sharp Extravagant Kid to capture Saturday’s Grade 3 Jacques Cartier Stakes for the third year in a row under Eurico Da Silva at Woodbine.

Pink Lloyd ($6.10) rated kindly in fourth on the backstretch in the six-furlong sprint, as Yorkton dueled with Wyatt’s Town through fast fractions. The Kentucky shipper Extravagant Kid came three wide from a stalking position to hit the front entering the stretch before Pink Lloyd wore him down in the final furlong for a one-length score.

Curlin’s Honor rallied for third, and longshot Glacier checked in fourth in the deep 12-horse field.

In his first start since a bleeding incident Oct. 27, Pink Lloyd covered the distance in 1:08.55. The quick clocking threatened his own synthetic track record of 1:08.05, which he established in last year’s Jacques Cartier.

“He’s very special,” said Da Silva. “He’s come back in great form. Only a champion could do that.”

A 7-year-old gelding by Old Forester, Pink Lloyd earned $90,000 of the $143,800 purse for Entourage Stable and trainer Robert Tiller.

“He’s got a very special place in my heart,” said Tiller. “He proved it again today that he’s just a fabulous animal. We’ve run into issues with him. We’ve worked on his issues. And here he is, winning this race for the third year in a row.”