Pink Lloyd must deal with revitalized Told It All in Ontario Jockey Club
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – One could view Sunday’s $100,000 Ontario Jockey Club Stakes at Woodbine as a David vs. Goliath matchup between former claimer Told It All and perennial Canadian champion sprinter Pink Lloyd in the six-furlong sprint for Ontario-sired runners.
The incomparable Pink Lloyd notched his 24th stakes win in the Grade 3 Bold Venture on Sept. 25. In a five-horse field without a front-runner, the 9-year-old established a slow pace with Lucky Curlin pressing him all the way. Pink Lloyd dug in through the stretch under Rafael Hernandez and prevailed by three-quarters of a length, earning a 92 Beyer Speed Figure in his first win of the year.
Trainer Robert Tiller said the plan was to make the lead with Pink Lloyd, even though it’s not his preferred trip.
“That’s not what he wants,” Tiller said. “He likes to run at horses. He’s a very competitive horse, but we had no choice. Raffie just rode his race. As soon as the gates opened, I knew he was going to make the lead. We didn’t want to get shuffled back, because there was really no speed in the race. I was worried about him making the lead and maybe waiting for horses and all that stuff. Anyway, it worked.”
Hernandez retains the mount on 124-pound highweight Pink Lloyd, who will be odds-on in a six-horse field.
Told It All has been one of the best claims at the meet. Victorious in a minor stakes last year, the 4-year-old tailed off badly in the fall and was scooped up from his season opener for a mere $9,500 by a partnership headed by trainer Suzanne Drake.
Told It All won the anchor leg of the Woodbine Turf Sprint Series with a 96 Beyer in his first start for Drake, but then spun his wheels over giving ground in a second-level allowance. Most recently in the Overskate Stakes for Ontario-sired stock on the Tapeta, he rallied wide from eighth to finish second to the runaway favorite Not So Quiet.
Despite the surface change, Drake said she wasn’t surprised to see Told It All rebound in the seven-furlong Overskate.
“He actually won a stakes last year on the Tapeta,” Drake pointed out. “He’s a neat horse. I’m proud of him. He’s really done well. We were just very lucky, I think, and you have to have some luck in this business.”
Drake credited one of her owners with the idea to claim Told It All.
“One of the owners in our group saw him in that day,” Drake recalled. “He beat our horse in the Elgin Stakes last year. He was first and we were second with Benlion. Long story short, we thought he was worth the money.”