Pink Lloyd will try to go out a winner in Kennedy Road Stakes

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Pink Lloyd’s final career start in Saturday’s $175,000 Kennedy Road Stakes at Woodbine is by no means an easy race. The 9-year-old gelding may not even be favored in the six-furlong sprint, a role that could fall to Souper Stonehenge, who has beaten the perennial Canadian champion male sprinter in all three of their meetings.

Souper Stonehenge and Pink Lloyd finished second and third, respectively, in last year’s Grade 2 Kennedy Road behind Souper Stonehenge’s Mark Casse-trained stablemate Ride a Comet.

Pink Lloyd began this campaign by finishing a troubled second to Souper Stonehenge in both the Grade 3 Jacques Cartier and Grade 3 Vigil. He employed front-running tactics in his last two paceless races, the Grade 3 Bold Venture and Ontario Jockey Club Stakes, winning both by a narrow margin with a 92 Beyer Speed Figure.

Trainer Robert Tiller, who announced Pink Lloyd’s retirement early this week, said the Entourage Stable runner is versatile in terms of running style.

“He’s a competitive horse who loves to run at horses,” Tiller said. “He can run from anywhere. He can lay first, second, third, or last.”

Rafael Hernandez, who was aboard for seven of Pink Lloyd’s remarkable 25 stakes scores, has the mount from post 5 in the nine-horse field.

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Souper Stonehenge is returning from a four-month break. Casse said he missed the Bold Venture on Sept. 25 due to a hoof problem.

“He had an abscess in his foot and couldn’t make the race,” Casse said.

Souper Stonehenge has been working right along, including a half-mile breeze in a bullet 47 seconds here Nov. 19. Patrick Husbands will ride him again for Live Oak Plantation.

Canadian champion male sprinter honors for 2021 could be settled in the Kennedy Road between Pink Lloyd and Souper Stonehenge. Avie’s Flatter, the other contender for the award, wasn’t entered.

Trainer Kevin Attard entered three, including Clayton and Lenny K.

On Oct. 17, Clayton returned from a one-year layoff to nose out Lenny K for the win in a second-level allowance. Both horses earned a 90 Beyer Speed Figure.

“He’d been training really good,” Attard said of Clayton. “I figured he was going to run a big race. He had a couple little setbacks early in the spring, and we had to be little more patient with him. We bided our time and gelded him. I think he’s just a better horse right now.”

Lenny K returned to win a second-level allowance on Nov. 7, when he rallied along a live rail to beat the favored Chicago shipper Richiesinthehouse.

“The way he’s been running, I wouldn’t discount him, that’s for sure,” Attard said.

Richiesinthehouse is debuting off a $62,500 claim by trainer Francine Villeneuve from trainer Larry Rivelli. Normally a front-runner, he missed the break on Nov. 7 before rallying to lose by a neck to Lenny K.