Singing a Winning Tune

Around Woodbine Racetrack and to an even greater extent the Canadian Thoroughbred racing geographical landscape, everyone knows Pink Lloyd (Old Forester).

He's the people's horse, the one who is riding a seven-race win streak, all of them stakes at Woodbine, and is a serious contender for the 2017 Canadian Horse of the Year Honors. Overall, the 5-year-old gelding has won 10 of 12 career starts–he only started racing in August 2016 because of numerous setbacks–and has earned $551,752. The winning skein includes the GIII Vigil S. and the Overskate S. last time Oct. 29.

Owned by Entourage Stable, Pink Lloyd is scheduled to close out his 2017 campaign at Woodbine in the Nov. 25 GII Kennedy Road S., a race in which he finished second last year..

Produced by the Great Gladiator mare Gladiator Queen, Pink Floyd may be the only Canadian-based horse to go undefeated on the season in strictly stakes races at one track. Lou Cauz and Curtis Stock, both Canadian racing historians, couldn't recall any other horse that fits into this unique category.

“That is rare,” Cauz said. “To win that many stakes races (in Canada), I've just never heard of it.”

It is certainly a first for trainer Bob Tiller, who has been in the sport 47 years.

“I've never had one that has won seven stakes in a row,” Tiller said. “He carried 126 pounds the last couple races. It's magic. It's a dream. We're blessed.”

Tiller continued, “It's a great thrill to have him. Whether he wins his eighth in a row or loses, he'll be back next year and I think he'll be in good enough shape to win plenty more stakes.”

Frank Di Giulio Jr., who is in his 31st year owning horses and is the person who put together the Entourage Stable, is equally overjoyed.

“I've never seen anything like this right up close and in our backyard,” Di Giulio said. “For him to do it all in stakes, I can't think of anything like that, not around these parts.”

In addition to Di Giulio, who has held several noteworthy titles in the Canadian Thoroughbred horse racing industry, Entourage Stable includes Ed Longo, John Peri, John Lucato and Victor Mele. Collectively they anted up $200,000 in 2010 to start up the group with the intent of buying yearlings and claimers. Except for Di Giulio, the other members of the group were first-time owners.

“They showed an interest and knew I owned horses, so it was a new way of funding purchases and they wanted to be part of it,” said Di Giulio, who knew all of the partners beforehand as friends, acquaintances or relatives.

They purchased Pink Lloyd at the 2013 Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society Premier Yearling Sale for $28,446. Bred by John Carey, he was immediately gelded, which Di Giulio routinely does upon purchase, especially for that type of purchase amount.

“We never dreamed he'd be as good as he turned out to be,” Di Giulio said. “You hope you can get a horse that can run and win races… That's what basically what attracted us to him.”

One of the members of the group, who is a fan of the Entourage TV series, put forward the name Pink Lloyd, using the Lloyd from one of the show's character.

“You couldn't get Pink Floyd, so he ended up with Pink Lloyd,” Di Giulio said. “It's a combination of a rock group and one of the characters in Entourage.”

Pink Lloyd certainly tested his owners' and trainer's patience because he worked well, but was consistently sidelined because of what Tiller calls “aches and pains.”

“It was one thing after another,” Tiller said. “Everything from curbs on his hocks to a hairline fracture of his tibia. He just seemed to want to go sore. He was like a big baby that didn't like pain. We went through hell with him. We always knew he could run from day one–he always wanted to go after horses in the morning–but he made us wait. Patient owners really help. These people are really patient. We stopped on him four times.”

“You knew he had talent,” Di Giulio added. “It was just a matter of staying sound long enough to run and he showed it. Having a 4-year-old that hasn't started yet until August was a little trying.”

Because of the stakes program at Woodbine, Tiller and Di Giulio never entertained any thought of racing the horse at another track. They took it one race at a time.

“Hall of Famer Lou Cavalaris, whom I have total respect for as far as a horse trainer in Canada, once said to me, 'Son, this is game of details and a management game, and when you've got a good one you've got to manage it right,'” Tiller said. “You're doing this in all different kinds of climates on a very tough track on which to win. On a synthetic surface, I can't remember the last horse that's won seven in a row. There's a lot of different seasons involved and aches and pains and headaches. He's survived all that this year.”

Di Giulio said running Pink Lloyd in the Breeders' Cup was never really considered. He said having to pay a supplemental fee of $150,000 and lose out on stakes races at Woodbine did not make financial sense.

“It wasn't going to happen with that cost, no,” Di Giulio said. “You're not only risking money, you're also giving up a chance to win money here and it didn't make sense. Everybody dreams of running in the Breeders' Cup, but the situation just didn't make sense this year.”

Di Giulio and Tiller are realistically looking at Pink Lloyd for Horse of the Year. They had a previous Canadian Horse of the Year in 2001 with the homebred Win City (Slew City Slew), who won the Prince Of Wales S. after placing second in the Queen's Plate and posted six stakes wins that year.

“Win City was special because my dad and I bred him, but to have a horse like him if he is fortunate enough to go undefeated and after all we've been through with him, he'd be just as special,” Di Giulio said. “To be able to be a part of a Horse of the Year doesn't happen every day. Win City is 2001 and this is 2017, so it's not like it happens every year. They are both special in their own way if it were to happen.”

One thing is for sure: Pink Lloyd has certainly become a fan favorite.

“I've never had more people come up to me and comment on a horse,” Di Giulio said. “They are people that recognize me from being around the track and there are some people I don't even know. I think the name has a lot to do with it. If he was a $10,000 claimer it would be a cute name and people would look at the program and think it would be funny, but the fact it's a play on words to a famous rock group and he's become what he is, I really do believe he has become a fan favorite. It's not like people make money betting on him because he's usually 1-5 or 2-5, but I think he does have a following where people are cheering for him, which is nice to see.”