The King’s Plate, held on Friday, led into a big weekend of racing at Woodbine with numerous important races including preps for the Breeders’ Cup World Championships and lucrative stakes races for Ontario yearling sale graduates. Sunday’s four yearling sales stakes will kick off the CTHS Canadian Premier Yearling Sale celebration, highlighted by the sale at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, August 28. (See separate post for Yearling Sales Stakes results)
The remarkable PATCHES O’HOULIHAN (by Ontario sire Reload) dug in and beat the previously undefeated Playmea Tune in the Grade 3 Bold Venture Stakes at 6 1/2 furlongs on Plate day. It was the second straight win in as many starts for the speedy bay gelding who was the 2023 Champion Male Sprinter, following up his former barnmate, the great Pink Lloyd, who had won that award five previous years. Incredibly, Patches was bred and is owned by Pink Lloyd’s main owner, Frank DiGuilio Jr., and trained by Pinkie’s trainer Bob Tiller.
Patches O’Houlihan, out of the Silent Name (Jon) mare Maythefourthbwithu, has won nine of 11 races. He followed up his win in the Pink Lloyd Stakes (not kidding) when he earned a 103 Beyer Figure, with a 99 Beyer in his Bold Venture win.
The Ontario-bred two-year-old filly SHIFTY (Medaglia d’Oro – Elusive Luci by Elusive Quality) won her maiden in the $150,000 Catch a Glimpse Stakes at 6 1/2 furlongs on the turf for two-year-old fillies. Trained by Mark Casse for D J Stable and bred by Anderson Farms Ont. Inc, Shifty was making her second career start after a good fifth in her debut behind the gelding Cairo Caper.
Cairo Caper (Cairo Prince) won the Soaring Free Stakes for owner William Thompson, Jr. and trainer Nathan Squires earlier in the day, earning a 76 Beyer Figure for 1:16.25 for 6 1/2 furlongs on good turf. The Soaring Free is the local prep for the Grade 1 Summer Stakes.
Shifty earned an 85 Beyer for an impressive win under Sahin Civaci, speeding the distance in 1:15.68. The Grade 1 Natalma, like the Summer a Win and You’re In race for the Breeders Cup, will be next.
Also on Plate day, champion Turf Male and male sprinter of 2022, FILO DI ARIANNA (Brz), won the Grade 2 King Edward Stakes at one mile on turf despite throwing his head at the start. The chestnut eight-year-old was not ready as jockey Sahin Civaci was adjusting his stirrup and did not have hold of the reins, but the fleet gelding powered through a pace battle and held off War Bomber to win his sixth graded stakes race. The Mark Casse trainee will go in the Woodbine Mile (G1) next.
