The richest race on Fall Turf Showcase afternoon at Woodbine on October 5 was the Grade 2 Nearctic, one of the track’s longtime top sprint events worth $283.500.
The favourite, last year’s Champion Male Sprinter PATCHES O’HOULIHAN, was not a certainty to run in the race despite being three-for-three this year with two graded stakes wins. Tiller noted that the first time the son of Reload – Maythefourthbwithu ran on turf as a two-year-old in September 2022 he chipped a knee. It was one of only two races the chunky bay gelding has lost in his career.
But run he did and despite meeting a solid field of nine other crack sprinters and even while drifting badly through the stretch run, Patches held on to win by 1 1/2 lengths over ‘good’ turf in 1:09.49.
Under jockey Sofia Vives, who got the mount on the Frank DiGiulio Jr. homebred this year, Patches O’Houlihan was quickly in front out of the gate but had to contend with the Mark Casse-trained Bring Theband Home. The pair ran as a team around the turn but then Patches started lugging out late on the turn and Vives was trying hard to get him to corner.
By then, Ontario-bred US-based stakes winner Outlaw Kid came scampering up the rail to grab the lead under Sahin Civaci. Patches O’Houlihan continued to drift out through the stretch while Outlaw Kid lost momentum. Meanwhile, the Ed Vaughan trained Dhabab (Ire), who was tracking on the rail around the turn, was now in the 7 path in the stretch trying to rally, moving to the inside of Patches in deep stretch. At the wire, however, the champ held on while Dhabab at 21-to-1 landed second over Outlaw Kid and a closing War Bomber.
“I’m thinking, ‘where’s he going’?,” said Tiller. “I’m waiting for him to stop. For a couple of hours today I said I preferred to scratch him. This is so thrilling, I’m out in outer space.”
It was a fascinating win by Patches O’Houlihan who now has 11 wins in 13 career races, over $614,000 in earnings and is a candidate for the 2024 Horse of the Year honours.
Of course, comparisons had already begun a while back between Patches and his famous former stablemate Pink Lloyd, who is now retired at LongRun Thoroughbred Retirement Society. Fittingly, the Nearctic was sponsored by the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance.
“He’s a great horse,” said DiGiulio, who had a hand in deciding to give the gelding a try in the Nearctic. “I love him. Today was a huge thrill and relief more than anything, and he’s right up there with the rest of them. It’s like saying, ‘Which kid do you like better?’ I’m not doing that. He’s wonderful. He’s been a blessing.”
Patches O’Houlihan is by Ontario sire Reload, who has made a name for himself at stud. However, the Nearctic winner’s female family illustrates how much of a freak this gelding is. Mayforthefourthbwithu, a daughter of Ontario sire Silent Name (Jpn), was handy some with six wins in 15 races for $261,000, but her dam was a $3,500 yearling buy for DiGuilio and had only four other modest winners. Patches is the second foal to race of his dam and her third, the three-year-old May and June, debuted recently and was well beaten.
Up next for Patches O’Houlihan will be the Kennedy Road (G2) next month.
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