TORONTO, August 15, 2024 – Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame trainer Bob Tiller seemed to be genuinely surprised by the manner in which Patches O’Houlihan captured his seasonal bow in Woodbine’s July 28 Pink Lloyd Stakes.

Canada’s champion sprinter last year at age 3, Patches O’Houlihan simply ran his rivals off their feet that day while scoring by six lengths and appearing to be well within himself in that six-furlong Ontario-sired stakes named for the multiple champion sprinter and Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Famer who was a mainstay of the Tiller stable prior to his retirement at age 9 in 2021.

“It was the best Beyer (103) of his career, and to go out and do that in your first start, I was very impressed,” said Tiller. “But it was an Ontario-sired race, and we go into the wide-open tough company now.”

Patches O’Houlihan indeed will be moving into Grade 3 territory for Saturday’s Bold Venture, a 6 ½-furlong race which attracted seven older horses to compete for shares of $150,000.

But a similar step up was handled in stride last year by the Frank Di Giulio, Jr. homebred, who scored convincingly when leading throughout the Bold Venture in his graded stakes debut and doubled up at the same level when holding on by a nose in the six-furlong Vigil four weeks later.

Patches O’Houlihan drew the No. 3 post for Saturday’s tilt with apprentice Sofia Vives, who did the honours for the first time in the Pink Lloyd, retaining the mount.

“I wish he’d have drawn a little more to the outside, that he had a more comfortable clear post,” said Tiller. “But it is what it is.”

Patches O’Houlihan was undefeated in his first six starts last year, losing only when fifth in the Grade 2 Kennedy Road in his finale.

“He just didn’t seem to get hold of the track that day,” said Tiller. “The only other time he lost he chipped a knee, and we had to operate on him.”

That setback had come in the Bull Page, a seven-furlong Ontario-sired turf race in which Patches O’Houlihan ended a well-beaten sixth in what was his second appearance off a winning debut as a 2-year-old.

“He seems to be in really good order and we’re really looking forward to racing him,” said Tiller. “I think this is going to be his biggest challenge, and that horse of Josie’s really scares me.”

Tiller’s reference is to Playmea Tune, the 4-year-old Chiefswood Stables Limited homebred, trained by Josie Carroll, who has been very impressive in reeling off back-to-back victories since getting a belated start to career on May 24.

Playmea Tune had been with Carroll in Florida in the winter of 2023 when he suffered an injury which put a premature end to his season.

“We were very disappointed,” said Carroll. “We knew he was very talented and were hoping he would be our King’s Plate horse.”

Fast-forward to this spring and Playmea Tune justified the opinion of his connections with an 11-length maiden romp which was followed by a similar jaunt through his non-winners of two condition.

Now comes the acid test and the conditioner believes that the time is ripe.

“It’s a step up but at some point, he’s going to have to take it, and he seems ready,” said Carroll. “He’s doing really well.”

Rounding out the Bold Venture lineup will be the Mark Casse-trained pair of Capture the Lion and First Empire, I’m A Gambler, Ironstone, and Border Town.

Capture the Lion and First Empire, respective fourth and fifth-place finishers in the Grade 3 Connaught Cup over seven furlongs of turf last time out, also were nominated to Saturday’s King Edward at one mile on the E.P. Taylor turf.

“When you have horses like those two, there’s very few options,” said Casse. “When races come available, you’ve got to run. Both horses have good synthetic form.”

I’m A Gambler, a recent addition to the barn of trainer Kevin Attard, was a sharp winner in his first try over a synthetic surface in his second local appearance on July 25. The 5-year-old Irish-bred had been competitive in graded turf stakes when based in California.

Ironstone, versatile and talented, also was entered in the King Edward after finishing third in both the Connaught Cup and the Grade 3 Jacques Cartier over six furlongs on the all-weather surface.

Border Town, another genuine sort who is the Bold Venture elder at age 8, was supplemented to the race at a cost of $2,250.

Field for the Grade 3, $150,000 Bold Venture (Race 7)

Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer

1 – Capture the Lion – Sahin Civaci – Mark Casse

2 – Ironstone – Ryan Munger – William Armata

3 – Patches O’Houlihan – Sofia Vives – Robert Tiller

4 – Border Town – Leo Salles – Martin Drexler

5 – I’m A Gambler (IRE) – Pietro Moran – Kevin Attard

6 – Playmea Tune – Kazushi Kimura – Josie Carroll

7 – First Empire – Patrick Husbands – Mark Casse

Bill Tallon, for Woodbine Communications

The post Patches O’Houlihan looking to double up in Saturday’s Bold Venture appeared first on Woodbine Racetrack.