September, 2023 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Patches O’Houlihan Takes Vigil By Nose To Stay Unbeaten This Year

Patches O'Houlihan, under Daisuke Fukumoto, fended off a furious late charge from a pair of rivals to take Saturday's $150,000 Vigil Stakes (G3), one of four stakes on Turf Champions Day at Woodbine.

A 3-year-old son of Reload out of Maythefourthbwithu, by Silent Name (JPN), Patches O'Houlihan arrived at the six-furlong main track race for 3-year-olds and up with five straight wins to his name.

The bay gelding had to work overtime to keep the streak going.

Rockcrest, breaking from the inside post, was joined quickly on the front end by Patches O'Houlihan, the duo taking their six rivals through an opening quarter in :22.31, followed by My Buddy B and Last American Exit.

It was Rockcrest who held a head advantage over Patches O'Houlihan at the half-mile juncture reached in :44.32, as Last American Exit moved into third, a head in front of My Buddy B, as the pace noticeably quickened into the turn for home.

Rockcrest dug in gamely along the rail, while Patches O'Houlihan and Fukumoto ratcheted up the pressure to the outside. Last American Exit, at 31-1, and Secret Reserve, at 12-1, arrived on the scene late and took dead aim on the dueling frontrunners.

At the wire, Patches O'Houlihan bested Last American Exit by a nose. Secret Reserve was a further head back, with Rockcrest another neck behind in fourth.

The final time for six furlongs on the Tapeta was 1:09.16.

“This horse likes the company,” said Fukumoto. “Today, he was pretty quiet, but was real sharp last time. He was calm today and followed the inside horse nicely. When the stretch came, I had confidence because he likes company.”

Bred and owned by Frank Di Giuilio Jr. and trained by Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame inductee Robert Tiller, Patches O'Houlihan is now 7-0-0 from eight starts. It was fourth stakes triumph and second straight graded win for the Ontario-bred, who arrived at the Vigil off a 1 ¼-length victory in the Bold Venture (G3) on August 20.

He paid $4.40 for the win.

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Canterbury’s Final Card Of Year Cancelled After Three Races

The final program of Canterbury Park's 53-day season ended abruptly after the running of the third race when jockeys deemed both racing surfaces, dirt and turf, unsafe. Rain in the Shakopee, Minn., area over the preceding 24 hours soaked the main and turf tracks.

The riders originally refused to race on the main track and agreed that remaining races following the first two over the turf could be moved to the grass course. Race one and two were originally scheduled for the turf and were run over a yielding course. The third race, carded for the main track, was transferred. Following the running of the third the jockeys determined that course too was not safe and the remaining 10 races were cancelled.

Of those 10 races cancelled were the $50,000 Tom Metzen H.B.P.A. Sprint and the $50,000 Shakopee Juvenile.

Harry Hernandez, with 51 wins, was the leading thoroughbred rider for the second consecutive season. Joel Berndt won the thoroughbred training title with 52 wins. Bob Lothenbach's Lothenbach Stables, Inc. won 48 races and $1,223,352 in purse money. This was the fourth consecutive title for Lothenbach.

Tom Maher was leading quarter horse owner for the third consecutive season. Edwin Escobedo was leading quarter horse jockey, a title he has held since 2020. Jason Olmstead won his ninth consecutive quarter horse training title.

Doctor Oscar, owned by Pete Mattson and trained by Tim Padilla was voted Horse of the Meet. The 4-year-old Minnesota bred colt won three races from four starts including the 10,000 Lakes Stakes, the Crocrock Minnesota Sprint Championship and an open-company allowance.

Canterbury Park's 2023 Horse of the Year and divisional champions:

Horse of the Year – Doctor Oscar (owner: Peter Mattson : trainer: Tim Padilla)
Sprinter – Doctor Oscar (owner: Peter Mattson : trainer: Tim Padilla)
Older Horse – Doctor Oscar (owner: Peter Mattson : trainer: Tim Padilla)
Older Filly or Mare – Midnight Current (owner: Lothenbach Stables, LLC : trainer: Joel Berndt)
Grass Horse – Midnight Current (owner: Lothenbach Stables, LLC : trainer: Joel Berndt)
Three-Year-Old Colt or Gelding – Jose Patio (owner: Barry and Joni Butzow : trainer: Mike Biehler)
Three-Year-Old Filly – Cupids Crush (Xtreme Racing Stables, LLC : trainer: Mac Robertson)
Two-Year-Old – Relentlessly Fast (owner: Tom Maher : trainer: Tyler Stein )
Claimer – Lock It Down (owner: Esteban Martinez: trainer: Esteban Martinez)
Quarter Horse – Relentlessly Fast (owner: Tom Maher : trainer: Tyler Stein )

Leading Thoroughbred Jockey: Harry Hernandez 51 wins

Leading Thoroughbred Trainer: Joel Berndt 52 wins

Leading Thoroughbred Owner: Lothenbach Stables, Inc. 48 wins

Leading Quarter Horse Jockey: Edwin Escobedo 12 wins

Leading Quarter Horse Trainer: Jason Olmstead 15 wins

Leading Quarter Horse Owner: Tom Maher 10 wins

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Search Results Leads All The Way In Locust Grove

Search Results, the 9-5 favorite owned by Seth Klarman's Klaravich Stables Inc., set moderate early fractions and led every step of the way in Saturday's 39th running of the $400,000 Locust Grove (G3) for fillies and mares at Churchill Downs on her way to a 3¼-length triumph over Hidden Connection.

Ridden by Tyler Gaffalione and trained by Chad Brown, Search Results went right to the front from post position No. 4 and rattled off fractions of :24.30, :48.16 and 1:11.83 with Hidden Connection in close pursuit to her outside. The reasonable early pace meant Search Results would have plenty left for the stretch run and she responded with the comfortable win – her first victory since winning the Grade 3Molly Pitcher at Monmouth Park in July 2022.

Search Result's clocking for 1 1/16 miles over a fast track was 1:42.40 – the fastest in 10 runnings of the Locust Grove over the surface and distance, eclipsing Kentucky Oaks winner Shedaresthedevil's 2021 mark of 1:42.86.

“She ran a great race today,” Gaffalione said. “I just sort of inherited the lead and she settled really well. In the stretch when I asked her to quicken, I had a lot of horse beneath me.”

Search Results, a 5-year-old Kentucky-bred daughter of Flatter out of the Candy Ride (ARG) mare Co Cola who was bred by Machmer Hall, returned $5.74 for the win. Misty Veil finished third, 4 ¼ lengths behind Hidden Connection.

Pauline's Pearl was fourth and was followed by Le Da Vida (CHI), A Mo Reay, Falconet, Soul of an Angel and Fannie and Freddie. Music Street and Royal Take Charge were scratched.

The victory was worth $238,560 to Search Results and increased her earnings to $1,903,810 with a record of 7-3-5 from 16 starts. This was her sixth stakes win and fifth against graded stakes company. She won the 2021 Acorn (GI) at age 3.

“We got Search Results in earlier this week from the New York string and she settled in well to her surroundings here,” said Josh Flores, who oversees Brown's Kentucky string at Churchill Downs. “She's very professional and ran a great race on the lead today. I'm not sure what will be next for her but we're very proud of the way she ran today.”

The Locust Grove is named after the 1790 Georgian mansion in Louisville that played home to ancestors of Churchill Downs founder Col. M. Lewis Clark.

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Grade 1 Winners Taiba, Zandon, Arabian Lion To Stand At Spendthrift Farm In 2024

Spendthrift Farm has announced it will be adding Grade 1 winners Taiba, Zandon and Arabian Lion to its stallion roster for the 2024 breeding season.

“We are really excited to be bringing in three new stallion prospects of the caliber of Taiba, Arabian Lion, and Zandon for the 2024 breeding season,” said Spendthrift general manager Ned Toffey. “All three are superior physicals, and all three displayed immense talent in winning some of America's biggest 3-year-old races on dirt. Obviously, the Breeders' Cup is ahead and some of them will be looking to finish strong. These are the kind of stallion prospects we have looked to bring in and will continue to try to bring in at Spendthrift.”

Taiba was a leading 3-year-old in North America a year ago, knocking down victories in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby, G1 Pennsylvania Derby and G1 Malibu Stakes for Zedan Racing Stables. A $1.7 million 2-year-old purchase, the talented chestnut is the only son of Gun Runner with three Grade 1 wins. Out of the 14-time stake-winning Flatter mare Needmore Flattery, Taiba has earned $2,356,200.

Zandon was also a leading sophomore in 2022, impressively winning the G1 Blue Grass Stakes and finishing third in the Kentucky Derby as one of the race favorites. As a 2-year-old, Zandon broke his maiden at six furlongs on debut at Belmont before finishing runner-up by a nose to classic winner Mo Donegal in the G2 Remsen Stakes in just his second start. This year, Zandon has finished a good runner-up in the prestigious Met Mile and Whitney, and the striking dark bay colt is being pointed for the Sept. 30 G2 Woodward Stakes at Belmont. He has earned $1.92 million to date for owner Jeff Drown.

Three-year-old Arabian Lion roared onto the scene this spring with an emphatic win in the G1 Woody Stephens at Belmont, earning a gaudy 109 Beyer – the second fastest performance by a sophomore in 2023. Before that, the powerfully built chestnut son of Justify won the Sir Barton Stakes around two turns on Preakness day at Pimlico, and he's amassed earnings of $497,600 to date for owner Zedan Racing Stables.

Stud fees for all three horses will be announced at the end of their respective racing careers.

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