Filo Di Arianna holds off War Bomber in King Edward Stakes

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Favored Filo Di Arianna won the Grade 2 King Edward for the second time on Friday at Woodbine in a gritty display under replacement rider Sahin Civaci, who was subbing for Kazushi Kimura.

After breaking a little awkwardly, Filo Di Arianna ($3.30) went straight to the front and set a quick pace in the one-mile turf event. War Bomber, last year’s King Edward winner, loomed into contention on the turn and vied for the lead through the stretch before Filo Di Arianna dug in to win by a nose, in a time 1:34.07 over a good main course.

Secret Reserve finished third at 44-1 and was followed by Wicked Django, Cruden Bay, Like the King and Kaukokaipuu.

Filo Di Arianna won the King Edward in 2022, the same year he garnered two Sovereign Awards. Trained by Mark Casse, the 8-year-old Brazilian-bred banked $120,000 of the $207,600 purse for the partnership of Gary Barber, Wachtel Stable, and Peter Deutsch.

:: Bet the races with a $200 First Deposit Match + FREE All Access PPs! Join DRF Bets.

“Sahin said his foot had slipped all the way into the iron,” Casse said. “He was fixing it when they broke the gate, and he didn’t even have a hold of the reins. He said he was worried that maybe he went too fast down the backside, but he showed his greatness down the lane.”

The King Edward is a key prep for next month’s $1 million Woodbine Mile.

“That’s our target,” Casse said. “We’ll see how he comes out of this. I feel like if they were going to beat him, it was going to be today. I thought he was about 80 to 95 percent.”

Patches O’Houlihan wires in Bold Venture

Favored Patches O’Houlihan ($4.60) led all the way under Sofia Vives in the Grade 3 Bold Venture, scoring by a neck over a charging Playmea Tune.

Last year’s Canadian champion male sprinter, Patches O’Houlihan covered the 6 1/2 furlongs on Tapeta in a quick 1:14.90 while winning the Bold Venture for the second year in a row. Trained by Robert Tiller, the son of Reload earned $108,000 of the $174,600 purse for owner-breeder Frank DiGiulio Jr.

“Sometimes, I think he’s like a person – he’s very wise,” Vives said. “He knows where the wire is and he knows how to win. He has a lot of heart. He definitely showed that he’s a champion and he deserved to win this race two years in a row.”

:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.