O'Connor battles to hard-fought victory in Fayette

O’Connor, in October 2022, won his first race after being exported from Chile to America. It wasn’t until October 2023, on the last day of the Keeneland meet, that O’Connor won again, gutting out a narrow victory over Il Miracolo and Speed Bias in the Grade 2, $350,000 Fayette Stakes on Saturday.

The winning margin was a head, as was the gap between second and third, O’Connor coming home on the outside, Il Miracolo between horses, and Speed Bias along the rail.

Tyler Gaffalione put a bow on his fall-meet jockey title riding both a strong and patient race aboard O’Connor.

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Gaffalione was strong in the homestretch during the three-horse slugfest and patient at the half-mile pole as O’Connor, racing in traffic, got shuffled back second last into the far turn. Gaffalione kept his poise, giving his mount the confidence to knife into contention past the three-furlong marker and engage the leaders past the three-sixteenths pole. Speed Bias, who had pressed Twilight Blue through a half-mile in 47.48, held stoutly and Il Miracolo, stalking the leaders to the five-sixteenths pole, did not give an inch. The outcome remained uncertain until the final few strides, O’Connor putting his head down to end his six-race losing streak. O’Connor ran 1 1/8 miles over a fast dirt track in 1:50.61 and paid $12.92.

“He took everything that was thrown at him,” said Gaffalione. “Every time I asked him, he gave me more.”

There was a wide margin, 8 1/2 lengths, to fourth-place Twilight Blue, who faded badly after setting the pace, yet still beat four. Dash Attack was fifth, Law Professor sixth, and 23-10 favorite Trademark seventh with no apparent excuse. Happy American brought up the rear after a curious trip, while Film Star, King Fury, Giant Game, and Best Actor were scratched from the field’s main body. Also-eligibles Gasoline and Time for Trouble didn’t start, either.

Saffie Joseph trained his first winner of the meet in its second-to-last contest and going into the Fayette already had managed O’Connor through a productive if winless 2023 campaign. A Grade 1 winner in Chile, O’Connor turned heads with a sharp allowance win in his North American debut, but two races later bottomed out with an 11th-place finish in the Pegasus World Cup. The 6-year-old horse, by Boboman out of Torrente de Agua, by Touch Gold, had been building back toward a peak through the summer and hit it Saturday for owners Michael Iavarone, Julia Iavarone, and Fernando Vine Ode.

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