Patches O’Houlihan ends eight-month layoff with Pink Lloyd triumph

ETOBICOKE Ontario - Reigning Canadian champion male sprinter Patches O’Houlihan ran a hole in the wind off an eight-month layoff to take Sunday’s $100,000 Pink Lloyd Stakes at Woodbine.

Patches O’Houlihan ($6.30) went straight to the front in his first race under Sofia Vives in the six-furlong sprint. He put away the pacepressing favorite Reload’s Rascal exiting the turn and then drew off in the stretch to prevail by six lengths, in a quick time of 1:09.13.

Longshots Souped Up and Rat Portage finished second and third, respectively. Mason’s Gamble, Secret Reserve, Last American Exit, Poseidon Steel and Reload’s Rascal completed the order of finish.

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“He’s a very promising horse,” Vives said. “It was a stellar performance. He came back as a champ, and that’s exactly what he is.”

Patches O’Houlihan was making a belated start to his campaign due to a bruised heel that he suffered in the spring, according to trainer Robert Tiller.

“He had an issue that was very time-consuming,” Tiller said. “I wasn’t even sure that we should run him in this race. He proved me wrong. I had the three half-miles him, but he had a lot of strong gallop-outs. He’s not a horse who talks to you in the morning. He’s not a good work horse, so you don’t know where you stand with him.”

Tiller trained Pink Lloyd for a partnership that included Patches O’Houlihan’s owner-breeder, Frank DiGiulio Jr. The son of Reload banked $60,000 in the second running of the race.

“This is amazing—to win the Pink Lloyd Stakes,” Tiller said. “You can’t write this script.”

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