Patches O'Houlihan looks to take down another Great Lakes stakes

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Patches O’Houlihan has a long way to go to match the accomplishments of trainer Robert Tiller’s remarkable champion sprinter Pink Lloyd, but there’s no telling how good the speedy son of Reload could be.

“He’s been a pleasant surprise, because he’s not a big work horse,” Tiller said. “We knew he was much better this spring. He got injured in his last start last year and was operated on right after the race.”

Patches O’Houlihan aims for his second straight stakes win in Sunday’s $100,000 Lake Superior, one of two six-furlong Ontario-sired turf stakes for 3-year-olds on the Woodbine card, along with the $100,000 Thunder Bay for fillies.

Patches O’Houlihan came from second to win the five-furlong Lake Huron Stakes over next-out allowance winner Silent Reserve on July 8, earning his second consecutive 89 Beyer Speed Figure. Daisuke Fukumoto will ride him again for owner/breeder Frank DiGiulio Jr.

“He’s a talented horse,” Tiller said. “I wouldn’t put him in the Pink Lloyd league just yet. He needs another 25 stakes [wins] to catch him. But we’re happy to have this guy.”

Trainer Steve Owens runs Poulin in O T in the Lake Superior and Souper Sunday in the Thunder Bay.

After a fruitful juvenile campaign that featured three stakes victories, Poulin in O T had knee surgery and got the winter off. He was third behind King’s Plate contenders Kaukokaipuu and Paramount Prince when exiting the sidelines in the June 11 Queenston Stakes and is coming off another third in the Lake Huron on the inner turf.

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Owens was content with the Reload gelding’s Lake Huron performance.

“The Lake Huron didn’t set up very well for him,” Owens said. “He was stuck with the one hole and [Silent Reserve] got to the front. Patches O’Houlihan got that position that we were looking for, so we had to come from further back. The tight turns didn’t help because he’s such a big horse. He had to wait for the straighten out in the stretch and come with his run.

“Now, we’re running on a wider turn on the [main course], which he has won on going seven furlongs. I think it will be a little fairer this time.”

Souper Sunday is seeking her fourth win in a row in the Thunder Bay. She used her tactical speed to beat $15,000 maidens in her season opener and then doubled up in a $25,000 conditioned claimer before notching her stakes debut going five-eighths in the July 8 Georgian Bay.

“Last year, she was a growing a 2-year-old with a lot of aches and pains,” Owens recalled. “We rushed her a little bit and ended up sending her to the farm. She came back in real good order. We took advantage of running her for $15,000 at the end of last year, and got to bring her back on waiver claiming, and then moved her up to the next level.”

Among the others entered in the Thunder Bay are Georgian Bay runner-up Flowers ’n Berries and stakes winner Anam Cara.

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