Reigning Canadian Horse of the Year Patches O'Houlihan was humanely euthanized July 10 due to the effects of a soft tissue injury sustained by the 5-year-old gelding in winning the June 28 Highlander Stakes (G2T) at Woodbine.
Frank Di Giulio Jr.'s homebred son of Reload grittily took the Highlander by a neck over My Boy Prince in a final time of 1:08.39 for six furlongs over a good turf course despite bearing out significantly and being pulled up by jockey Sofia Vives following the race.
The Highlander marked the sixth graded victory for Patches O'Houlihan, who won 13 of 16 starts and earned $853,848 during four years of competition for trainer Bob Tiller. In addition to Canada's top racing honor, the gelding was back-to-back Canadian champion male sprinter in 2023 and 2024.
Bred in Ontario, he was produced from Di Giulio's mare Maythefourthbwithu, a daughter of Silent Name .
In announcing that the Canadian champion had been euthanized, Woodbine released the following statement from Di Giulio:
"We are heartbroken to announce that 2024 Horse of the Year Patches O'Houlihan was humanely euthanized on Thursday, July 10th. After sustaining a soft tissue injury while galloping out after winning the Highlander Stakes, it was hoped that he would recover well enough to be retired to pasture. However, in the time since then, his prognosis worsened. We consulted with veterinarians and surgeons on an ongoing basis and it was determined surgery was not a viable option for a sustained quality of life.
"Condolences and sincere thanks go out to the many people who cared for 'Patches' on a daily basis including trainer Bob Tiller, assistant trainer Tom Lottridge, groom Clifford Knight, his exercise rider Thorney Herriot, and the whole Tiller team, as well as veterinarians Dr. Vicky Banks, Dr. Dan Colangelo, and Dr. Natalie Cote. Everyone at the barn is devastated.
"Also, thank you to Sherry McLean for foaling and raising 'Patches,' Ian Dick at Buttigieg Training Centre for his off-season care, Sofia Vives for her tremendous rides the last two years, Daisuke Fukumoto for riding him in his 3-year-old year, and the Woodbine starting gate crew for attending to 'Patches' so quickly after the accident.
"We are going to dearly miss watching him run, as will his many fans. He gave us so much pleasure and so many thrills during his career.
"Patches O'Houlihan was an amazing animal that was beautiful both inside and out. He absolutely loved to race and possessed outstanding heart and desire, and was as honest as they come.
"We are deeply saddened by the loss of Patches, but we are truly blessed and grateful to be part of such a true champion."
