Multiple stakes winner Poulin in O T ventures into Bold Venture

TORONTO, August 13, 2026 – Poulin in O T squares off against seven other hopefuls in the $175,000 Bold Venture (G3), one of six stakes races to be run on King’s Plate Saturday at Woodbine.

Fresh off a gritty score in the Pink Lloyd Stakes on July 5, multiple stakes winner Poulin in O T will look to add a graded tally to his impressive body of work in the Bold Venture, a 6 ½-furlong main track race for 3-year-olds and up.

“I wasn’t surprised,” said Owens, who cross-entered his stable star in Sunday’s Vice Regent Stakes, a 5-furlong inner turf test for Ontario-bred 3-year-olds and up. “I thought they would have to run to beat him, that it would take a really good horse to get the better of him. He has always worked with a target in front of him and I am not afraid to have someone else take the lead. He’s very game down the lane and he has great turn speed.”

A son of Reload out of the Dance Brightly mare Town Dance, the 6-year-old has been a consistent force throughout a 23-race career that has yielded a 9-2-6 record, along with $468,224 in purse earnings.

Owens lauded the resilient chestnut, who was sent to the sidelines last May after a second-place finish in a 7-furlong conditioned allowance race at Woodbine. ​ ​

“He has had two ankle surgeries,” noted the conditioner, who owns and co-bred Poulin in O T. “He’s at the top of his game, fitness-wise. His ankles are not an issue like they had been last year and the year before. [Dr.] Orlaith Cleary did a tremendous job with the surgery last year when we took a little flake out of his ankle and then rested him for eight months before he came back to race at Gulfstream earlier this year. We checked all the boxes before he started training back. He went through a lot of protocols to ensure he was sound.”

That patience paid off with a sharp starter allowance score in his return this March at the Hallandale oval that earned him an 80 Beyer Speed Figure.

Poulin in O T returned to Woodbine for his next start, on May 3, and finished third in the Thorncliffe Stakes, a 5 ½-furlong fixture contested on the main track.

“I felt it was a good race,” said Owens. “I thought I had him a little too weighty. That was my fault, coming from Gulfstream back to here, so we made a few adjustments.”

Poulin in O T debuted on June 24, 2022, and romped to a 5 ¼-length win in a 4 ½ furlong main track race. He then stepped up to the stakes ranks on July 17, facing five rivals in the 5 ½ furlong Victoria Stakes. Sent off at 3-1, he recorded a 3 ¼-length triumph in a time of 1:04.71.

He went 4-1-0 from six starts in his rookie campaign, which led to Sovereign finalist recognition in the Champion Two-Year-Old Male category.

“Just an amazing horse, all around,” praised Owens.

Owens and his partner, fellow trainer Tara Neigel, handle most of the groom-related work with Poulin in O T.

“We are very hands-on with him. We have a groom and two hotwalkers, but we do a lot of the work with him, mostly because we understand him the best. We are both very grateful to have a horse like this guy.”

Multiple graded stakes placed Western Whirl, a homebred for Chiefswood Stable, will contest his fifth straight race at the graded level.

Trained by Stuart Simon, the son of Twirling Candy out of the Gone West mare Western Rose was third in the Jacques Cartier (G3) on May 30 and second in the bet365 Highlander Stakes (G2T) last time out on June 27.

“I don’t think he’s in love with the tight turns on the inner turf, but he ran really well and tried really hard,” said Simon, of the Highlander effort. “I think he prefers the main track or the outer turf better, so that’s why we’re selecting this race. He ran very credible, and I think he’ll run well on Saturday.”

The 5-year-old bay gelding is 3-5-5 from 19 starts, along with $289,574 in purse earnings.

“He’s just a very honest type of horse,” said Simon. “He’ll run different distances on different surfaces, but we feel that the Bold Venture will allow him to put his best foot forward. He’s been training really well, working great, and seems to be going into the race in great condition.”

Amanda Gregory is the groom.

Recent works: On July 26, Poulin in O T covered 4 furlongs in :47.40 over the Woodbine main track. His most recent work came on Aug. 9 when he traveled 4 furlongs in :47.60 over the same surface.

“He’s just very professional and does his thing,” said Owens. “You put a target in front of him, and he’ll chase that target down. When he was a 2-year-old, there would be times when he would be lazy and work in :51. I used to pull my hair out, but then he would just put it all together in the afternoons. He’s a different horse in the mornings and he’s been that way for a while. I have a very specific training regimen for him. I work him close to a race because that seems to be what brings out the best in him.”

Fast Facts: Inaugurated in 1956, the race is named after Bold Venture, winner of the 1936 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes. Canadian Racing Hall of Fame trainer Bob Tiller has won four editions of the race, with Pink Lloyd (2020-21) and Patches O’Houlihan (2023-24). Yorkton, trained by Stuart Simon, took the 2018 and 2019 runnings. Navy Page won the first edition.

Wagering menu for the Bold Venture: Includes Rolling Double / Exacta / 0.20 Trifecta / 0.20 Superfecta / 0.20 Pick 3 (Races 7-8-9) / 0.20 Mandatory Jackpot Power Pk6 (Races 7-8-9-10-11-12) / $1 Swinger/ $5 All Stakes Pick 3 (Races 7-9-10) ***15 % Takeout***

Field for the $175,000 Bold Venture (G3)

Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer

1 – Baxley (S) – Luis Contreras – Harold Ladouceur

2 – Poulin in O T – Ryan Munger – Steve Owens

3 – Awesome Bourbon – Romero Ramsay Maragh – Abraham Katryan

4 – Its Bourbon Thirty – Pietro Moran – Jeremiah O’Dwyer

5 – G T Five Hundred – Jose Campos – Dale Desruisseaux

6 – Western Whirl – Fraser Aebly – Stuart Simon

7 – Souped Up – Emma-Jayne Wilson – Ron Sadler

8 – Notorious Gangster – Rafael Hernandez – Josie Carroll

Chris Lomon, Woodbine