Game Changers: Patches O’Houlihan

TORONTO, March 10, 2025 – Once a week, from January to April, Woodbine will profile a horse who had a life-changing impact on one of their closest connections in 2024.

This week, groom Clifford Knight and multiple graded stakes winner Patches O’Houlihan, who is also a Sovereign Award finalist in the Champion Male Turf Horse and Champion Male Sprinter categories.

Knight, who hails from Jamaica, has been a fixture in the barn of hall of fame trainer Bob Tiller for nearly 20 years.

“I came to work at Woodbine in 2004. I knew about horse racing, but I didn’t go to the races in Jamaica. One day, my friends took me to Woodbine in the summer and I loved it right away. I was 17 when I started with Bob. I worked for (trainer) Reade Baker for four years and then I went back to Bob.”

Working with Thoroughbreds is a constant source of joy for Knight.

“Horses are the most beautiful animals. I love working with them. I went away from the racetrack for about five years to do landscaping, but one day, when I was watching the races, I knew I had to go back. I can tell you that it was one of the best decisions I have ever made.

Foaled: May 13, 2020

Sire: Reload

Dam: Maythefourthbwithu

Starts: 14

Wins-Seconds-Thirds: 11-1-0

Earnings: $696,490 (U.S.)

Notable races: Won the 2023 and 2024 editions of the Grade 3 Bold Venture. Won last year’s Grade 3 Vigil Stakes. Won last year’s Grade 2 Nearctic Stakes.

Trainer: Bob Tiller

Groom: Clifford Knight

Owner/breeder: Frank Di Giulio, Jr.

“He was messy as a 2-year-old – like most of them are at the age. But he was messy on a different level. When I came in, I would do a few stalls before the training started. I would try to get stuff out of his stall first. Every day, he would have to get fresh bedding. He would move it around and just be so messy.

“He would also come back from his training and eat and then go to sleep. He would be laying down and no one would be able to get him up. Whatever you tried to do, he wasn’t having it.”

“I always liked him. I love all my horses, but when they are big and solid like him, you just notice they could be something special. He allows me to do anything with him. He loves me and I love him.”

“When we are walking over, I tell him, ‘This is the big time, and you know what it is all about.’ My friend, Neil Davis, who is a hotwalker, always walks over with me. He has his phone, and he is always taking pictures to post on Snapchat and Instagram. This horse has a lot of fans out there.”

“It is the greatest feeling in the world. I am not nervous, but every time I watch him race, it is like the first time I am seeing him run. It makes me so happy. The first time he ran as a 3-year-old, I remember handing him off to the pony and I went upstairs to see my friends. I heard someone talking and they said, ‘There is no speed in the race.’ I turned around and said, ‘There is only one speed in the race today and you will know who it is.’ That’s the race he won by nine lengths. From that day, every time they see me, they say, ‘That horse is a machine.’

“Everybody loves this horse. A lot of people call me “Patches” and that makes me smile. It gives me a good feeling. Anywhere I go – the mall, the frontside, the backstretch – they call me that.”

“Awesome. Brilliant. Wise.

“Horses always change your life for the better. When I talk to him or people in the barn that he knows talk to him, he listens. He can be cheeky at times, looking away like nothing has happened, which is another great part of his personality. I enjoy being around him, taking care of him, and spending time with him. He has changed my life just by being in it.”

Chris Lomon, Woodbine