TORONTO, September 24, 2022 – Poulin in O T stickhandled his way to a gritty win in the $100,000 Bull Page Stakes, an ‘about’ 7-furlong grass event for Ontario-sired 2-year-old colts and geldings, Saturday at Woodbine. A son of Reload-Town Dance, Poulin in O T, with Patrick Husbands in the irons, broke sharply from the gate and assumed command immediately, taking his five rivals through an opening split in :22.67, as Half to Reload and Awesome Bourbon sat second, and third, respectively. Poulin in O T, in his fourth start, was still running comfortably on top through a half reached in :45.55, holding a two-length advantage over Awesome Bourbon. Still calling the shots as the field straightened for the stretch drive, Poulin in O T was confronted by Awesome Bourbon who loomed a major threat to the outside. After the pair slugged it out for several strides, Poulin in O T turned back the challenge of Awesome Bourbon and easily fended off a late charging One Bay Hemingway, to best that rival by 2 ½ lengths in a time of 1:22.02 over a firm E.P. Taylor Turf Course. Poulin in O T and jockey Patrick Husbands winning the Bull Page Stakes on Saturday at Woodbine (Michael Burns Photo) “Looking at the race and getting on him, he looked like a legit horse,” said Husbands. “I just let him do what he wanted to do. He was doing it pretty easy and when [jockey, Juan] Crawford came to me, I gave him a tap and he just took off.” It was the third win from four starts for the chestnut gelding trained by Steve Owens, who also co-owns (Empress Stable) and co-bred (Beverly Lewis-Owens). Named after Canadian hockey great Marie-Philip Poulin, the rookie, who arrived at the Bull Page off a troubled seventh in the Soaring Free Stakes on August 20, continues to impress his conditioner. “It’s a very fitting name,” said Owens. “He’s a wonderful little horse. The Ontario sired program is right up his alley. A lot of things went wrong the last time, but five weeks later, a different horse showed up today.” Poulin O T delivered a pair of top-shelf performances in his opening two races, a first-time out triumph on June 24, followed by a win in the Victoria Stakes on July 17. He paid $5.30, $3.30 and $2.60, combined with One Bay Hemingway ($9.10, $5.30) for a $51.30 exactor. Awesome Bourbon ($3) completed a $225.70 triactor. A $1 superfecta (Silent Fortune) came back $389.15. Chris Lomon, Woodbine Communications / @WoodbineComms Share This:Share
