After thinking his horse may have missed an opportunity earlier this month, trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. was thrilled to see O’Connor make the most of another chance Oct. 28 in the $350,000 Fayette Stakes (G2) at Keeneland.
The 2022 Chilean Horse of the Year prevailed in a three-horse stretch battle through the Keeneland stretch to earn a graded stakes win for the first time in North America.
On the outside in the three-horse tussle through the stretch, O’Connor and jockey Tyler Gaffalione prevailed by a head over runner-up Il Miracolo , who finished a head in front of third-place Speed Bias . O’Connor completed the 1 1/8-mile test for 3-year-olds and older in 1:50.61 on a fast track to secure his first victory of the season. O’Connor returned $12.92, $6.86, and $4.96 across the board.
Not that he hasn’t been close. O’Connor, a 6-year-old son of Boboman , had placed in three straight graded stakes from April 1-Aug. 25 before finishing fifth in the Woodward Stakes (G2) Oct. 1 at the Belmont at the Big A meeting. Joseph had hoped for better that day.
“I really thought he was going to do it last time; he was great going into that race,” Joseph said. “But he acted up in the gate and missed the break.”
After finding himself 16 lengths out in the Woodward, O’Connor did display that good form by making up more than 10 lengths in the second half of the race. On Saturday at Keeneland he enjoyed a much smoother trip, rating in seventh in the backstretch but just three lengths off the pace set by Twilight Blue through a half-mile in :47.48.
Joseph credited Tyler Gaffalione, who finished as the meet’s leading rider, for providing O’Connor a lift.
“That was a really good ride,” Joseph said. “(Luis) Saez had some horse with Il Miracolo but Tyler didn’t let him get the jump and kept him inside.”
Gaffalione thought the race might be tight.
“I kind of figured it was going to play out that way,” Gaffalione said. “On the turn I followed Luis (Saez) and saw that he had a plenty of horse left. My horse just kept responding every time I asked him. It was a hard-fought victory.”
After winning half of his 18 starts in Chile including last year’s Gran Premio Latinoamericano (G1), owner Fernando Vine Ode took on partners Michael and Julia Iavarone to campaign O’Connor in North America. In his first United States race just more than a year ago, he posted an easy win in an allowance-optional claiming race at Gulfstream Park. O’Connor’s been racing exclusively in graded stakes since then. This year he earned placings in this year’s Charles Town Classic (G2), West Virginia Governor’s Stakes (G3), and Ghostzapper Stakes (G3) ahead of Saturday’s win.
O’Connor is the lone stakes winner for the winning Touch Gold mare, Chilean-bred Torrente de Agua, who has produced four winners from five starters.
The exciting finish provided an exclamation point as the feature race on closing day of the fall meet at the Lexington track.
