Jockey Fergal Lynch, second from right, guides Mondialiste to victory in the Ricoh Woodbine Mile in Toronto on Sept. 13.Michael Burns/The Canadian Press
Fergal Lynch proved Sunday patience is indeed a virtue.
Lynch and Mondialiste stood last at one point in the $1-million Ricoh Woodbine Mile and even in deep stretch sat a distant fourth. But when a small opening finally emerged, Lynch asked his horse to go and the Irish-bred didn't disappoint, streaking to a half-length victory at Woodbine Racetrack.
"The game plan was always going to be to take our time and come with a late challenge and hope they'd come back with the soft ground," Lynch said. "That's exactly what happened.
"My only problem was finding the gaps; the horse had plenty left in the tank. It was just a matter of spotting the holes and going through them."
Mondialiste, at 7-to-2 odds, posted a winning time of 1:36.66 to claim the $600,000 winner's share and qualify for next month's Breeders' Cup Mile at Keeneland in Kentucky. He became the first Irish-bred horse to win the Mile.
And Lynch orchestrated the win in daring fashion. He had Mondialiste somehow split a narrow gap between leader Obviously, who was running along the rail, and hard-charging Lea, the 2-to-1 favourite on the outside, for the thrilling victory. Obviously, in his 2015 racing debut, surged into the lead from the start.
"The difference between the winner and loser is whoever makes the least mistakes," Lynch said after registering his first Grade 1 victory in his first visit to Woodbine. "I knew the gaps would come."
David O'Meara, Mondialiste's trainer, said adopting a patient approach didn't come by accident.
"I've watched an awful lot of Woodbine Miles on YouTube and they always seem to be won near the back," O'Meara said. "He [Obviously] went very quick in front … he hung on there for a long, long time, but we were very confident with our horse.
"We've always finished well and Fergal timed it to perfection."
Lea finished second ahead of Irish-bred Obviously. The remainder of the field, in order of finish, included: Kaigun; Reporting Star; Mr. Owen; Tower of Texas; Turncoat; and Platinum Glory.
The field was reduced to nine horses after Za Approval and Grand Arch were both scratched.
O'Meara admitted Lynch and Mondialiste got a helping hand from Mother Nature as heavy rain Saturday and early Sunday created a soft turf. O'Meara felt the track gave Mondialiste a more realistic shot at reeling Obviously in.
"I don't think Obviously would've come back to us as much if it hadn't rained," O'Meara said. "We were smiled upon."
Phil D'Amato, Obviously's trainer, took the second-place finish in stride.
"That's his game … he'll go as fast as he can go, as far as he can go," D'Amato said. "For the first time in 10 months in a Grade 1, $1-million race on a surface he's never run on, I think this was a big effort on his part."
Joel Rosario, the jockey aboard Lea, said the softer turf didn't hurt his horse.
"He really handled the turf well and put in a very good run," he said. "It's too bad the other horse came with such a strong run."
O'Meara was non-committal regarding whether Mondialiste will run in Kentucky next month.
"We'll just take the horse home and see how he is," O'Meara said.
But Lynch said if Mondialiste runs in the Breeders' Cup Mile, he'll be a definite contender.
"This is a serious horse," Lynch said. "If he turns up in Keeneland, he'll take a lot of beating."
The win was the third in seven starts this season and marked the sixth time the five-year-old has finished in the money. Over all, Mondialiste registered fourth a career victory in 14 events and has recorded earnings over $860,000.
Mondialiste paid $9.60, $4.50 and $3.20 while Obviously returned $3.50 and $2.70. Obviously paid $2.90.
Earlier, Canadian Emma-Jayne Wilson guided Ontario-bred Interpol, a 10-to-1 long shot, to victory in the Grade 1 $300,000 Northern Dancer Turf over a mile and a half while Woodbine's Luis Contreras rallied Strut the Course to win the $300,000 Canadian Stakes, a Grade 2 1 1/8-mile grass event.