ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Last year’s Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint winner Nobals and the favored Canadian champion sprinter Patches O’Houlihan threw it down in Saturday’s Grade 2 Kennedy Road at Woodbine, with Nobals prevailing under the wily veteran E.T. Baird. Nobals broke on top in the six-furlong dash before Patches O’Houlihan rushed up from his inside draw to take a slim lead through a quick opening quarter. Patches O’Houlihan led in the two-path on the turn while pressed by Nobals to his outside and Remuda to his inside. Nobals wore down “Patches” in the final furlong to score by three-quarters of a length, in a final time of 1:08.59. War Bomber wound up third in the six-horse field. :: Bet with the Best! Get FREE All-Access PPs and Weekly Cashback when you wager on DRF Bets. Baird wasn’t originally named on the Kentucky-based Nobals and said trainer Larry Rivelli gave him the mount on short notice. “I was actually caught off guard,” Baird explained. "Larry gave me a call on Thursday and told me I’m going to Woodbine on Saturday. My passport had expired, so I spent all (Friday) at the passport agency in Chicago. “My horse broke really well and I was happy, because I let him come out of there running. It forced (Patches) to run (hard). I just sat real comfortable. It worked out well. The way he acted today, in the post parade and everything about him, was just really professional.” Nobals ($8.40) earned $105,000 of the $182,000 purse for Patricia’s Hope LLC. The 5-year-old son of Noble Mission had gone winless in three previous outings this year, all on the grass, including two Grade 2 stakes in Kentucky. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.