Longtime Ocala breeder/owner/pinhooker Tom McCrocklin has been on fire on many fronts recently. At the last OBS sale, for instance, he sold a $400,000 filly on day 4, a $425,000 colt on day 3, a $475,000 colt on day 2, and a $385,000 filly on day 1, among others. 

    But Tom doesn’t sell them all, and yesterday at Woodbine he struck in the fifth race with Sweet Nola, a 3-year-old filly by First Dude who he bred in partnership with Frank Mermenstein and races in partnership with Discovery Racing. 

    Sweet Nola started once as a 2-year-old and finished third at Woodbine, and had been on vacation for eight months until her return in a $67,900 maiden optional claimer at 5 1/2 furlongs over the all-weather track. 

    With Kazushi Kimura aboard, Sweet Nola won by a head to become First Dude’s 26th winner of 2023. She was clocked in 1:05.60, paid $6.40 and earned a check for $25,860 in Canadian funds, $19,073 in U. S. dollars.