Smiling Tiger rallies for Count Fleet Sprint score

Lebherz Racing LLC and Alan Klein's SMILING TIGER (Hold That Tiger)

ran in the back of the pack of Thursday's

Count Fleet Sprint H. (G3) at Oaklawn Park, rallied in the stretch

under jockey Joel Rosario and won going away by 2 1/2 lengths. Trained

by Jeff Bonde, the four-year-old chestnut was full of run late to finish

six furlongs on the fast main track in 1:08 3/5.

Rosario settled Smiling Tiger near the rear of the field after the

colt tossed his head and broke a step slow out of the gate. Up front,

Chief of Affairs (Yonaguska) had grabbed the lead and proceeded to set

splits of :22 1/5 and :44 3/5. Silver Magnus (Trippi) was closely

stalking in second and moved up to challenge the long-time leader,

taking command through three-quarters in :56 2/5.

By this point, however, Smiling Tiger was getting unwound. Circling

the turn five wide, the chestnut asserted his superiority to run away

with his fifth graded contest.

Smiling Tiger paid $3.20, $2.80 and $2.10 as the 3-5 for his second

straight graded win. Silver Magnus held Chief of Affairs by a neck on

the wire, while it was another nose back to Native Ruler (Elusive

Quality) in fourth. Riley Tucker (Harlan's Holiday) and Holyfield

(Blazonry) followed the top four home.

Smiling Tiger actually broke his maiden by six lengths at Golden Gate prior

to his stakes bow in the Lost in the Fog, and would go on as a juvenile to place

in the Best Pal S. (G2) and Del Mar Futurity (G1). He opened his three-year-old

season with a third in the Harry Henson S. and also placed in the Breeders' Cup

Sprint (G1), Malibu S. (G1) and Pat O'Brien S. (G1) last season. Third in the

Palos Verdes S. (G2) to start 2011, the four-year-old now shows a 14-7-1-6 line

and has nearly reached $1 million in earnings having banked $995,864.

Bred in Kentucky by Dr. Rodney Orr, Smiling Tiger made two sales appearances

as a yearling. He RNA'ed for $32,000 at the 2008 Keeneland January sale before

selling for $40,000 at the Washington September sale. He's out of the

stakes-winning Shandra Smiles (Cahill Road), who is also the dam of a sophomore

colt named Grinning Gang (Posse), a juvenile filly named Pure Smiles (Pure

Prize) and an unnamed yearling colt by Orientate.