4/15/11
Last updated: 4/14/11 8:30 PM
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Smiling Tiger wouldn’t let a slow start deny him victory in the Count Fleet Sprint
(Oaklawn Park/Coady Photography) |
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.
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Smiling Tiger got back on the winning track last out when scoring a head
victory in the February 19 San Carlos H. (G2) at Santa Anita. Prior to that one,
the colt’s last win came in October’s Ancient Title S. (G1), which was his
second Grade 1 score following victory in the August 1 Bing Crosby S. The
chestnut also captured last year’s Lazaro Barrera Memorial S. (G3) and recorded
his first stakes triumph when eight lengths the best in the 2009 Lost in the Fog
S. at Golden Gate Fields in only his second career start.
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Smiling Tiger took his power-packed show on the road for only the second time in his career
(Oaklawn Park/Coady Photography) |
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.
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The 13-year-old mare is a half-sister to Grade 3 runner-up Traci Girl (Quiet
American) and this is also the family of 1986 Carter H. (G2) winner Love That
Mac (Great Above) and 1983 Prix de Diane Hermes (French Oaks) (Fr-G1) victress
Escaline (Fr) (Arctic Tern).
