Victor’s Cry seeks Shoemaker title defense; Smiling Tiger entered in Triple Bend

Victor’s Cry, seen here taking the Citation, will shorten back to a mile for the Shoemaker (Benoit Photos)

VICTOR’S CRY (Street Cry [Ire]) has competed in nothing but graded company
since March 2010, and acquitted himself well in the process with victories in
last year’s Shoemaker Mile (G1) and Citation H. (G2). On Saturday, the Eoin
Harty trainee will seek a title defense in the $300,000

Shoemaker while taking on six rivals at Hollywood Park, while later on the
program multiple Grade 1 conqueror SMILING TIGER (Hold That Tiger) will attempt
to return to his winning ways in the $250,000

Triple Bend H. (G1) sprinting seven furlongs.

Victor’s Cry entered the 2010 Shoemaker off a second-place run in the San
Simeon H. (G3), but traveled a bit farther abroad prior to this year’s running.
The six-year-old opened the season with a third in the Thunder Road H. (G3), but
then hopped a plane for Dubai, where he ran well to be fifth in the Dubai Duty
Free (UAE-G1) at Meydan in late March. Though the ridgling hasn’t competed since
that contest, he has been working regularly at Hollywood Park. Victor Espinoza
has been aboard for the dark bay’s last three tries and retains the mount on
Saturday.

Perhaps the biggest threat to Victory’s Cry scoring consecutive Shoemaker
wins is COURAGEOUS CAT (Storm Cat). The bay made his five-year-old debut on June
10 at Belmont Park and ran away with the Poker H. (G3). The Bill Mott charge
also finished a nice third in the Shadwell Turf Mile (G1) to close out 2010 and
just missed by a half-length in the 2009 Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1). Patrick
Valenzuela has the call.

Smiling Tiger’s last win came in the Count Fleet Sprint at Oaklawn Park (Oaklawn Park/Coady Photography)

On class alone Smiling Tiger is the one to beat in the Triple Bend, but the
Jeff Bonde pupil will have to improve off his sixth in the May 7 Churchill Downs
S. (G2) last out. Prior to that one, the chestnut racked up back-to-back graded
victories in the San Carlos H. (G2) and Count Fleet H. (G3). His Churchill Downs
run was the first time the four-year-old has finished off-the-board, but he was
actually only 2 1/2 lengths back of the winner on the wire. Joel Rosario will be
in the irons and try to guide Smiling Tiger straight to the winner’s circle.

Grade 1 winner M ONE RIFLE (One Man Army) ran third in the Los Angeles H.
(G3) most recently on May 30 but was bumped up to second following the
disqualification of AMAZOMBIE (Northern Afleet) that also awarded the win to
CAMP VICTORY (Forest Camp). All three line back up in the Triple Bend, with M
One Rifle seeking to improve on his fourth in last year’s edition. Amazombie had
a three-race win streak broken when taken down in the Los Angeles, but the
Potrero Grande S. (G2) victor could find the winner’s circle once again here.
Camp Victory, who just missed by a nose in the San Simeon prior to the Los
Angeles, will try to add a second graded credit to his resume.

Last-out Berkeley S. (G3) winner UH OH BANGO (Top Hit) and Lazaro Barrera
Memorial S. (G3) scorer BENCH POINTS (Benchmark) are also entered in the Triple
Bend.