Swettenham Stud

Trainer Jeff Bonde and owners Alan Klein and Philip Lebherz picked up their second stakes win of the meet when Hold That Tiger colt Smiling Tiger captured the 17th running of the US$100,000 Lazaro Barrera Memorial on Saturday at Hollywood Park.

Bonde, Klein and Lebherz, winners of the Harry Henson on April 21 with longshot Excessive Passion – a turf race in which Smiling Tiger was third in his 2010 debut – saw the chestnut colt go wire-to-wire in the Grade 3 Barrera Stakes.

Ridden to perfection by Victor Espinoza, the 3-year-old son of Hold That Tiger out of the Cahill Road mare Shandra Smiles broke quickly with the Bob Baffert trained duo of Concord Point and Macias in close proximity.

Macias, shortening up in distance and switching to the main track after a pair of turf routes, had room to rally along the inside early in the stretch, but Espinoza tightened things up a bit. This seemed to intimidate Macias, who, ultimately, angled outside the winner, but faltered in the final sixteenth and had to settle for fourth.

Concord Point, the 5-2 favorite, made another bid of his own approaching the wire, but Smiling Tiger, the 5-2 second choice, had enough left to prevail by a half-length. The final time for the seven furlongs was 1:21.34.

Domonation, returning to the scene of his only win, finished well in the middle of the track to gain third, 1 ½ lengths behind Concord Point. A grey son of Maria’s Mon. Domonation has not finished off the board in three races on Hollywood Park’s Cushion Track.

A $40,000 yearling purchase in 2008, Smiling Tiger, who was third behind eventual Preakness winner Lookin At Lucky in both the Best Pal, a Grade II, and Del Mar Futurity, a Grade 1, last summer, has won three of six. He’s earned $183,864.

Smiling Tiger, whose two previous wins had come at Golden Gate Fields by big margins (8 & 10 lengths) ran some electrifying sectionals. He cut out the first 400m in 22.43 seconds then rushed through the half-mile (800m) in 44.78. The 6 furlongs took 1.08.60 so he was entitled to battle away the last furlong which he did in a slower 12.74 seconds.

“The first time back we took a little chance running on turf because we wanted to get a race into him,’’ said Bonde. The Henson first up this preparation was Smiling Tiger’s first race since the Del Mar Futurity last Sept. 7.

“He had a rough trip on the inside. He was pretty wild in the paddock, but he was more professional today. I was confident he was going to run his race. I was confident he was going to run his race. He was strong and the time of the race was pretty good and I thought he really produced a top race today,’’  added Bonde.

Jockey Victor Espinoza on Smiling Tiger remarked  “He ran great. He’s coming back good. He was a little green last time out…he got worked up in the post parade and he had the inside. Everything was different last time, but it got him ready for today. That was the plan, to be on the lead. He broke out of there running and I just let him go.”