Swettenham Stud

Hold That Tiger enjoyed a tough day at the office on Monday 7th September. Currently leading third season sire by winners and third on prizemoney Hold That Tiger is just poised like one would expect from a tiger and ready to attack the Sire’s Premiership in earnest. So when a daughter comes off two seconds at stakes level and wins her first Stakes race by a staggering 14 lengths you may expect the performance to be the highlight of the day, but not so (more on her later).

The Del Mar meeting showcases many good races at this time of year and brings all the top trainers to its shores. This year was no exception and a 2YO Hold That Tiger colt Smiling Tiger lined up in the Del Mar 2YO Futurity Grade 1 over 1400m on the all weather track for a $300,000 purse. This race usually identifies the future top class runners into their 3YO year and as a result many are ridden conservatively to see if they have what it takes to run out a strong 1400m and therefore promise more at three.

Not so Smiling Tiger who faced the starter for his fourth career start after two astonishingly easy wins at Golden Gate including a Stakes win by 8 lengths. Fresh from a third place in the Del Mar Best Pal Stakes a Grade 2 contest where he led and was run down, the flashy chestnut stepped to the 1400m. Once again he was sent out to be the sitting shot. While the margin was smaller at just 1.5 lengths he was again caught short in the last 100m and just nabbed for second. The Bob Baffert trained Lookin at Lucky followed Smiling Tiger in the run and came off his back in deep stretch to back up his Grade 2 Best Pal Stakes win, this time as the even money favourite.

Hold That Tiger has produced 162 winners of 347 races with his oldest stock now 4YO’s. With all due respect to the trainer and connections the instructions were suicidal. The results are startling when you look at Hold That Tiger’s runners in all races run over 1300m, 1400m or 1500m in North America in the last two seasons. Only one horse has led throughout to win at 1300m, again one only at 1400m and none have achieved the feat at 1500m. Both winners were in lowly events. Once you ride them back they hit the line full of running in a pattern very similar to Hold That Tiger himself when he came from absolute last to win the Group 1 Grand Criterium at Longchamp as a 2YO in a staggering 1.20.4 for the 1400m trip.

When the penny drops it would not be surprising to see Smiling Tiger make a top 3YO as he can run sensational sectionals and you can just imagine his finishing sectionals carving up a field of suspect middle distance horses. Even his first two wins showed he was not a speedster as although he settled outside the lead, he had to balance up in the first 250m before he hit a stride that allowed him to drive away from the field.

On the same card at Del Mar another 2YO Hold That Tiger colt Sweet Tigger was again ridden carelessly. He sat 4 wide outside the pace in the 1200m US$100,000 Stakes event and rightly weakened at the finish. If ever there was a horse crying out to be ridden quietly, it is this bloke. Sweet Tigger boasts a second at stakes level at Golden Gate to Smiling Tiger beaten a long way, but getting out of the pack at the 400m. He suffered interference and was back in the ruck that day, but no-one twigged how to ride him. This will be a super horse to secure, once they inadvertently put him in a claimer. Funnily enough the winner came from last.

So finally back to the first time stakes winner, the extremely consistent and much deserving Hungry Tigress. The 4YO mare careered away with the Summer Finale Hcp a US$75,000 Stakes over 1670m on the dirt at Mountaineer Park. Hungry Tigress came from fourth place (6L adrift at the half mile) and moved up 4 wide to lead by a half length as they passed the quarter pole (ie 400m from home). She really accelerated around the turn and ran out an easy winner by 14 lengths with the uphill climb to the finish of 32 feet proving her toughness.

Hungry Tigress who had two career wins over 1100m before this stakes victory, was well primed for the longer journey. Her last two runs were both stakes placed seconds at Mountaineer Park over 1600m and today’s trip of 1670m, but both were on the turf track. She looks destined for more joy in the fillies and mares races. (IR).

Jungle Wave, bay gelding, 4YO, by Hold That Tiger from Darien Blue Wave, by Cure the Blues wins the 7 furlongs $200k Grade 2 Play The King Stakes at Woodbine on the Turf in 1.23.06.

Jungle Wave, beaten just a half-length in the Oceanside Stakes at Del Mar last summer, was risked for a $62,500 tag in his seasonal debut at Woodbine on May 10 and was duly claimed by Tucci Stables out of a race he won by a half-length. He came back to make it two straight in a Canadian $80,000 optional claimer on June 26 and then was second in the Canadian $150,000 Bold Venture Stakes on the main track on July 19 behind Canadian super sprinter Fatal Bullet.

Jungle Wave

Jungle Wave then romped home by 4 1/2 lengths in a lucrative allowance race on August 8th. Today he was favored in his return to stakes competition. The bay dueled with Cross Every Bridge (Giant’s Causeway) through a half in :45.80, then went through the first 1200m (6 furlongs) in 1.10.00. He put away that foe in upper stretch and held sway as Field Commission gave game chase to win by 0.75 of a length with a further 3.75 lengths back to third.

“When you claim a horse for $62,500, you hope he’s going to win first up in an $80,000 claimer “offered trainer Sid Attard, “It is a bonus to get a horse this good. Next up for the gelding could be the $1-million Grade 1 Woodbine Mile Sept. 20”.

Jockey Todd Kabel said to Sid, “I don’t want to get too high on this horse, but you might have a Mile horse here” the winning jockey added “Touch wood, everything Sid and his crew have done with this horse, they’ve done an amazing job. I’m just a passenger with him right now, I know that much”.

Jungle Wave was a US$140,000 weanling at Keeneland in 2005 and has now amassed US$344,472 in career record of 11 starts for 7 wins, 1 second and 1 third. Note: The seven-furlong Play the King is Woodbine's major stakes prep for the $1-million Woodbine Mile, which is run on Sept. 20.

This was Hold That Tiger’s second stakes winner for the month. That’s A Heckofacat won the US$50k 2YO Thistledown Cleveland Kindergarten Stakes over 1200m on August 8th.  Hold That Tiger has also had another two stakes placed runners in August.

Hold That Tiger is currently in third place on the US Third Season Sires Premiership behind Empire Maker (Service Fee US$75k), and Sky Mesa (Service Fee US$30k). He is well ahead of Harlan’s Holiday, Mineshaft, Proud Citizen and Macho Uno who all boast service fees in excess of US$25k. Suggesting there may be some real value in this son of Storm Cat at Swettenham Stud. (IR)

Source: Bloodhorse Picture by Michael Burns (Bloodhorse.com)