Smiling Tiger to head a tough field assembled for the True North Handicap
Alan Klein and Philip Lebherz owned 5-year-old horse, Smiling Tiger, hasn’t won a single race since winning the Grade 1 Triple Bend over the Betfair Hollywood Park’s cushion track at about seven furlongs on 2 July, 2011.
Trainer by Jeff Bonde, Smiling Tiger has since participated in three races, two at Del Mar last season and one at Churchill Downs, which served as a seasonal debut this year – and out of the three, the best he could do was to finish second in the Grade 1
Bing Crosby at six furlongs to winner, Euroears.
Bred in Kentucky by Dr. Rodney Orr, Smiling Tiger is exiting a fifth place finish to, Shackleford in the Grade 2 Churchill Downs Stakes at Churchill Downs’ dirt track on the Kentucky Derby Day at about seven furlongs.
Now, the Hold That Tiger son will vie to win the Grade 2, $400,000 True North Handicap on the Belmont Stakes Day at Belmont Park.
The six furlong dash over the Big Sandy dirt course has reeled in eight, seasoned, older sprinters in a field that will be headed by Smiling Tiger.
Sired by Cahill Road, Smiling Tiger returned to the races after an 8 month layoff in the Churchill Downs Stakes, but the lackluster return yielded him a distant fifth place finish.
“He never really cared for Churchill and he was running off a long layoff—maybe he needed one (race)," Bonde explained. “We feel like we’re going into the (True North) really well.”
Smiling Tiger turned in a sizzling five furlong work at Betfair Hollywood Park on 1 June, 2012, when he fired a bullet work in 59 1/5 seconds.
Although, the True North Handicap field is a tough one with the likes of Giant Ryan, Richard Dutrow trained Pacific Ocean, the son of Salt Lake, Hamazing Destiny, and the Todd Pletcher trained veteran sprinter, Caixa Eletronica.
Giant Ryan conjured up an amazing six race winning streak last year, which included victory in the Grade 2 Smile Sprint Handicap.
Hamazing Destiny is exiting a brilliant run in the Grade 3 Maryland Sprint Handicap, which he won convincingly, while Pacific Ocean also exited his last start on a winning note when he grabbed the Grade 3 Vernon O Underwood last year.
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