Tiger Walk aims higher, goes for the Wood Memorial
Trained by Ignacio Correas IV for Sagamore Farm, 3-year-old colt, Tiger Walk could have a serious test in class when he goes to run in the Grade 1, $1 million Wood Memorial Stakes at Aqueduct going over a distance of 1 1/8 miles on dirt on 7 April, 2012.
The colt, who has won a maiden special race over a mile at Laurel Park and an allowance/optional claimer also over a mile at Laurel Park, Tiger Walk has not much to show more than that, as he did race with the big boys twice when he captured a well earned third place finish to Alpha in the Grade 3 Withers Stakes at Aqueduct going over a distance of 1 1/16 miles on 4 February, 2012.
He then flashed his potential in the Grade 3 Gotham Stakes when he ran again against Alpha and this time Hansen in the Grade 3 Gotham Stakes on 3 March, 2012, and finished a strong 4th on the day.
If Tiger Walk’s connections were looking for an easier spot for him than they could have shipped him to Hawthorne, to accumulate easy graded stakes earning to become eligible for the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby, but instead they chose the Wood Memorial.
It is going to be tester as his connections are aiming to find out that if they should for the Run for the Roses or not by going against the undefeated Gemologist and the highly regarded, Alpha in the $1 million event.
“If you cannot beat Gemologist and Alpha, you don’t have any business going to the Derby,” said Correas. “If they’re better than you at this time of the year, they’re going to be better in another four weeks. You might catch up to them with more distance, but to be able to go there you need to beat those horses or be within a length of them. I still think the toughest horses in the country are Union Rags and Creative Cause. If you cannot beat these ones, you cannot dream about beating those other ones.”
The Kentucky bred son of Tale of the Cat will have his work cut out in the Wood Memorial that’s for sure, but it is an honest decision which could pay dividends of the colt goes on to post a decent run in the race.
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