Smiling Tiger Colt Tops WTBOA Summer Yearling and Mixed Sale

For the second time in the last four years, a colt by Smiling Tiger topped the Washington Thoroughbred Breeders and Owners Association’s annual summer sale, which was again held at the WTBOA Sales Pavilion located at Emerald Downs in Auburn, Wa., Aug. 18.

The sale topper, Hip 57, was purchased for $70,000 by Brian Koriner, acting on behalf of Jay Em Ess Stable (Samantha Siegel) from the Critter Creek Farm consignment, agent for PT Syndicate #1 LLC. The chestnut colt is the second foal out of the stakes-placed Swiss Yodeler mare Grand Yodeler. The 2017 sale topper by Smiling Tiger, Baja Sur, was named Washington’s Horse of the Year in 2019.

Preliminary results show, after 14 yearlings were withdrawn and 25 were RNAs, the 75 yearlings that were listed as sold averaged $12,652 with a $7,500 median.

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Gargan To Saddle First Runhappy 2-Year-Old At The Spa

Highly regarded freshman stallion Runhappy will have his first progeny race at the Spa when Peachy Queen faces a field of 10 juvenile fillies in Sunday's seventh race going 5 ½ furlongs over the main track.

Runhappy, the 2015 Champion Sprinter now standing at Claiborne Farm, captured that year's Grade 1 King's Bishop at Saratoga for owner Jim McIngvale, traveling seven furlongs in a stakes record 1:20.54.

Owned by West Paces Racing, Peachy Queen is out of the Gio Ponti broodmare Year of Promise who is a half-sister to Grade 1 winners Smiling Tiger and She's a Tiger.

The bay filly has been training forwardly for Danny Gargan at Saratoga most recently posting a bullet half-mile work in 48.20 seconds over the main track.

“She's doing really well,” Gargan said. “I'd like to get her started and get a good race out of her. She's a really sweet filly and very laid back.”

Bred in Kentucky by Fred W. Heitrich III, Peachy Queen was purchased for $180,000 from last year's Keeneland September Yearling Sale, where she was consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency.

Jockey Manny Franco will be aboard from post 6.

Live Oak Plantation homebred Our Flash Drive, a Florida-bred Ghostzapper filly, is training sharply for Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse and could provide steep opposition.

Our Flash Drive breezed a half-mile in 47.46 seconds on July 5 on the Belmont main track in company with Cotton, a 2-year-old New York-bred colt who finished a good second in his July 12 debut at Belmont which garnered a 54 Beyer Speed Figure.

“She outworked Cotton that day pretty handily,” said assistant trainer Jamie Begg.

Our Flash Drive will exit post 10 under Joel Rosario on debut and Begg said the filly will benefit from being outside horses.

“I'm happy she drew outside. I think with this filly it may suit her fancy,” said Begg. “Joel is good at making them settle and the way the track played yesterday, she can pick up the speed.”

Out of the unraced Dynaformer mare Dynamotor, her third dam, Slew City Slicker, produced Grade 1-winner Pool Land.

Trainer Todd Pletcher will debut Maryland-bred Lucifers Lair, a bay Quality Road filly owned and bred by Stuart Grant's The Elkstone Group.

Lucifer's Lair is out of the graded stakes-winning Put It Back broodmare Devil's Cave and arrives at her debut off a sharp breeze from the gate at Belmont Park going a half-mile in 48.04 seconds.

Jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. will be aboard from post 9.

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Tiger Dad Outfoots Rivals, Including Favored Stablemate, In Thor’s Echo At Santa Anita

With most of the attention focused on last year's winner, trainer Carla Gaines' “Avis choice,” consistent Tiger Dad, set the tone early as he battled head and head for the lead with a well-meant Principe Carlo, eventually gaining the ascendency in deep stretch as he drew off to win Saturday's $100,000 Thor's Echo Stakes by three quarters of length at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif.

Ridden by regular pilot Victor Espinoza, Tiger Dad, a 4-year-old California-bred gelding by Smiling Tiger, got six furlongs in 1:09.56 while never threatened by his well fancied stablemate Desert Law, who checked in third as the even money favorite.

“I have been riding him quite a few times (his last eight races), so I really have the confidence in him.  When some other horse is outside, it is exactly what he wants because he won't let them go by.  I didn't want to take the lead too soon because he has a bad habit of waiting for horses, so today I was just hoping the outside horse (Principe Carlo) would keep going and keep me company all the way to the wire and it worked out perfectly.”

Most recently second to highly regarded Collusion Illusion in a six-furlong allowance here on May 17, Tiger Dad was the third choice at 5-2 in a field of five California-bred or sired three year olds and up and paid $7.60, $3.80 and $2.20.

“He ran fantastic,” said Gaines.  “He really dug in and Victor knows him so well.  As I said pre-race, my other horse (Desert Law) needs a race off of a layoff.  He got a little far back.”

Owned by his breeders, Mark Devereaux and Scott Gross, Tiger Dad, who had been out of the money in just two of his previous 14 starts, notched his first stakes victory and improved his overall mark to 15-4-5-3.  Out of the Unusual Heat mare Q T Shae, Tiger Dad bagged $60,000 for the win, increasing his earnings to $276,661.

Breaking from the far outside with Agapito Delgadillo up for trainer Ryan Hanson, Principe Carlo, who was claimed two starts back for $20,000, battled gamely throughout and finished 1 ¼ in front of Desert Law.  A winner of his last two starts, Principe Carlo was the narrow second choice at 5-2 and paid $3.60 and $2.20.

Ridden by Flavien Prat, Desert Law, who had been idle since running second in the Grade 1 Bing Crosby Stakes at Del Mar on July 27, paid $2.10 to show.

Fractions on the race were 22.33, 45.06 and 57.09.

Sponsored by the CTBA, the Thor's Echo, for 3-year-olds and up, is part of the lucrative Golden State Series for California-bred or sired horses.

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