Smiling Tiger, beaten 1 1/4 lengths as the even money favorite after a slow
start in Sunday’s Grade I, $250,000 Bing Crosby Stakes, has recovered from
the race in good order and his connections are looking to the next major
sprint stakes on the Del Mar calendar.
“He came out of the race fine, has been eating up well and we’re going to
the Pat O’Brien,” Mersad Metanovic, racing manager for trainer Jeff Bonde’s
stables said. “We’re looking forward to a rematch with the horse that won the
race.”
Bob Baffert-trained Euroears, who set a Del Mar Polytrack record of
1:08.17 for six furlongs in going wire-to-wire in the Crosby, also exited the
event well. But on Wednesday morning, Baffert was non-committal about the
7-furlong, Grade I, $250,000 Pat O’Brien upcoming on August 28.
“He’s really good,” Baffert said. “When I was getting on the plane (Saturday
for Monmouth Park) I was thinking ‘If he doesn’t win the Crosby as well as he’s
been training, he’s going to the Whitney (at Saratoga, next Saturday).”
Euroears isn’t going anywhere, but the Pat O’Brien is not a surety.
“I don’t know about the seven-eighths. He’s more of a six-furlong
specialist.”
Third-place finisher Amazombie is also fine. Trainer Bill Spawr said the
next objective is the Ancient Title in October at Santa Anita.