Exciting sprinter Tiger Tees had to work at both ends to take out the Group 3 $125,000 Darley BRC Sprint (1350m) at Doomben today.
Jockey Christian Reith shot Tiger Tees out of the gates from a wide barrier to cross the field looking for the lead but had to be content to sit outside of Listen Son who wouldn’t give up the number one spot.
Reith then settled the Joe Pride trained gelding and once heads were turned for home, let the four year old go and he fought hard to hold on to score by a short head from outsider Meet George with Steel Zip figuring in the finish, another short head away in third spot.
Pride said that he had set Tiger Tees for the Group 1 $1m AAMI Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) at Eagle Farm on June 9 and is certain he will run out a strong 1400m.
“If you watched this race today, you would say 1400m, no way. It’s not with this horse, he never wins by a big margin, but he keeps winning and the only times he’s been beaten he has pulled up sore,” Pride said.
“If he gets a wet track on Stradbroke day I say good luck trying to beat him.”
“He’s a very courageous little horse this horse. He doesn’t know how to give in. He never wins by a margin, they’re always coming at him and they never get him.”
“He’s raced outside the leader before and I was more than happy to do that, but it was a matter of crossing over to ensure that we weren’t dictated to ourselves.”
“This horse is a very progressive horse and he’s going to win better races than this and he’s extremely good on wet tracks and if you see him on wet track, he will go to another level again.”
Pride put Tiger Tees in the same toughness category as his smart sprinter Rain Affair and expects him to pull up well and improve over the Winter.
“He’s pretty tough, he’s top shelf, ” Pride said.
Pride said with three weeks until the Stradbroke he would give Tiger Tees a barrier trial to keep him on top of his game.
Reith agreed with Pride and said that Tiger Tees is a real fighter and is something special.
“I knew he would kick when they came at him,” Reith said.
