Golden State Series: Real Good Deal Stakes

BY TRACY GANTZ

After a championship 2-yearold season last year, California-bred El Tigre Terrible had a run of bad luck in 2020. He turned it around in his second start of the season at Del Mar, however, with an impressive performance in the $125,500 Real Good Deal Stakes July 31.

Te win in the Real Good Deal on the dirt gave El Tigre Terrible stakes victories on both dirt and turf. Peter Miller trains him for Nick Cosato’s Slam Dunk Racing and Michael Nentwig.

“Te luxury of having him is I think he’ll run on either surface,” said Cosato. “And I don’t know if he’s even limited just to sprinting.”

In 2019 El Tigre Terrible won three of fve races, including the $101,755 Speakeasy Stakes against open company on the turf at Santa Anita. He tied with Phantom Boss in the voting for Cal-bred champion 2-year-old male.

Te gelding had a small setback, and so his connections gave him time of after the Speakeasy. He returned June 6 at Santa Anita in the $85,875 Desert Code Stakes, the frst of two races in which he encountered considerable trafc.

“It was very frustrating,” said Miller. “He’s had two very bad trips.”

El Tigre Terrible, with Flavien Prat aboard, after winning the Real Good Deal Stakes by 4 3 ⁄4 lengths over Del Mar’s main track

© BENOIT PHOTO

In the Desert Code on the turf, El Tigre Terrible found himself stuck behind horses. He didn’t get clear until deep in the stretch, and then he came fying to fnish second to She’s So Special, with Phantom Boss in the beaten feld.

Tings got even worse in the $103,500 Runhappy Oceanside Stakes on turf against open company at Del Mar July 10. Bumped right after the start, El Tigre Terrible was in close quarters throughout most of the onemile race. A hole closed on him in the stretch, and he and jockey Flavien Prat fnished unplaced.

“He had nowhere to run in the Oceanside, and Flavien just kind of sat on him,” said Cosato. “It was kind of a blessing in disguise because in the Oceanside, had he had room to run and really exerted himself, we in all likelihood wouldn’t have wheeled him back in the Real Good Deal.”

For the seven-furlong Real Good Deal, El Tigre Terrible faced six rivals. With Prat again aboard, he went of as the 11-10 favorite.

El Tigre Terrible broke ffth, and Miller became concerned when trafc trouble again appeared to loom on the turn.

“He had a horse to his outside, and it looked like he was running up on heels again,” said Miller. “But Flavien knew what he was doing, and he was the best horse.”

Once El Tigre Terrible got clear, he stormed to the front and drew of to score by 4 3 ⁄4 lengths in 1:24.28. Rookie Mistake fnished second, with Lightning Fast third and Phantom Boss fourth.

“I was a little bit worried,” said Cosato. “We were all kind of saying, ‘not again,’ but then Flavien tipped him out and he was able to outrun his opponents.”

Martin Bach bred El Tigre Terrible, a son of Smiling Tiger—King City Kitty, by Gotham City. Slam Dunk purchased him as a yearling for $18,000 from the Woodbridge Farm consignment at the 2018 Barretts fall sale.

“We got three pretty good horses at that sale,” said Cosato, who also purchased Cal-bred winners Utalknboutpractice for $57,000 and Drippin Sauce for $3,700.

With the Real Good Deal, El Tigre Terrible brought his record to four wins, one second, and one third in eight starts for earnings of $210,510.