C O V E R
California Cup XXIII
S T O R Y
Tilde: A Lucrative Lass
by KEN GURNICK In her last three races, Tilde has won three stakes with total purses of $500,000 while facing only opponents who were bred or sired in California. “This new California-bred deal is fantastic,” trainer Mike Harrington said in the winner’s circle at Santa Anita Park after Tilde won the $250,000 Keith E. Card California Cup Juvenile Fillies Stakes during Cal Cup XXIII on Oct. 13. If you had to pick endorsers for the recent upgrades in the Cal-bred program, the Harringtons would be a logical place to start, with Tilde a picture-perfect poster model. Mike and wife Patricia not only own Tilde, they bred her as the owners of her Cee’s Tizzy dam Self Taught. They also own 15 percent of her sire Swiss Yodeler (Harris Farms), who was trained by Mike for majority owner Heinz Steinmann. Swiss Yodeler has stood in California his entire career as a stallion, throwing offspring since 2000 that have kept Harrington busy commuting from his barn to the winner’s circle. He was the state’s leading freshman sire in 2002, leading juvenile sire in 2003 and 2006, and sire of the 2006 Eclipse Champion Sprinter, Thor’s Echo. Tilde is their second Cal Cup Juvenile Fillies winner in the last three years (joining Swiss Wild Cat) and is a lay-up to be named champion Cal-bred for her division. She has won four of five starts with earnings of $332,560. But you won’t see the Harringtons wheeling her back for the Breeders’ Cup. “I don’t think the purses are as big, but there are two more (Cal-bred) races for her—stakes—and you’d have to think that off this race, if she stays sound, she’ll be tough in both of them,” Mike Harrington said, referring to races either created for, or enriched by, the Golden State Series that debuted this year. Those would be the $200,000 Soviet Problem Stakes for
two-year-old fillies at Betfair Hollywood Park on Dec. 9, and the $300,000 California Breeders’ Champion Stakes for three-year-old fillies at Santa Anita in January. Looking farther down the road, Tilde also would be a logical candidate for the $200,000 Evening Jewel Stakes for three-year-old fillies at Santa Anita in March, and the $300,000 Melair for three-year-old fillies at Betfair Hollywood Park in April. Combined, that’s $1 million in available purses for Golden State Series eligibles in her division! The Cal Cup Juvenile Fillies was Tilde’s first two-turn venture. She won her May 20 debut going 4 1/2 furlongs at Betfair Hollywood Park with a game effort along the rail. She was third in the same track’s $100,000 Cinderella Stakes at 5 1/2 furlongs on June 16, then won back-to-back stakes at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club—the $100,000 CTBA Stakes at 5 1/2 furlongs on July 20, and the $150,000 Generous Portion going six furlongs on Aug. 29. Tilde drew the nine-hole in the 10-strong field at Cal Cup and was three-wide into the clubhouse turn under jockey Rafael Bejarano as Bert’s Altarcation and Doinghardtimeagain set the pace. Bejarano asked Tilde to pass the leaders heading for home. Bert’s Altarcation backed up, but Doinghardtimeagain dug in along the rail. It wasn’t until deep stretch that Tilde wore down her foe and emerged a half-length winner under energetic encouragement from her rider, clocking in at 1:45.56 for the 1 1/16 miles as the 2-1 favorite. “As soon as I came to the stretch I let her go and she came running,” said Bejarano. “She was flying in the end. This is a good filly. She’s getting better. This was her first time at a distance and I had so much horse in the end.”
©Benoit photos
Tilde
$250,000 Keith E. Card California Cup Juvenile Fillies Stakes October 13, 2012
28 CALIFORNIA THOROUGHBRED • NOVEMBER 2012
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