Sydney sprinter Tiger Tees will concentrate on weight for age races during the Spring Carnival after winning the Group 3 $150,000 Aurie’s Star Handicap (1200m) at Flemington last Saturday.
Tiger Tees, greeen, yellow sleeves, scores a gutsy win in the Aurie's Star Handicap at Flemington. Photo by Race Horse Photos Australia.
With 59.5kgs on his back, Tiger Tees virtually led all of the way up the Flemington straight and responded magnificently for Damien Oliver to hold off the fast finishing Mr Chard and Zamorar.
“Tiger Tees is a quirky fellow, I thought I might get an easy lead but when a couple of others wanted to go on I let them go,” Oliver told TVN.
“He surges then relaxes in the run, but there’s no doubt he is genuine in the finish.”
Part owner Neil Couper praised the efforts of Tiger Tees who broke through the $1 million in prizemoney earnings with the Aurie’s Star win.
“He’s been a fabulous horse. He’s won over a million dollars for us now and 12 races, you really can’t buy that sort of fun,” Couper said.
“Hopefully its onward and upward from here. If we put him in handicap events he is going to get the grandstand, so we will probably be sticking to weight for age events.”
Warwick Farm trainer Joe Pride had also nominated Tiger Tees for the Group 2 $175,000 McGrath Estate Agents Missile Stakes (1200m) at Randwick last Saturday and pulled the right rein in tackling the Flemington straight.
“He’s run well in his last two attempts down the straight six so we elected to bring him down for this race rather than tackle the missile in Sydney,” Couper said.
Oliver also congratulated Pride for making the right move after the Missile Stakes attracted a very strong field of top class sprinters.
“It was a good move by Joe to send him down here, it was a good option especially since the Missile looked a lot stronger race,” Oliver said.
Tiger Tees was having his first run in the Aurie’s Star Handicap since returning from a short Brisbane Winter Carnival campaign that saw him finish last of seven in the Group 1 $400,000 Bundaberg Distilling Co. BTC Cup (1200m) at Doomben on May 10.
That followed a successful Sydney Autumn Carnival campaign that saw Tiger Tees win the Group 1 $400,000 Bloodstock.com.au Galaxy (1100m) at Rosehill and run third to Hana’s Goal in the Group 1 $400,000 Schweppes All Aged Stakes (1400m) at Randwick on April 26.
The Group 1 WFA $1m Darley Classic (1200m) up the Flemington straight on the last day of the Melbourne Cup Carnival looks a likely target for Tiger Tees who finished fourth in the 2012 version.
