Planting milestones on both coasts, North American freshman sires Smiling Tiger and Cold Harbor each earned their first black-type winners Aug. 30 at Del Mar and Woodbine, respectively.
Multiple grade 1 winner Smiling Tiger, who stands at Harris Farms, was represented by Spiced Perfection, who won the $100,000 Generous Portion Stakes for California-bred or California-sired juvenile fillies by two lengths.
The filly, out of winner Perfect Feat (by Pleasantly Perfect), was bred by Premier Thoroughbreds. She was sold for $6,500 through the 2016 Barretts October yearling and horses of racing age sale. She would sell again as a 2-year-old for $50,000 to Michael Faber's Dare to Dream Stables out of the Checkmate Thoroughbreds consignment.
Spiced Perfection placed in her first two starts before breaking her maiden July 19 at Del Mar by half a length, getting five furlongs in :59.55, then rolled right into stakes competition. The filly is also the first winner for her dam, Perfect Feat.
Trainer Jeff Bonde bought Smiling Tiger as a yearling for $40,000 out of the 2008 Washington Thoroughbred Breeders' Association's summer yearling sale. Bonde trained the colt for Alan Klein and Philip Lebherz, who watched their star win or place in 18 stakes—16 of them graded.
The son of Hold That Tiger won three grade 1 races and was third in the 2010 and 2012 Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1). He retired with a 9-2-8 record out of 23 starts and collected $1,480,704 in earnings. Smiling Tiger stood for $4,000 at Harris Farms this year.
Canadian sire Cold Harbor's first winner, Eskiminzin, became his first black-type winner when the colt won the $200,000 Simcoe Stakes Presented by Samuel, Son and Co. Limited for Canadian-foaled 2-year-old colts and geldings by three-quarters of a length, driving.
Eskiminzin (above) wins the Simcoe Stakes
Eskiminzin is one of only two foals in Cold Harbor's first crop. The other foal, a filly named Opeongo, is not expected to start until next year. Brett Delmas, the owner of Jecara Farms, bred both foals and races Eskiminzin with his sister and trainer Analisa Delmas, who owns and raced Cold Harbor.
"The reason I'm breeding to him is all bloodline," Brett Delmas said. Cold Harbor is a son of Distorted Humor out of the stakes-winning Farma Way daughter Birr, who placed in four graded stakes. "He also had tremendous heart and is proportioned beautifully."
Eskiminzin is out of the winning Open Forummare Ms. Forum. Eskiminzin is a half brother to stakes winner Atlas Shrugs (by Compadre).
Cold Harbor, bred by WinStar Farm, was acquired as a racing prospect by Analisa Delmas' Fieldstone Farms for $30,000 out of the 2008 Keeneland January mixed sale from the Paramount Sales consignment. He would start 60 times from 3 to 9, winning six races and finishing in the money in 20 others starts. He retired with $378,028 in earnings and now stands at Fieldstone Farms near Schomberg, Ont.
