Barretts Debutante could be next for Naughty Tiger

DEL MAR, Calif. – Naughty Tiger, the winner of Wednesday’s $100,690 California Thoroughbred Breeders Association Stakes in her stakes debut, is unlikely to start again at the Del Mar summer meeting.

Trainer and co-owner Ed Freeman said on Thursday that he is considering Naughty Tiger for the $100,000 Barretts Debutante at Los Alamitos on Sept. 15.

The CTBA Stakes was restricted to 2-year-old California-bred fillies. The $100,000 Generous Portion Stakes for 2-year-old statebred fillies at six furlongs on Aug. 29 is not an option for Naughty Tiger. The race is for non-winners of a stakes worth $50,000 to the winner.

Naughty Tiger earned $57,000 in the CTBA Stakes. The conditions for the Generous Portion were changed for this year meeting to essentially exclude the CTBA Stakes winner.

Freeman could start Naughty Tiger in two stakes against open company in the final days of the meeting – the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante on Sept. 1 or the Del Mar Juvenile Fillies Turf on Sept. 3 – but was leaning against those races on Thursday morning.

“The last thing I want to do is beat up on her,” Freeman said.

Freman mentioned the lucrative Golden State series, which offers stakes for statebred horses of all ages, as a long-term objective. There are stakes at Santa Anita and Los Alamitos in the series in the final months this year.

“There is so much money in the Golden State series and there is the whole 3-year-old year,” he said.

The CTBA Stakes was Naughty Tiger’s stakes debut. She gave 20-year-old jockey Ruben Fuentes his first stakes win.

Naughty Tiger ($12.40) ran 5 1/2 furlongs in 1:06.27 on a day when the track produced slow times.

Naughty Tiger was fifth early, but within 1 1/4 lengths of early leader Six Pack Gal, who dueled through an opening quarter-mile in 21.99 seconds.

“She broke a little slow,” Fuentes said. “I saw everybody sending. I let things come to me. At the half-mile pole, she made a little move.”

Naughty Tiger advanced to second midway through the race, narrowly trailing Lippy, the 2-1 favorite.

“I was sitting on a lot of horse,” Fuentes said. “At the quarter-pole, I tapped her on the shoulder and she kicked clear.”

Naughty Tiger won by 1 1/4 lengths over Accomplishedsister, who was second in the Juan Gonzalez Memorial Stakes at the Oak Tree at Pleasanton meeting on June 30. Lippy finished third.

The CTBA Stakes was the third start for Naughty Tiger, who was third in her debut on May 28 and won a maiden race for Cal-bred fillies at five furlongs by 3 3/4 lengths on June 14.

Freeman co-owns Naughty Tiger with Brian Blackburn, Shannon Hunt, Mike Marsden, Antony Murigo and Darrin Albert.

Bought for $40,000 by Freeman at the Barretts April Sale of 2-year-olds in-training, Naughty Tiger has earned $97,880.