Tiger's Rock eyes Big Cap

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - The marathon horse will likely be trekking cross-country to make his next start.

Tiger's Rock, who won the Gallant Fox and Coyote Lakes stakes - both 1 5/8-mile races over the inner track - is being pointed to the Grade 1, $750,000 Santa Anita Handicap on March 6, owner Jack Wolf confirmed Monday. The Big Cap is run at 1 1/4 miles over Santa Anita's Pro-Ride surface.

"That's what we're talking about," said Wolf, who has the horse with trainer Todd Pletcher. "Having said that I don't think I've ever won at Santa Anita; maybe this will be the first. I'd like to have the money back from Tex Sutton for what I've spent going out there."

Though Tiger's Rock has stepped up his game running on dirt, he has won over a synthetic surface. Last fall at Keeneland, he won an allowance race originally scheduled for the turf but rained off to the Polytrack.

"His second-best surface might be the synthetic," Wolf said. "But if our horse likes that surface, he fits. It's more just seeing if we can shorten up in distance and see if we can compete against the better horses."

Tiger's Rock, a son of Giant's Causeway, has won 4 of 7 starts.

Understatement works for Stymie

Understatement, who like Tiger's Rock is trained by Pletcher, worked four furlongs in 49.10 seconds over Belmont Park's training track on Sunday, his first breeze since winning the Evening Attire Stakes by 4 1/2 lengths on Jan. 16, earning a Beyer Speed Figure of 115. He is being pointed to the $65,000 Stymie Stakes here on Feb. 27.

Jonathan Thomas, the assistant trainer to Pletcher, said Understatement was given a few easy weeks of training following the Evening Attire and that the colt doesn't need much work heading into the Stymie.

"He's a bit of an overachiever in the mornings," Thomas said. "It could be easy to overdo it with him."

Well Positioned, the horse Understatement beat in the Evening Attire, came back to win an allowance race on Monday.