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Berlino Di Tiger wins photo in Twin Spires Turf Sprint

Berlino Di Tiger (shadow roll) scored his first U.S. win in the rain (Jessie Holmes/EquiSport Photos) Berlino Di Tiger hadn't fared well in two U.S. starts since his importation from Brazil, but appeared to find a course condition to his liking Saturday when winning a tight photo in the $138,250 Twin Spires Turf Sprint at Churchill Downs. The first of five stakes on the Kentucky Derby undercard, the Twin Spires Turf Sprint was contested over a course that had been downgraded to good after midday rains. That seemed to suit Berlino Di Tiger, a winner many times over on soft and heavy courses in South America. After dueling with Southern Dude through splits of :21 4/5 and :44 2/5, Berlino Di Tiger shook clear of that rival inside the final furlong and just held off a surging Chamberlain Bridge by a nose, completing five furlongs in :57. At 11-1, Berlino Di Tiger paid $24.40, $12.80 $6.80.

Owned by Stud Sampaio, Berlino Di Tiger is trained by Eduardo Caramori and was ridden here by Leandro Goncalves.

This was the fifth consecutive renewal of the Twin Spires Turf Sprint contested by the nine-year-old Chamberlain Bridge, who won the race in 2009 and has now placed in three of the four past editions. The former Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint winner finished three-quarters of a length ahead of Southern Dude, who had a length on Regally Ready. Havelock, Cactus Son, Icon Ike and Ghost Is Clear completed the order of finish.

Berlino Di Tiger, who advanced his career mark to 12-8-0-2, $212,212, won seven of his nine starts in his native Brazil, including a Group 1 event and a pair of Group 3s at the Ciudad Jardim course near Sao Paulo. A tiring sixth in his U.S. debut, the February 2 Gulfstream Park Turf Sprint, the five-year-old also ran out of gas in the stretch of the April 13 Shakertown at Keeneland, finishing eighth behind Havelock.

"He was a champion in Brazil and we were real disappointed his first couple races (in the United States)," Caramori said. "The thing is, he was running straight in Brazil, never turning. Always five-eighths straight.

"We knew we were going to have a problem and first race we send him and he wasn't ready for the turn and didn't negotiate it very well. The second time we tried to rate him and it was even worse; he displaced. Today we took the tongue tie off. Sometimes horses just need a few races to adapt to the races in America. And the soft turf helped, too. He was running on soft turf in Brazil.

"We may run in the race on Preakness weekend (the May 18 Jim McKay Turf Sprint) but maybe it's too close."

Bred by Haras Curitibano, Berlino Di Tiger was produced by the unraced Torrential mare Rainha Da Bateria, a full sister to Group 1-placed stakes winner Sicilia. This female family is also responsible for Nec Plus Ultra, a multiple Group 3 winner in France.

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