Key maiden winner Tiger Bourbon heads With Anticipation

If Tiger Bourbon takes to the Saratoga turf course as well as his sire, Big

Brown, did, he could prove difficult to beat in Thursday's Grade 2, $200,000

With

Anticipation. The 1 1/16-mile test for juveniles has attracted a field of

eight, plus three entered for the main track only.

Unlike his dual classic-winning and champion father, who won on debut at the

Spa by a scintillating 11 1/4 lengths, Tiger Bourbon enters the final week of

the Saratoga season having already won, albeit by a far more modest margin of a

half-length, going six furlongs at Belmont Park in mid-July.

What has made the victory look more impressive over time is how the

vanquished have since performed. General Jack, the runner-up to Tiger Bourbon,

next shipped to Minnesota to take the $100,000 Shakopee Juvenile by three

lengths at Canterbury. Third-place finisher Bashart returned to action August

18, prevailing by a half-length in a course-and-distance maiden event for

two-time With Anticipation-winning trainer Todd Pletcher. Both General Jack and

Bashart are back to re-oppose Tiger Bourbon.

"He's doing really good, obviously," said George Scott, assistant to Tiger

Bourbon's trainer Eddie Kenneally. "We're still learning about him, having only

run him once. We're delighted by the way he's trained, and he's certainly a

tough horse, so we've waited for the race. We had opportunities to run him on

the dirt, but in the future, if we're aiming for bigger and better things, it's

going to be on the turf."

As one might expect, the remainder of the field are also exiting winning

efforts against maiden company. Best Case Scenario, winner by a head on July 27

for Al Stall Jr., is joined by three other Saratoga graduates: We Miss Artie,

Racetrack Romance, and Marvin's Miracle. We Miss Artie won by three lengths for

Pletcher on August 11 in relatively slow time, while Racetrack Romance won by a

half-length for a $65,000 tag the same day. Marvin's Miracle, second to the

re-opposing River Dancer in his Belmont debut July 5, dropped in class and

bested New York-breds by three parts of a length at the Spa August 8.

The most intriguing of those entered for the main track is King Cyrus, who

turned heads with an 11-length debut score going seven furlongs on August 5. The

others, Free Mugatu and Howaboutwe, both graduated against New York-bred rivals

over off tracks earlier this month.

Earlier on Thursday's card, nine fillies and mares will travel 2 1/16 miles

over National Fences in the $75,000

Mrs. Walter

M. Jeffords. The field looks very much like that which competed in the

$75,000 Mrs. Ogden Phipps three weeks ago, with Take Her Tothe Top, who captured

the Mrs. Phipps by 3 1/4 lengths, re-opposed by five rivals who finished behind

her in that August 8 feature.

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