Hold That Tiger (horse)

Hold That Tiger began his career in June 2002 by winning a maiden race at Leopardstown by two lengths as 6-4 favourite.[4] He was immediately moved up to Group race class in the Railway Stakes at the Curragh two weeks later, where he defeated the Coventry Stakes runner-up Pakhoes by a neck.[3][5] Immediately after the race he was offered at odds of 14-1 for the following year's 2000 Guineas.[6]

In August there was an outbreak of coughing amongst the Ballydoyle horses, but Hold That Tiger was nevertheless made 11-10 favourite for the Group One Phoenix Stakes, only to finish last of the nine runners, showing clear signs of "respiratory distress".[7] He took time to recover and did not reappear for almost two months.

At Longchamp on Arc day Hold That Tiger was part of a four-horse O'Brien entry in the Grand Critérium (since renamed the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardère). He started slowly and entered the straight last of the fourteen runners, but then moved to the outside and accelerated past the entire field to win by half a length from the previously undefeated Italian colt Le Vie Dei Colori, with the future Eclipse Award winner Intercontinental in third.[8] It was a performance that was compared by one commentator to that of Dancing Brave in the 1986 Arc.[9]

Although Hold That Tiger, who by now was regarded as the best of O'Brien's many good two-year-old colts, was entered in the Racing Post Trophy, his trainer had more ambitious plans.[10] On his final start of the year, Hold That Tiger traveled to Arlington Park, Chicago to challenge for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile, a race which O'Brien had won a year previously with Johannesburg. He broke slowly again and spent most of the race towards the back of the field, but then moved up quickly on the outside and stayed on to take third place behind Vindication. O'Brien observed that, "he flew home and could be a (Kentucky) Derby horse."[11]

In early spring, O'Brien did seem to be considering a bid for the Kentucky Derby,[12] but Hold That Tiger was instead sent straight for the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket, for which he was made 4-1 favourite. He made no show, finishing seventeenth of the twenty runners behind Refuse To Bend.[13] At Royal Ascot he finished fourth in the St. James's Palace Stakes, but had excuses, having been unable to find space for a clear run when travelling well.[14] He was well beaten behind Falbrav in the Eclipse Stakes before being campaigned again in North America.

In September at Belmont Park he produced his best performance of the year by finishing second to the American Horse of the Year Mineshaft in the Woodward Stakes.[15] His jockey, Edgar Prado was impressed, saying that "he wins the Woodward any other year".[16] Hold That Tiger was retired after finishing fifth of the ten runners behind Pleasantly Perfect in the Breeders' Cup Classic.