Empress Tigress Holds on to Win Coronation Cup

At the end of the 11th running of the $150,000 Coronation Cup at Saratoga Race Course July 15, trainer Jonathan Thomas was confident his speedy Empress Tigress  would hold on to win the 5 1/2-furlong race on the Mellon Turf Course.

He was right. The daughter of Classic Empire   held off Arnmore Thoroughbreds' Poppy Flower  by a half- length.

The win kept Empress Tigress, owned by Augustin Stable, unbeaten in two starts. She broke her maiden at Woodbine Racetrack on a synthetic surface May 22.

The complexion of the Coronation Cup changed drastically when trainer Wesley Ward scratched 2-1 morning-line favorite Twilight Gleaming , winner of the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G2T) last November.

"The scratch definitely reinforced staying in, for sure," Thomas said. "A filly like Twilight Gleaming coming out made it an easier decision to stay in."

It also didn't hurt that Empress Tigress was at the top of her game.

"She was training well," Thomas said. "And you only get these opportunities so many times, so you have to take advantage of them."

Ridden by Hall of Famer John Velazquez, Empress Tigress was the third choice in the eight-horse field, going off at 7-2. She took the lead at the quarter-pole and built a 3 1/2-length lead in the stretch and braced for the challenge of Poppy Flower, a daughter of Lea  , and jockey Jose Ortiz.

Empress Tigress paid $9.20 and the final time was 1:01.70.

Ortiz had an anxious moment at the start of the race. He said Poppy Flower heard a sound and hit the front of the gate. 

"She tried to go forward and I hit my (right) knee on the door," Ortiz said. "It hurt for a good minute and a half, but I'm ok."

Derrynane  finished third for jockey Joel Rosario and Christophe Clement and was followed home by Static Fire , Artos , Lady Scarlet , Mystic Eyes , and Sweet Solare . Two other horses—Benbang  and Marissa's Lady —were also scratched.

Video: Coronation Cup S. (BT)