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Tyler’s Tribe Pointing to Dec. 9 Advent Stakes at Oaklawn

After a failed attempt in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint in which he bled, Tyler's Tribe (Sharp Azteca) will return to his comfort zone for his next start. Trainer and co-owner Tim Martin reports that his Iowa-bred gelding will start next in the Dec. 9 Advent S. at Oaklawn at 5 1/2 furlongs on the dirt for 2-year-olds.

“This will give him five weeks between races,” Martin said. “We worked him last week and he didn't bleed. Everything looked good. I'll breeze him again Saturday. In this race coming up we can use Lasix and I'd like to take advantage of that.”

Tyler's Tribe, an Iowa-bred who cost $34,000 as a yearling, dominated his competition in his first five starts, all of them at Prairie Meadows, winning by a combined margin of 59 3/4 lengths. With no dirt sprint race for 2-year-olds available at the Breeders' Cup, Martin elected to try Tyler's Tribe on the grass in the Juvenile Turf Sprint. It was more or less a disaster. Racing without Lasix for the first time in his career, Tyler's Tribe bled and had to be vanned off the track.

“He just got stressed that day,” Martin said. “I don't think he liked the turf. Then he made a pretty good bobble and his head went down right before he bled. When he walked on that turf course he started washing out. He never did that before. He had always been calm. He was doing fine in the post parade. The minute he stepped on turf he started sweating.”

While going back on Lasix in the Advent may help Tyler's Tribe in the short term, Martin can't count on using it throughout the year. In the races in which horses can accrue points for the GI Kentucky Derby, Lasix is not allowed. Martin is still holding out hope that Tyler's Tribe can prove worthy of chasing after the Derby and is hopeful that bleeding won't be an issue.

“We breezed him last week and he breezed good,” Martin said. “He scoped good, there was no mucus, no blood, no anything. Everything was good. I never have thought he was a bleeder.”

Should Tyler's Tribe win the Advent, Martin will reevaluate where he is with the horse. A race like the Smarty Jones S., run at a mile on Jan. 1 is a possibility.

“Will I point for the Derby? Maybe,” he said. “I want to see how he does in this race first.”

With Tyler's Tribe having never run beyond six furlongs, he'll need to prove he can go a distance. Martin doesn't think it will be a problem.

“I love the thought of him going a distance,” he said. “The rider thinks he'll be great going long. I never thought he was a sprinter. That he did so well in sprints kind of surprised me. At the end, he always has a lot left.”

The Advent is a $150,000 race and will be run on opening day at Oaklawn.

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Arrieta Sweeps Final Four Races At Oaklawn Friday

Jockey Francisco Arrieta recorded his biggest career day at Oaklawn in Hot Springs, Ark., after sweeping the final four races on Friday's nine-race opening-day program, including the inaugural $150,000 Advent Stakes for 2-year-old sprinters aboard Kavod ($8.40) for trainer Chris Hartman.

Arrieta, 33, recorded a riding triple, his previous single-day Oaklawn best, on closing day of the 2021 meeting, May 1.

“Unbelievable,” Arrieta said following the Advent, Oaklawn's first stake for 2-year-olds since 1973.

Arrieta also won the sixth race aboard favored Botswana ($5.40) for trainer Bentley Combs, seventh race aboard favored Hypersport ($4.40) for trainer Ingrid Mason and the ninth race aboard Jets a Ginnin ($12) for trainer Scott Becker. The four-bagger pushed Arrieta's purse earnings this year to more than $5 million, a career high.

A native of Venezuela, Arrieta began riding in the United States in 2012 and had ridden extensively the past few years in New Mexico, Arizona, and Minnesota before hiring agent Jay Fedor and changing circuits. Arrieta relocated to Oaklawn for the first time for the 2021 meeting and made a huge splash in the rider standings, finishing third in victories (50) and purse earnings ($3,100,250). Arrieta recorded his first career Oaklawn stakes victory in last April's $200,000 Bachelor for 3-year-old sprinters aboard Jaxon Traveler for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen. Arrieta was based in Kentucky for the first time following last season's Oaklawn meet.

“I felt like it was a good move coming here,” Arrieta said. “I've been growing here. I was jumping around. It's my second year here, so I feel like I'm home now. A lot of people know me already. I've been riding for the same people in Kentucky and they're coming back, so now they know me and trust me. Hopefully, it will be better than last year.”

Arrieta was leading rider in 2019 at Canterbury Park in Shakopee, Minn., and won 250 races overall that year to rank eighth nationally.

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Oaklawn Park Kicks Off December Racing With Ten 2-Year-Olds In $150,000 Advent Stakes

Friday's $150,000 Advent, Oaklawn's first stakes race for 2-year-olds in almost 50 years, has drawn of a field 10, including unbeaten maiden special weights graduate Higher Standard for trainer Tom Amoss.

Probable post time for the 6-furlong Advent, is 3:46 p.m. (Central). It goes as the eighth of nine races for Oaklawn's first of 66 scheduled live programs during the expanded 2021-2022 season.

Higher Standard, a son of super sire Into Mischief, was a 5 ¾-length debut winner sprinting Nov. 14 at Churchill Downs for Amoss. Higher Standard recorded a 5-furlong bullet workout (:59.20) Nov. 24 at Churchill Downs in advance of the Advent.

“Getting him ready to run at the Churchill Downs fall meet, he did everything right,” the Fair Grounds-based Amoss said. “We were really excited about our first start with him. First-time starters, sometimes they don't perform up to standards and they need that race to learn from. He was a real pro. He broke very sharp. He took it to that field and he really won with ease. I don't usually come back with a horse that quick off a debut win. But assessing our options, and hoping to get black type, this seemed like a really good fit.”

Advent entrants from the rail out:

Charter Oak, Luis Contreras to ride, 117 pounds, 5-1 on the morning line
Kavod, Francisco Arrieta, 117, 6-1
Forty Stripes, David Cohen, 117, 10-1
Ruggs, Martin Garcia, 117, 10-1
Oro Azteca, Ramon Vazquez, 117, 10-1
B Sudd, David Cabrera, 117, 6-1
Sonnyisnotsofunny, Cristian Torres, 117, 15-1
Impulsus, Luis Quinonez, 114, 30-1
Cairama, Ricardo Santana Jr., 117, 5-2
Higher Standard, Florent Geroux, 117, 3-1

“I think outside posts at Oaklawn, the farther you get outside, the worse off you are,” Amoss said. “But I'm hearing the rumor that there will be a couple of scratches and it will be a more compact field, so I will say, based on that, it's a good post to have. We're an athletic and quick horse at the gate. There are a few others that are, also, and normally when you get into that situation, it's nice to have that outside post to be able to kind of look over and see what everybody's doing before you make your decision whether to continue forward or sit off the pace a little bit.”

Cairama, a supplemental nominee, will be racing on Lasix for the first time for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen. Cairama cuts back to a sprint after finishing fifth in the $150,000 Nashua Stakes (G3) at 1 mile Nov. 7 at Belmont Park.

Ruggs was a three-length debut winner Nov. 15 at Remington Park for trainer Ron Moquett of Hot Springs. Ruggs is the first scheduled Oaklawn starter for Gun Runner, the 2017 Horse of the Year and North America's leading freshman sire in 2021.

The inaugural Advent is among three 2-year-old races on Friday's card, which marks Oaklawn's earliest season opener in history. Oaklawn's last stakes race for 2-year-olds was the split Ballerina for fillies April 5, 1973. Oaklawn's last race for 2-year-olds was March 27, 1975.

First post Friday is 12:30 p.m. (Central).

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