Oaklawn Barn Notes: Tyler’s Tribe Entered for Friday’s Advent Stakes

By Robert Yates —-

Tyler’s Tribe Entered for Friday’s Advent Stakes

Iowa-bred sensation Tyler’s Tribe is expected to make his next start in the $150,000 Advent Stakes for 2-year-old sprinters Dec. 9 at Oaklawn, Tim Martin, the gelding’s co-owner/trainer, said Saturday morning.

Post positions for the 5 ½-furlong Advent, which anchors the first of 68 scheduled racing dates in 2022-2023, were drawn Saturday morning. Tyler’s Tribe, among nine entrants, is scheduled to break from post 5 under regular rider Kylee Jordan. First post Dec. 9 is 12:30 p.m. (Central), with probable post time for the Advent 3:46 p.m.

Tyler’s Tribe completed major preparations for a projected Advent start by working 3 furlongs in :37.60 under Jordan just after the second renovation break Saturday morning at Oaklawn.

“Just a little maintenance move,” Martin, a Hot Springs resident, said moments after watching the work from the first turn. “He’s fit. He’s been running. He ran five weeks ago, obviously. I worked him a half last week. This was six days before the race. I’ll scope him. If he’s clean, we’ll race. If he ain’t … but he looks good.”

It was the second local work for Tyler’s Tribe since he suffered his first career loss in the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1) Nov. 4 at Keeneland. Tyler’s Tribe was eased and vanned off after bleeding in the 5 ½-furlong race.

Martin said he also considered Tyler’s Tribe for the $250,000 Smarty Jones Stakes Jan. 1 at Oaklawn, but decided to pass because the anti-bleeder medication Lasix is prohibited in Kentucky Derby points events. The use of race-day Lasix is also prohibited in the Breeders’ Cup. Tyler’s Trible ran without Lasix for the first time in the Juvenile Turf Sprint. Horses are allowed to run on Lasix in the Advent.

“I want to take the advantage of the Lasix right now,” Martin said before Saturday’s work. “That’s kind of why I backed off. I breezed him last week and he scoped good – no mucus, no blood, no nothing. We’ll scope him again today and if everything’s good, then I’ll go. It’s 5 ½. He’ll like that.”

Tyler’s Tribe was a four-time stakes winner at Prairie Meadows – all sprints – with two of the victories coming in open company, including the $100,000 Prairie Meadows Freshman Aug. 27 by 15 ½ front-running lengths. Tyler’s Tribe has won his five starts by a combined 59 ¾ lengths.

From the first crop of millionaire Grade 1 winner Sharp Azteca, Tyler’s Tribe has won 5 of 6 starts and earned $306,294.

The projected nine-horse Advent field from the rail out: Count de Monet, Santo Sanjur to ride, 117 pounds; C. J.’s Storm, Nik Juarez, 117; Too Much Info, Cristian Torres, 117; How Did He Do That, Isaac Castillo, 119; Tyler’s Tribe, Kylee Jordan, 124; Happy Is a Choice, David Cabrera, 117; Frosted Departure, Francisco Arrieta, 124; Alto Road, Luis Quinonez, 117; and Wild Mule, Angel Rodriguez, 119.

The Advent goes as the eighth of nine races.

Fit to be Tied

An injury to David Cabrera opened the door for Francisco Arrieta to capture his first Oaklawn riding title at the 2021-2022 meeting. An injury to Arrieta helped closed it, but not permanently.

Almost seven months after the 2021-2022 Oaklawn meeting ended, a medication violation involving the winner of the third race May 6 race triggered a disqualification and produced an unexpected tie (62-62) for leading rider.

Cabrera initially finished with a 62-61 advantage over Arietta, but the disqualification of Miniconjou elevated the original runner-up, Windcracker, to first in the starter-allowance sprint, according to a stewards’ ruling dated Nov. 29. The ruling is not being appealed, an Oaklawn official said. Windcracker was ridden by Arrieta, who was unaware of the noteworthy disqualification.

“No way,” Arrieta said during training hours Saturday morning at Oaklawn. “That’s nice.”

Cabrera was sailing toward his first Oaklawn riding title with a 62-49 lead over Arrieta after the April 7 card, Day 52 of the 66-day meeting. But Cabrera suffered head, neck, upper back and facial injuries during a spill in the first race April 8 and missed the remainder of the meeting.

Arrieta gradually closed the gap during the final 14 days of racing, but any chance to build early momentum stalled because of a freak injury shortly before Cabrera’s accident. Arrieta said the inside of his left index finger was lacerated to the bone when he tried to repair the awning on his RV that had been damaged because of high wind.

“I was trying to take it off and put a new one on,” Arrieta, 34, said during training hours late last month at Oaklawn. “I didn’t know it had a spring inside, so when I released the pressure, it just exploded. It was late night, so I stayed at home, but the next day I went to the hospital.”

Arrieta took off all his mounts April 7 and April 8 before returning April 9. He entered closing day, May 8, trailing Cabrera 62-60. Arrieta won the fourth race aboard Decision Maker for trainer Tom Van Berg, but failed to win with his next four mounts and lost to Cabrera, at that time, in a photo finish.

“If David didn’t get hurt, he would have won the title easy,” Arrieta said. “He was doing great.”

Arrieta, in his Oaklawn debut in 2021, won 50 races to finish third in the standings behind Ricardo Santana Jr. (68) and Cabrera (62). Arrieta also finished third in purse earnings ($3,100,250). Arrieta’s mounts earned more than $3.6 million in purse money last season at Oaklawn to rank second behind Santana ($4 million).

Arrieta’s 2021-2022 Oaklawn meet was highlighted by four consecutive victories opening day, including the inaugural $150,000 Advent Stakes for 2-year-old sprinters aboard Kavod for 2015 Oaklawn training champion Chris Hartman, a major client. Arrieta didn’t ride the final few days of the 2022 Churchill Downs fall meet, choosing instead to prepare for Oaklawn’s upcoming season. He said he began getting on horses Nov. 20 in Hot Springs.

“It’s going better and better,” Arrieta said. “I think this year more people know me and I’m so happy to be back. I love it here.”

A native of Venezuela, Arrieta recorded his first United States victory in 2015. His career took off at the 2018-2019 Turf Paradise meeting, where he was the runaway riding leader with 194 victories. Arrieta was also leading rider at Canterbury Park in 2019 (79 victories) and at Sunland Park in 2019-2020 (43).

Arrieta was riding at Fair Grounds in December 2020 when his now-agent Jay Fedor cold-called the jockey and convinced him to ride at Oaklawn in 2021.

Arrieta now makes Arkansas and Kentucky his year-round circuit. The move continues to pay dividends since Arrieta has already set an overall personal record for purse earnings this year ($6,018,633), recorded his first graded stakes victory in the United States aboard Senor Buscador in the $300,000 Ack Ack Stakes (G3) Oct. 1 at Churchill Downs and rode in the Breeders’ Cup for the first time last month at Keeneland.

“People are starting to know me over there (Kentucky) and giving me more chances,” Arrieta said. “I finally rode one for Dallas Stewart that finished third. I rode for the first time for Michelle Lovell and I won. Couple of new (trainers) are giving me the opportunity.”

Finish Lines

Rafael Bejarano and Gabriel Saez were among the jockeys getting on horses Saturday morning at Oaklawn in advance of the 2022-2023 meeting that begins Dec. 9. … Ice Orchid’s first major 2023 target is the $150,000 Pippin Stakes for older fillies and mares Jan. 7, trainer John Ortiz said Saturday morning. The 1 1/16-mile Pippin is Oaklawn’s first of three major preps for the $1 million Apple Blossom Handicap (G1) April 15. Ice Orchid ran second in the $300,000 Honeybee Stakes (G3) for 3-year-old fillies last February at Oaklawn. … Kavod, winner of the $150,000 Advent Stakes for 2-year-old sprinters last year at Oaklawn, recorded his first local breeze of the season Friday, covering a half-mile in :49.40 for 2015 Oaklawn training champion Chris Hartman.

Photo Credit: Coady Photography