Tyler's Tribe 'Really Healthy' Ahead of Advent Stakes

Hopes were high as Tyler's Tribe  arrived at Keeneland in early October to begin training for a start in the Nov. 4 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G1T). Unfortunately it was not meant to be for the 2-year-old son of Sharp Azteca  .

Quickly going to the front of the 12-horse field, the gelding just as quickly dropped to the back of the pack, finished last, and was vanned off after he suffered bleeding from both of his nostrils for the first time, according to trainer Tim Martin.

Tyler's Tribe raced without the diuretic Lasix—a medication used to prevent respiratory bleeding—which is not allowed in Kentucky for stakes races as well as 2-year-old races. In his previous five starts, he was treated with the medication but had never trained with it. Horses running in the Breeders' Cup run without race-day medication.

"It was a full field of them and he was right up there in the lead and he started moving away and then boom he hit a brick wall," Martin said. "He's been sound, he's never had any issues but this bleeding was a nightmare. It's like, 'wow' what were the chances something like this happens? It was just devastating.

"I think he was under a lot of stress. I never breezed him on Lasix before. I gave him three ML's and then went to five, you can give 10, but I never had bleeding or anything ever. That was a big shock, didn't see it coming."

After the race, Martin gave the Iowa-bred gelding treatment and 10 days off before he began training again. He is currently stabled at Oaklawn Park, where he has breezed twice in preparation for a start in the Dec. 9 $150,000 Advent Stakes for 2-year-olds going 5 1/2 furlongs over the main track.

"I've breezed him twice and there was no blood or anything both times. I breezed him a half the first time and then I came back and breezed him 3/8th's last weekend. He worked well... I decided to go ahead to put him in this 5 1/2 (stakes)," Martin said about the Advent. "It's kind of the distance that he's been running. I'd love to stretch him out later, but I kind of want to take advantage of the Lasix right now. We decided to go ahead in (the Advent)."

Martin says Tyler's Tribe seems happy to be back on the dirt, and that running on the turf was never ideal for the gelding though he felt as if he wasn't ready quite yet for a longer distance.

Previous to the World Championships, Tyler's Tribe, owned in partnership by Martin and Tom Lepic, was undefeated, having captured all five of his starts at Prairie Meadows, including the July 9 Prairie Gold Juvenile Stakes, July 30 Iowa Stallion Futurity, Aug. 27 Prairie Meadows Freshman Stakes, and the Oct. 1 Iowa Cradle Stakes—those four on dirt at either 5 1/2 or six furlongs.

"I didn't really want to (run him on the turf) but he did have the pedigree for it. His siblings and his dad and mom all ran on the turf well but I didn't want to go a 1 1/16 mile with him out of those short races," Martin said. "The track at Keeneland is way more tiring. I ran like three horses there and they all got tired... The track is so much different. It's a pretty deep track."

Despite having never been to Oaklawn, Martin says the gelding is taking to it well. He added that plans for the next year will become clearer after the results of the race.

"He worked actually a little faster (at Oaklawn). He usually works pretty slow. He worked good and came back good," Martin said. "Everything looks really good. I will see how he does in this race and we'll go from there.

"I do want to stretch him out. I want to run him long. He seems to be really healthy, he's training well. I think he's a fast horse, and he showed that. I know (what people say about Iowa), but there were some pretty good horses that shipped over there and he beat them bad."

Rounding out the field is Count de Monet, C. J's Storm, Too Much Info, How Did He Do That , Happy Is a Choice, Frosted Departure , Alto Road, and Wild Mule.

Entries: Advent S.

Oaklawn Park, Friday, December 09, 2022, Race 8

• STK
• 5 1/2f
• Dirt
• $150,000
• 2 yo
• 3:46 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Count de Monet (KY)	Santo Sanjur	117	Thomas H. Swearingen	15/1
2	2C. J's Storm (IN)	Nik Juarez	117	John Haran	30/1
3	3Too Much Info (FL)	Cristian A. Torres	117	Robertino Diodoro	12/1
4	4How Did He Do That (KY)	Isaac Castillo	119	Steven M. Asmussen	12/1
5	5Tyler's Tribe (IA)	Kylee R. Jordan	124	Timothy E. Martin	3/5
6	6Happy Is a Choice (KY)	David Cabrera	117	John Alexander Ortiz	9/2
7	7Frosted Departure (KY)	Francisco Arrieta	124	Kenneth G. McPeek	15/1
8	8Alto Road (KY)	Luis S. Quinonez	117	Ronnie E. Cravens, III	20/1
9	9Wild Mule (NJ)	Angel A. Rodriguez	119	Jerry Hollendorfer	6/1