Tyler's Tribe Gets Time Off After Bleeding in Advent

Tim Martin, the co-owner/trainer of Iowa-bred sensation Tyler's Tribe , said the gelding will receive a 30-day break following his third-place finish as the heavy favorite in the Dec. 9 Advent Stakes at Oaklawn Park.

As he's done in every one of his prior starts, Tyler's Tribe shot to the lead under regular rider Kylee Jordan in the Advent and held the turning for home. He weakened late to finish 3 1/2 lengths behind unbeaten Count de Monet . The 2-year-old son of Sharp Azteca   bled during the 5 1/2-furlong race, the second straight race in which he has done so.

Tyler's Tribe was racing for the first time since being eased and vanned off after bleeding in the Nov. 4 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G1T) at Keeneland. Tyler's Tribe had raced on Lasix in his first five career starts—all blowout victories at Prairie Meadows—but the diuretic, used by horsemen to control respiratory bleeding in racehorses, is prohibited at the Breeders' Cup, as are other race-day medications.

Tyler's Tribe received Lasix for the Advent, which marked his return to dirt. Oaklawn currently permits Lasix use in races for 2-year-olds. States such as Kentucky and California do not.

"It wasn't nothing like the Breeders' Cup," Martin said of the bleeding episode. "He was looking pretty good, and whenever he stopped, I was like, 'Uh oh,' something happened.' When she pulled him up, he had blood in his nose."

Tyler's Tribe will spend approximately a month at Martin's nearby Royal Training Center, the trainer said, before the gelding resumes training for a possible comeback spot during the final weeks of the 2022-23 Oaklawn meet that ends May 6.

"I'm going to let him be a horse," Martin said. "I'll probably give him a month, just let him be a horse, and then just see where he's at and see what's going on. I've got some therapy that's pretty good for that (bleeding), I think, that we'll work on."

One race Martin could target is the $150,000 Bachelor Stakes for 3-year-old sprinters April 29 at Oaklawn.

"There's a race or two at the end of the meet that I'll look at, if he's good," Martin said. "We'll give him time, a lot more time. There's some stuff coming up late, three or four months. Just give him time and let him be ready."

Martin had said an appearance in the Advent was contingent on a clean endoscopic examination following a Dec. 10 work, which was the gelding's second at Oaklawn. Martin said Tyler's Tribe scoped clean following each breeze.

"No sign, no nothing," Martin said, referring to blood. "I wanted to take advantage of the Lasix, but that didn't work."

Co-owned with Thomas Lepic, Tyler's Tribe captured his first five starts, including four stakes, by a combined 59 3/4 lengths.