By Bill Finley
After another dominating performance, this time in the Iowa Cradle S., the undefeated Iowa-bred gelding Tyler's Tribe (Sharp Azteca) will face the stiffest test of his career when going next in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint at Keeneland. Just don't call him an underdog. He's too fast for that.
“We're headed to Kentucky and I think we have a good horse,” said co-owner and trainer Tim Martin. “I know he's been running in Iowa but has been beating them pretty bad over there. He's been pretty amazing.”
The story of the over achieving Iowa-bred began when Martin and co-owner Tom Lepic bought the horse for $34,000 as a yearling at last year's Iowa Thoroughbred Breeders' and Owners' Association Fall Mixed Sale, not knowing at the time that Sharp Azteca would turn out to be one of the top freshman sires in the country. The hope was to get a productive Iowa-bred, but it was obvious early on that they got much more than just that. Tyler's Tribe, who is named for Lepic's grandson, who has been battling leukemia, won his first four starts by a combined 53 1/4 lengths during a streak that included a gaudy 94 Beyer figure when he beat open company in the Prairie Meadows Freshman S.
He has never run outside of Prairie Meadows, where Martin is third in the trainer's standings. The regular rider is Kylee Jordan, the leading rider at Prairie Meadows who only recently lost her apprentice allowance.
In Saturday's Iowa Cradle, which was restricted to Iowa-breds, Tyler's Tribe, a 1-20 favorite, won by 6 1/2 lengths. It was the smallest winning margin of his five-race career, but he was geared down in the stretch and was never at any point asked for his best.
That wasn't the plan. Martin wanted Tyler's Tribe to gallop out an extra two furlongs after the wire, but with Jordan all but pulling the horse up at the wire it didn't work out.
“She was supposed to go out a mile,” Martin said of Jordan. “I think there was a misunderstanding. She kind of saved him down the lane when I told her to keep riding him so he could go out a mile. She stood up on him and the horse thought he was done. So, I didn't like the gallop out. It wasn't the horse's fault.”
Martin has had his sights set on the Breeders' Cup for a while. The only question was whether or not they would try for the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile at a mile-and-a-sixteenth on the dirt or the Juvenile Turf at 5 1/2 furlongs on the grass. Neither is a perfect fit. Tyler's Tribe has never run on the grass, but neither has he ever run beyond six furlongs. Ultimately, Martin settled on the shorter race and the plan is to arrive at Keeneland on Tuesday so that he can adapt to his surroundings and get a chance to train over the turf course.
“He's a sprinter and I don't know if he's ready to go long yet,” Martin said. “I really think he will like the grass. His pedigree suggests he'll run well on the grass and he's got a sibling or two that has run well on the grass. I wish the race were on dirt because we know he likes the dirt. But at this point in his career I just don't know if he's ready for a mile-and-a-sixteenth race.”
Though Tyler's Tribe has been facing modest competition, he figures to be among the favorites in the Juvenile Turf. If that weren't the case, Martin said he wouldn't be taking the shot that he is.
“I don't want to go to the Breeders' Cup just to go to the Breeder's Cup,” he said. “I want to go when I know I have a shot to win a race or run a really big race. I'm not interested in going just to say that I had a horse in the Breeders' Cup. I think we have the horse to compete. He'll be one of the top horses in his race, He's five-for-five and has done it all easily.”
Martin does think his horse will eventually be able to succeed in two-turn races and hopes to give him that shot next year. But first the Breeders' Cup, where he will take on some of the fastest 2-year-olds on the planet. Is he up to the task? It's a fascinating question, and the answer awaits.
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