Monday, October 31, 2022

Tyler’s Tribe and Sharp Aza Tack drew adjacent post positions when entries were drawn Monday for Friday’s $1 million Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (G1).

That pair, along with Alma Rosa in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1), give top-five First-Crop sire Sharp Azteca a three-pronged attack on Friday’s Breeders’ Cup card.

All eyes will be on Tyler’s Tribe, who has been simply brilliant in winning all five of his starts by a combined 59 ¾-lengths but will be making his first start on the grass. Co-owners Tom Lepic and Tim Martin, the latter also the dark bay’s trainer, opted for the turf in lieu of the two-turn Juvenile (G1) Tyler’s Tribe has yet to go around two turns. He drew post 10 on Friday.

Sharp Aza Tack, in post 9, has definitely shown he likes the grass, winning Monmouth Park’s Tyro S. by 7 ¼-lengths as well as breaking his maiden on the lawn. The R3 Racing LLC colt also just missed in last month’s $500,000 Juvenile Turf Sprint S. at Kentucky Downs.

Rounding out Sharp Azteca’s Friday trio is Sharp Azteca’s most recent stakes winner Alma Rosa, who was very impressive in winning the Oct. 14 White Clay Creek S. by a widening 3 ¼-lengths. The dark bay filly races for her breeder Gelfenstein Farm.

Friday’s Breeders’ Cup card at Keeneland kicks off with the Juvenile Turf Sprint as race 6 at 3 p.m., with the Juvenile Fillies following as race 7 at 3:40 p.m.