Distance key for Tribal Teen
VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Tribal Teen will appreciate the move back to a sprint when he runs in a first-level allowance race for 3-year-olds and up at Hastings on Friday. British Columbia-breds who have won two races are also eligible to the 6 1/2-furlong feature, which drew five horses and goes as the third race.
Tribal Teen, trained by John Snow, has won two races and both were at 6 1/2 furlongs. A quick learner, Tribal Teen won a maiden special weight race in his second start on May 16. After forcing the pace and tiring to finish fifth in the 1 1/16-mile CTHS Sales Stakes June 14, he came back to defeat Tom Quinn in a $50,000 optional race on July 4.
Snow gave Tribal Teen another chance going long in the B.C. Cup Stellar's Jay on Aug. 3, but once again he faded after chasing an honest pace. The horse he was chasing was Tommy Danzigger, who not only carried his speed the whole way in the Stellar's Jay, he came back to win the Grade 3 Canadian Derby at Northlands Park in his next start.
Tribal Teen has had two sharp works since his last start, including a bullet four-furlong work on Aug. 28, and looks like the one to beat with leading rider Fernando Perez retaining the mount.
Can't Wait Forever finished in front of Tribal Teen when they both made their debuts in a maiden special weight race on April 19. Can't Wait Forever was trained by Richard Cloutier, but when he resurfaced in a similar race on July 18, he had been moved to Rob VanOverschot's barn. Sent off as the odds-on favorite, Can't Wait Forever forced the pace before tiring to finish fourth. He came back to score an easy 5 1/2-length win in a quickly run maiden special weight race on Aug. 3, and in his first start with winners he wasn't a factor after getting squeezed back at the break on Aug. 14.
Tribal Teen, Can't Wait Forever and Afleet Deal are the 3-year-olds in the field, and they would appear to have the edge over the two older horses in the field, Surprisal and Uncanny Yodel.
Surprisal, trained by Joe Gallo, is a 4-year-old who has 2 wins from 23 starts and probably wants more distance.
Uncanny Yodel, 6, has earned $80,593. He hasn't won a race since he scored back-to-back wins in 2007. He is trained by Donald Richardson.