Sharp Aza Tack sticks it to Tyro rivals

Sharp Aza Tack was just that, dashing off to a 7 1/4-length victory in the $102,000 Tyro Stakes on Saturday at Monmouth Park.

Power Attack was quickest out of the gate in Tyro, a five-furlong race for 2-year-olds, but Sharp Aza Tack matched his early speed and took a clear lead before hitting the turn. His advantage was two lengths in upper stretch, four at the stretch call, and Sharp Aza Tack widened to the wire with a final furlong in 11.59 seconds.

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He clocked 55.71 over a firm, fast-playing, speed-favoring course and paid $4 as the favorite. Power Attack was second, 1 3/4 lengths in front of Bart’s Dream, who tried to run into contention at the quarter pole but could make no ground on the winner.

Jairo Rendon rode Sharp Aza Tack for trainer Doug O’Neill and Ron Arekelian’s R3 Racing. Sharp Aza Tack now has two wins for two starts, building on a 2 1/2-length turf sprint maiden score on June 10 at Santa Anita.

“When he made his debut, he had trained well, but I didn’t know if he was good enough to stay with some of the top baby sprinters on the dirt in California,” O’Neill said. “We put him in that grass sprint, and I would be lying if I didn’t say I was shocked at how well he raced.”

O’Neill moved the colt, by Sharp Azteca out Que Chulo, by Bernardini, to his string at Keeneland and said he used the Monmouth start as a bridge to the $500,000 Juvenile Sprint on Sept. 8 at Kentucky Downs.

Sharp Aza Tack was bred in Kentucky by Joe and Emily Cowles. He was purchased at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales breeze-up auction this past March for $100,000 after selling for $72,000 as a yearling last September at Keeneland.