Tribal Storm surges, wins Lost in the Fog
With East Coast invader Well abled and home-track specialist Quick and Silver figuring to ensure a fast pace, the $60,125 Lost in the Fog Stakes appeared to be set up for a horse coming from behind.
Tribal Storm, a 20-1 shot, fit the scenario perfectly as he ran in last place until early stretch, advanced into contention between horses and surged in the final sixteenth to win the 6-furlong race by three-quarters of a length over Well abled.
Well abled had won five of six starts on synthetic surfaces like the one at Golden Gate Fields, which was why he was sent from his Florida training base. He came off a careerbest performance in a 7-length win in the Forego Stakes on Jan. 19 at Turfway Park.
There were no more stakes at Turfway, and the other tracks with synthetic surfaces don’t open until April and May.
Well abled certainly ran his race Monday, as he outsped Quick and Silver for the lead as Anyportinastorm showed surprising early speed to race within a length in second.
Anyportinastorm, making his first start since May 14, finished a head behind Well abled in third. Quick and Silver, the defending champion, ran in third for most of the race and ended up fourth.
Tribal Storm finished in 1:08.71 — 0.48 from the track record — for his fifth win in 13 starts and second in a stakes event. He had finished well behind Quick and Silver on Jan. 7 and was third to Lost in the Fog Stakes participant Sunset Dragunn on Jan. 28.
“I knew he was going to be back in the rear early,” jockey Irving Orozco said. “By the turn, I was starting to think about how I could move my horse. I preferred to stay inside to save ground and then I had the horse to send through there. He went right through and did his thing down the stretch. He ran with confidence and I felt confident.”
“He runs hard,” trainer Ed Moger Jr. said. “The horse from the East Coast looked so tough, but there was a lot of speed, so he got a good setup.” Briefly: Because of the special Presidents Day program, there is no racing Thursday. … West Coast invader My Boy Jack ($19.60) used a rail rally to win the Grade 3, $500,000 Southwest Stakes for 3-yearolds on a sloppy track Monday at Oaklawn Park. Favored Mourinho set the pace but faded to fourth.