Oak Tree Distaff highlights Saturday race card at Alameda County Fair

Oak Tree at Pleasanton Stakes preview

Oak Tree Distaff

Saturday, June 27

On paper, the $100,000 Oak Tree Distaff is defending champions Tribal Gal’s to lose as she comes into the race as the lone stakes winner in the field of six.

The race is the 9th on the Oak Tree at Pleasanton card and is scheduled for a 5:30 p.m.

Owned by John Pendergast and trained by Kory Owens, Tribal Gal has six stakes wins in her career, including a dominating win here last year against what at least seems a much tougher field.

Ricky Gonzalez – who had the mount last year in the win – draws the assignment again. In her last start, Tribal Gal was May 23 when she ran third in the $150,000 Spring Fever at Santa Anita. Since then she blistered a work at four furlongs at Santa Anita on June 15.

Given her early speed on a track that has been very fast – first to the top of the lane has been tough to beat – and Tribal Gal is every bit of deserving as her 8-5 morning line.

If Frisco Fog from the rail and Pop Fizz Clink can press Tribal Gal at all, the late running Princess Bertrando may have a shot. The Jeff Bonde trained horse recently came from well off the pace to win at Golden Gate Fields, but that was on the turf, a surface conducive to her running style.

Tribal Delight, a Cliff Delima-trained entry and ridden by Russell Baze, is another that can close and has been working over the track. But this is the toughest field she has faced.