2020 Triple Crown | Horse Racing Free Tips

‘Everything Was Good’: Tiz The Law Breezes In Advance of Runhappy Travers On Aug. 8

Sackatoga Stable's Grade 1 Belmont Stakes champ Tiz the Law, bred in New York by Twin Creeks Farm, breezed five furlongs in 59.63 seconds Saturday at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Spring, N.Y., in preparation for the Grade 1, $1 million Runhappy Travers, a 1 1/4-mile test for sophomores, on August 8.

Tiz the Law visited the main track at 8:45 a.m. under mostly sunny skies and temperatures in the high 70s. The Constitution bay, working solo under exercise rider Heather Smullen, breezed through splits of 24.40, 35.60 and galloped out three-quarters in 1:12.84 over a fast main track.

Trainer Barclay Tagg, on track to oversee the breeze, said he liked what he saw.

“I thought the work was good. He did it just right. The time was good. Everything was good,” Tagg said.

Tiz the Law will breeze twice more ahead of the Runhappy Travers, which offers 100-40-20-10 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the top-four finishers.

“He came out nice and strong,” said Sackatoga Stables operations manager Jack Knowlton. “Obviously the new racetrack was no impediment for him, so it's just one more step. We've got three weeks from today. He'll have two more works and then we're ready to go. You can see how fit he is.”

A winner at first asking in August at Saratoga, Tiz the Law followed up with a four-length score in the Grade 1 Champagne in October at Belmont. He completed his juvenile campaign with a close third in the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club, contested on a sloppy strip at Churchill Downs.

Tiz the Law wintered at Palm Meadows Training Center in Boynton Beach, Fla., and opened his sophomore season at Gulfstream Park with a three-length score in the Grade 3 Holy Bull in February. He then dominated the nine-furlong Grade 1 Florida Derby by 4 1/4 lengths on March 28.

Last out, Tiz the Law captured the first leg of the revised Triple Crown when 3 ¾-lengths the best in the nine-furlong Grade 1 Belmont Stakes.

Tagg and Sackatoga Stable traveled the Triple Crown road in 2003 with New York-bred in Funny Cide. The Distorted Humor chestnut prevailed by 1 3/4-lengths in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby under jockey Jose Santos. He followed up with a 9 3/4-length score in the Grade 1 Preakness, but finished third in the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes after setting the early pace in his Triple Crown bid.

Knowlton said he relishes the opportunity to run Tiz the Law in the Runhappy Travers, especially since Funny Cide was scratched from the 2003 Travers.

“There's nothing like the Derby, but obviously we would like to win the race that Funny Cide didn't have a chance to run in,” Knowlton said. “Hopefully this will be a stepping stone to success in Kentucky. We're on a nice roll. We won a Classic, we won two other Grade 1s, and we won three out of three this year, so four out of four going into the Derby would be great.”

Tiz the Law, who leads all contenders with 272 Derby qualifying points, will contest a unique Triple Crown scenario that will continue with the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby, rescheduled from Saturday, May 2, to Saturday, September 5, as the second leg of the Classic series. The Grade 1 Preakness, originally slated for May 16, will close out the Triple Crown on October 3 at Pimlico Race Course.

The Runhappy Travers Day card is headlined by the “Mid-Summer Derby” for the country's most talented 3-year-olds and is one of three Grade 1s on the day, joining the $300,000 Ballerina for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up going seven furlongs in a “Win and You're In” qualifier for the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint.

The day will also see sophomore fillies compete in the prestigious Grade 1, $300,000 Longines Test at seven furlongs, with the card bolstered by the Grade 3, $200,000 Troy, a 5 1/2-furlong turf sprint for older males, and the Grade 3, $150,000 Waya , a 1 1/2-mile turf route for older fillies and mares.

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Spectator-Free Belmont Stakes Day Wagering Tops $67 Million

Saturday's 12-race Belmont Stakes Day card at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., featuring six graded stakes and highlighted by Tiz the Law's victory in the 152nd running of the Grade 1, $1 million Belmont Stakes, generated all-sources handle of $67,753,336.

Tiz the Law, the 3-year-old colt owned by Sackatoga Stable based in Saratoga Springs, became the first New York-bred to capture the Belmont Stakes since 1882.

To align with required health and safety measures implemented in New York to mitigate risk and combat the spread of COVID-19, the Belmont Stakes Day card was held without spectators in attendance. To properly account for the schedule adjustments made in response to the pandemic, the Belmont Stakes was run at a distance of 1 1/8-miles instead of the traditional 1 ½ mile test.

For the first time in history, the Belmont Stakes served as the opening leg of the Triple Crown, with the Kentucky Derby moved to September 5 at Churchill Downs and the Preakness rescheduled for October 3 at Pimlico Race Course.

All-sources handle on the 152nd Belmont Stakes itself, carded as Race 10, was $34,088,475.

The 2019 all-sources handle was $102,163,280, a NYRA record for a non-Triple Crown year.

The Belmont Park spring/summer meet continues through Sunday, July 12, with live racing conducted Thursday through Sunday. First post is 1:15 p.m.

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Triple Crown News Minute Presented By Kentucky Equine Research: Kicking Off The Upside Down Triple Crown

The most unusual Triple Crown in American racing history begins on Saturday, with the 152nd running of the Belmont Stakes from Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y. Normally run at a mile and a half in early June after the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, this year's Belmont will be contested around one turn at the abbreviated distance of nine furlongs in front of an empty grandstand because of the restrictions necessitated by the coronavirus pandemic.

Tiz the Law, a New York-bred colt by Constitution, is the 6-5 morning line favorite for Sackatoga Stable and Barclay Tagg, the same owner-trainer combination that won the 2003 Kentucky Derby and Preakness with another New York-bred, Funny Cide. Empire Maker upstaged Funny Cide's quest for a Triple Crown, winning the Belmont on a day when more than 100,000 braved the cold and rainy weather.

Clear skies are forecast for Saturday.

While Tiz the Law is the clear favorite, based off Grade 1 victories in the 2019 Champagne at Belmont and the 2020 Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park, there are some late bloomers who could offer a serious challenge, including Tap It to Win for trainer Mark Casse. In 2019, Casse took the final two legs of the Triple Crown with War of Will in the Preakness and Sir Winston in the Belmont.

In this edition of the Triple Crown News Minute, Ray Paulick and news editor Chelsea Hackbarth go through the field of 10 3-year-olds, assessing their chances and making their selections for this first American classic of 2020.

Watch today's Triple Crown News Minute below:

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Tiz The Law Completes Preparations For 152nd Belmont Stakes

Sackatoga Stable's Tiz the Law, bred in New York by Twin Creeks Farm, breezed a half-mile Sunday on Big Sandy in his final preparation for the Grade 1, $1 million Belmont Stakes, to be held without spectators, on Saturday, June 20 at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

Jockey Manny Franco was aboard Tiz the Law who visited the Belmont main track at 5:30 a.m. The Constitution bay, working solo from the half-mile pole, breezed through splits of 26.50, 50.42 and out in 1:03.12.

Trainer Barclay Tagg said he was pleased with the colt's final prep.

“He went well. We weren't looking for anything special today,” said Tagg, who ponied Tiz the Law to and from the work.

Tiz the Law, who worked five-eighths in 1:00.53 on Monday on the Belmont main, was eager to work once released from the pony.

“When Barclay turned me loose, he got strong a little bit, but when we passed the seven-eighths to the three-quarters he settled down a little bit and he did it nice,” said Franco. “He did it really well and really easy, so I'm very happy with the work.”

A winner at first asking in August at Saratoga Race Course, Tiz the Law followed up with a four-length score in the Grade 1 Champagne in October at Belmont. He completed his juvenile campaign with a close third in the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club, contested on a sloppy strip at Churchill Downs.

Tiz the Law prepared for his sophomore season at Palm Meadows Training Center in Boynton Beach, Fla., which began at Gulfstream Park with a convincing three-length score in the Grade 3 Holy Bull in February which garnered a career-best 100 Beyer Speed Figure. Last out, he romped the nine-furlong Grade 1 Florida Derby by 4 ¼-lengths on March 28.

Tiz the Law will travel the same distance on Saturday in the Belmont Stakes, which will be run at 1 1/8-miles around one turn as the opening leg of the Triple Crown for the first time in history.

Franco said Tiz the Law provides him with options to navigate the trip.

“He makes my work a lot easier,” said Franco. “He's a versatile horse. He can be there on the pace or sit off, so I can do whatever I want.

“He's run here before and won and I think he likes the track,” added Franco. “So, that's to our advantage.”

The probable field for the Belmont Stakes currently stands at eight horses, including Dr Post (Todd Pletcher, Irad Ortiz, Jr.), Farmington Road (Pletcher, Javier Castellano), Jungle Runner (Steve Asmussen, Reylu Gutierrez), Max Player (Linda Rice, Joel Rosario), Pneumatic (Asmussen, Ricardo Santana, Jr.), Sole Volante (Patrick Biancone, Luca Panici), Tap It to Win (Mark Casse, John Velazquez) and Tiz the Law (Barclay Tagg, Manny Franco). Modernist, trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, is on the bubble.

Tagg said he would prefer to receive an outside post for Tiz the Law at Wednesday's post position draw.

“I'd like to be in 5, 6 or 7. I'd like him to be outside,” said Tagg.

The Grade 1 Kentucky Derby, rescheduled from May 2 to September 5, will go as the second leg of the Classic series, with the Preakness Stakes, originally slated for May 16, to close out the Triple Crown on October 3 at Pimlico Race Course.

As the exclusive broadcast partner of the Belmont Stakes and the Triple Crown, NBC Sports will present live coverage from Belmont Park on Belmont Stakes Day beginning at 2:45 p.m. Eastern.

Belmont Stakes Day June 20 will feature six graded races including four Grade 1 events led by the historic Belmont Stakes, which will offer 150-60-30-15 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the top-four finishers.

Rounding out the Grade 1 entertainment on Belmont Stakes Day are the $300,000 Acorn for 3-year-old fillies going one mile; the $250,000 Woody Stephens presented by Claiborne Farm, a seven-furlong sprint over Big Sandy for 3-year-olds; and the $250,000 Jaipur, presented by America's Best Racing, for 3-year-olds and up going six furlongs on turf, which offers a berth in the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint. A pair of one-mile turf races for sophomores, previously contested at nine furlongs, completes a stakes-laden card with the Grade 2, $150,000 Pennine Ridge and the Grade 3, $150,000 Wonder Again for fillies.

NYRA Bets is the official online wagering site for the 152nd running of the Belmont Stakes, and the best way to bet the 2020 Belmont Park spring/summer meet. Available to customers across the United States, NYRA Bets allows horseplayers to watch and wager on racing from tracks around the world at any time. The NYRA Bets app is available for download for iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.

For more information, please visit www.BelmontStakes.com.

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