Belmont Stakes May Lack Extra ‘Star Power,’ But Connections Are Excited To Kick Off Triple Crown

The past several weeks' three major defections from the 3-year-old season – Charlatan, Nadal, and Maxfield – may have turned this Saturday's Belmont Stakes into a smaller field, but connections were still quick to express their excitement for the the non-traditional first leg of the Triple Crown during an NTRA conference call Monday afternoon.

“My original thought was that it could potentially be a race that would oversubscribe, but now it looks like it's going to be more in the neighborhood of an eight or a nine-horse field, max,” said trainer Todd Pletcher, who plans to enter the pair of Dr. Post and Farmington Road. “That does surprise me a little bit, and I think that's partly due to some bad luck for some horses and also the uncertainty due to the timing of everything.”

The changing schedule of the Triple Crown, caused by the worldwide coronavirus pandemic, saw the Kentucky Derby pushed back from the first Saturday in May to the first Saturday in September. The Preakness was rescheduled for the first Saturday in October, and the Belmont was pushed back three weeks from its originally-scheduled date, and is now the first leg of the classic series.

Rather than running the Belmont at the traditional 1 1/2-mile distance, the New York Racing Association made the decision to shorten it to nine furlongs, turning the “Test of the Champion” into a one-turn affair.

“I had spoken to people three or four weeks ago, and said that in many ways I felt  I thought the Belmont was going to be this year's Kentucky Derby, because its the first time that the best horses in training were going to be meeting each other, the West Coast and East Coast and in-between,” echoed Jack Knowlton, co-owner of likely favorite Tiz the Law. “Clearly because of the injuries in Bob's two horses, and now with Maxfield out, there isn't the star power that we all expected.

“But, I feel good about the race being a mile and an eighth. We know that Tiz the Law can handle Belmont, he trains on it, he won the G1 Champagne there. I think the configuration, with a long run down the backside, Manny (Franco's) gonna have an opportunity to put him where he wants to put him. He'll be able to make the run that he's made in all four of his wins, just kind of stalking a little bit off the pace, then moving forward around the turn and winning the race in the stretch.”

It is not yet clear whether any owners will be able to attend the Belmont Stakes, which Knowlton especially acknowledged was a new challenge. His Sackatoga Stable group became famous when they won the 2003 Kentucky Derby with Funny Cide, after riding several school busses from their hotel to Churchill Downs with a 53-person entourage.

This time around, the majority of the Sackatoga group plans to watch the Belmont Stakes from a restaurant patio in Saratoga.

“Funny Cide was a once in a lifetime for an outfit like ours,” Knowlton said. “To have it happen again, it looks like lightning really has struck twice… so the school bus will be reserved for Louisville, and we're hopeful we will be able to have owners and a number of fans at Churchill.”

Meanwhile, Knowlton has all the faith in the world in veteran trainer Barclay Tagg.

“Barclay's been in the game for 50 years, and he's got all the experience you need,” Knowlton said. “He doesn't get horses like Funny Cide or Tiz the Law very often, but when he does, he makes the most of it.”

Looking to upset the favorite will be a recent allowance winner trained by Mark Casse, who also took time to speak to media during Monday's teleconference. The 3-year-old son of Tapit broke his maiden at Saratoga back in August, and Casse immediately started thinking about bigger and better things.

“After he broke his maiden, I told (owner) Mrs. Weber, 'I think this colt could win the Breeders' Cup this fall, but it's going to be a bit of a rush, and we're going to have to run him two turns in his next start,'” Casse recalled.

His first two-turn race, the Breeders' Futurity, was a bit of a disaster when he missed the start, rushed up and fought with jockey Tyler Gaffalione, and faded to finish 10th. Trying again in the listed Street Sense Stakes, Tap It To Win was gashed up at the start and again finished at the rear of the field.

“He couldn't hardly walk for a couple weeks after, and it turns out a piece of bone actually died, so we had to operate on him,” Casse explained. After taking the winter off, Tap It To Win “came back with a vengeance, and with a much better attitude. He's always shown, from the time we got him, that he was something exceptional.”

He won his first start off the layoff, and his second start on June 4 resulted in a five-length romp at Belmont Park.

“Johnny (Velazquez, jockey) is the one that kind of convinced me for sure that the Belmont is the way to go.” Casse said. “He felt like he finished with something left, and he said he galloped out very strong.”

The Belmont will be the colt's third race off the layoff, and Tap It To Win could be poised for a career-best performance.

Meanwhile, Pletcher's pair of Farmington Road and Dr Post, both sired by Quality Road, are also preparing well for Saturday's big test. The lightly-raced Dr Post got a “good education” last out when he won the listed Unbridled Stakes at Gulfstream Park, Pletcher said, and should be close enough to the pace to make his presence felt.

Farmington Road hasn't shown the same success rate on the track as his stablemate, and Pletcher admitted that the 1 1/2-mile distance might have been more his style.

“He's come close to a breakthrough performance, and he would appreciate a good honest pace up front,” Pletcher said. “On paper, it looks like it should have solid pace. Because of the one-turn dimension, horses lay a little closer to the pack because the first turn doesn't spread them out… that's to the benefit of Farmington Road because he won't be so far out of contention early.”

Also expected for Saturday's Grade 1 Belmont Stakes are: Jungle Runner, Max Player, Modernist, Pnuematic, and Sole Volante.

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Tiz The Law Continues To Lead NTRA Top 3-Year-Old Poll Ahead Of Saturday’s Belmont Stakes

All eyes figure to be on Tiz the Law when he makes his expected start in the Belmont Stakes on June 20 as the son of Constitution heads into the first leg of the 2020 Triple Crown with a firm lead in the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) Top Three-Year-Old Poll.

Trained by Barclay Tagg for Sackatoga Stable, Tiz the Law is expected to be the favorite for the Belmont Stakes, which will be contested over 1 1/8 miles this year instead of its usual distance of 12 furlongs. The bay colt most recently captured the Grade 1 Florida Derby on March 28 and is the leader of the sophomore male ranks, earning 28 first-place votes and 360 points from poll voters this week.

Tiz the Law completed his final serious workout in preparation for the Belmont on June 14, breezing a half mile in :50.42 under regular rider Manny Franco.

“He makes my work a lot easier,” Franco told the NYRA publicity team after the colt's workout. “He's a versatile horse. He can be there on the pace or sit off, so I can do whatever I want.”

Honor A. P., winner of the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby on June 6, remains second in the poll behind Tiz the Law with 9 first-place votes and 339 points. Authentic, second in the Santa Anita Derby, moved up one spot this week to third overall with 260 points followed by King Guillermo (201 points) and expected Belmont Stakes runner Sole Volante (171).

Grade 1-winner Maxfield (109 points) dropped to sixth overall in the wake of news that he would miss this year's Kentucky Derby due to a condylar fracture suffering during a June 10 workout.

Fellow Grade 1-winner Charlatan (97 points) is seventh with former stablemate Nadal (78) in eighth. Basin (72 points) and Ete Indien (70) complete the top 10.

Rankings were relatively stagnant this week in the NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll with champion Midnight Bisou continuing to be unshakable from the No. 1 spot. The daughter of Midnight Lute earned 26 first-place votes and 343 points to stay atop the rankings as she prepares for an expected run in the Grade 2 Fleur de Lis Stakes at Churchill Downs on June 27.

Grade 1-winner Mucho Gusto (245 points) and By My Standards (2 first-place votes, 244 points) remain second and third, respectively, followed by Code of Honor, who earned 3 first-place votes and 190 points in the wake of his victory in the Grade 3 Westchester Stakes on June 6.

Tom's d'Etat (138 points) holds in fifth followed by Zulu Alpha (1 first-place vote, 129 points). Vekoma, winner of the Grade 1 Carter Handicap on June 6, remains in the seventh spot with 119 points with champion Maximum Security (4 first-place votes, 100 points), Improbable (88), and McKinzie (83) rounding out the top 10.

Tiz the Law (25 points) was not ranked in the top 10 but did receive one first-place vote.

The NTRA Top Thoroughbred polls are the sport's most comprehensive surveys of experts. Every week eligible journalists and broadcasters cast votes for their top 10 horses, with points awarded on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis. All horses that have raced in the U.S., are in training in the U.S., or are known to be pointing to a major event in the U.S. are eligible for the NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll. Voting in both the Top 3-Year-Old Poll and the Top Thoroughbred Poll is scheduled to be conducted through the conclusion of the Breeders' Cup in November.

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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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Tiz the Law Tunes Up for Belmont

Sackatoga Stable’s Tiz the Law (Constitution) breezed a half-mile Sunday at Belmont Park in his final work ahead of next Saturday’s GI Belmont S. Jockey Manny Franco was aboard the bay colt who, working solo from the half-mile pole, breezed through splits of :26.50, :50.42 (41/46) and out in 1:03.12.

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

Franco added, “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. He did it really well and really easy, so I’m very happy with the work.”

Tiz the Law captured the GI Curlin Florida Derby in his most recent start Mar. 28. In his first work after shipping up from Florida, he went five furlongs in 1:00.53 (5/9) last Monday.

Saturday’s Belmont S. will be run at nine furlongs this year, the same distance as the Florida Derby.

“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. So, that’s to our advantage.”

Pam and Martin Wygod’s Modernist (Uncle Mo) remains possible for the Belmont following his five-furlong work in :59.20 (1 /16) Sunday at Belmont Park.

With regular rider Junior Alvarado in the irons, Modernist worked in tandem with two-time graded stakes winner Tacitus (Tapit), who was piloted by Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez, recording a :24.40 opening quarter and galloped out in 1:11.40 over a main track rated “fast.”

“He broke off in a nice rhythm and turning for home I was one length behind Tacitus,” Alvarado said. “As soon as we turned in, we got together and galloped out. I thought the work was extremely good.”

Winner of the Feb. 15 GII Risen Star S., Modernist was most recently third in the Mar. 31 GII Louisiana Derby.

“We’re going to have an owner conversation before too long,” trainer Bill Mott said of Modernist’s potential next start. “The work looked good, nice and smooth. Modernist and Tacitus both worked together and looked great. They finished up well, galloped out nice and strong.”

In addition to the Belmont, the colt is also considered possible for the June 27 GIII Ohio Derby.

Juddmonte Farm’s Tacitus, second in last year’s Belmont, is likely to contest the July 4 GII Suburban S.

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