Tag: Barclay Tagg

Ghaiyyath Crowned Longines World’s Best Racehorse

Godolphin's Ghaiyyath (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) was officially named Longines World's Best Racehorse on Tuesday having been assessed to have posted the top two performances of 2020. His high mark of 130 was gained in the G1 Juddmonte International S. at York, which was also named Longines World's Best Horserace for the first time. The former Charlie Appleby trainee also recorded a mark of 127 in the G1 Hurworth Bloodstock Coronation Cup which, in a pandemic-disrupted season, was moved from Epsom to Newmarket.

Bred by the Weld family's Springbank Way Stud from the 2006 Irish 1000 Guineas winner Nightime (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), Ghaiyyath won his first four starts in 2020, starting out with a facile victory in the G3 Dubai Millennium S. at Meydan in track record time. Returning to the UK, the 5-year-old beat the previous season's Derby winner Athony Van Dyck (Ire) in the Coronation Cup before claiming an even bigger scalp with his victory over Enable (GB) in the G1 Coral-Eclipse. His championship performance came with his three-length strike in the International, in which fellow Group 1 winners Magical (Ire), Lord North (Ire) and Kameko filled the minor places. Ghaiyyath has now retired to his owner Sheikh Mohammed Al Maktoum's Kildangan Stud in Ireland.

“In some ways he was the perfect racehorse; he had so many positive attributes,” said Joe Osborne, managing director of Godolphin Ireland. “He campaigned internationally and he was at that age to have reached his peak form. He was the kind of brand ambassador that Godolphin has been famous for down the years. His high cruising speed and his ability to find acceleration at the end of his races was what really set him apart.”

Charlie Appleby added, “It was a great privilege to be involved with a horse like Ghaiyyath. Right from the start he was one of the horses we were very find of and to train a horse like this for His Highness Sheikh Mohammed and for Godolphin was a great honour.

“The most pleasing victory in 2020 was the Juddmonte International. I felt it just confirmed what we had seen in the Eclipse when he beat Enable.”

The ongoing Covid-19 restrictions meant that for the first time the awards, organised for the eighth year in tandem by Longines and the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA), were presented in an online ceremony hosted by Francesca Cumani as Newmarket's National Horseracing Museum instead of in London.

A stellar season for the Bob Baffert-trained Authentic (Into Mischief) saw him win the GI Kentucky Derby and GI Haskell S. but it was his 2 1/4-length victory in the Breeders' Cup Classic which was judged to be his standout performance of the year on 126,. This placed him second overall in the rankings and made him the world's best 3-year-old and highest-rated dirt horse.

Authentic is now at stud at Spendthrift Farm, which comprised one part of his large syndicate of owners during his racing days. The group included Myracehorse Stable, with members in every state in America and from more than 20 countries around the world.

“I used to love looking forward to making that trip to London even though it was always freezing,” said Baffert via video link from his home in California. The trainer was also responsible for Triple Crown and Breeders' Cup Classic winner American Pharoah, who was the Longines World's Best Racehorse of 2015, as well as Arrogate, the world's top-rated horse of 2016 and 2017.

He continued, “Authentic was just getting better and better and better. He had a lot of speed and he could carry a mile and a quarter effortlessly. It takes a really good horse to win the Derby and the Breeders' Cup Classic. Is it's just an honour to be involved in this. Racing is all about bragging rights so to have a horse as good as this is what it's all about.”

There was a seven-way tie for third between horses trained in Britain, France, America and Australia on a ranking of 125. Addeybb (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}) won three Group 1 races in two different hemispheres for the William Haggas stable in 2020 but it was his season-closing victory in the QIPCO British Champion S. for which he gained top marks, alongside fellow Newmarket resident Palace Pier (GB) (Kingman {GB}). The latter was the top-rated European 3-year-old, gaining his mark for his run in the G1 Prix du Haras Fresnay-le-Buffard Jacques le Marois at Deauville. Juddmonte's Kingman is also the sire of Persian King (Ire), ranked equal to Palace Pier on 125 after winning the G1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp, while Palace Pier's stablemate Stradivarius (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) is again the top stayer in the world having run to 125 when winning the G1 Gold Cup for the third time at Royal Ascot.

The Barclay Tagg-trained Tiz The Law (Constitution) was also awarded 125 for his GI Runhappy Travers S. victory, and  that mark was also achieved by Australian sprinters Bivouac (Aus) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}) and Classique Legend (Aus) (Not A Single Doubt {Aus}) in the G1 Darley Sprint Classic and The TAB Everest respectively. 

Japan's recently retired Horse of the Year Almond Eye (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}), trained by Sakae Kunieda, was judged to have run to a mark of 124 on two occasions, when winning the GI Victoria Mile and GI Longines Japan Cup for the second time. That same mark was awarded to her compatriot, the Triple Crown winner Contrail (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), whose first taste of defeat came when finishing runner-up to Almond Eye in the Japan Cup.

Also in equal-tenth place on 124 was Hong Kong star Golden Sixty (Aus) (Medaglia d'Oro), now the winner of 15 of his 16 races and gaining his top mark in the G1 Longines Hong Kong Mile. The impressive victory of Mohaather (GB) (Showcasing {GB}) in the G1 Qatar Sussex S. and of Nature Strip (Aus) (Nicconi {Aus}) in the G1 TJ Smith S. also gained marks of 124.

The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner Sottsass (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) headed a quintet in joint-15th place on 123.  They included Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum's crack sprinter Battaash (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), G1 Prince of Wales's S.winner Lord North (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), and the Japanese duo of GI Tenno Sho runner-up Fierement (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) and Glory Vase (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}).

Breeders' Cup Classic runner-up Improbable (City Zip) was another to reach 123, a mark he gained twice, in the GI Whitney S. and GI Awesome Again S.

The best performance of 2020 for Juddmonte superstar Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) was her record third victory in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S, for which she was awarded a mark of 122. This same rating was given to Love (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) for her victories in the Oaks and Yorkshire Oaks, as well as 2000 Guineas winner Kameko (Kitten's Joy) for his G2 Shadwell Joel S. success, and to the previous season's European champion 2-year-old Pinatubo (Ire) (Shamardal). Also on 122 were Maximum Security (New Year's Day), Anthony Van Dyck (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), Beauty Generation (NZ) (Road To Rock {Aus}), Gamine (Into Mischief), In Swoop (Ire) (Adlerflug {Ger}), Magical (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), Tarnawa (Ire) (Shamardal), Swiss Skydiver (Daredevil) and Tom's d'Etat (Smart Strike).

Of the 56 horses in the world with a rating of 120 or more in 2020, 14 were trained in Britain, 11 in America, 10 in Ireland, and seven in Japan, while France, Australia and Hong Kong accounted for four apiece, and two were trained in South Africa.

Frankel (GB) (Galileo {Ire}), who was the Longines World's Best Racehorse of 2011 and 2012, achieved the highest-ever rating of 140.

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Tiz Just the Beginning

There were just 56 days between Tiz the Law's (Constitution) dazzling sophomore debut in the GIII Holy Bull S. on the first day of February to his next start in the GI Florida Derby. How much could change in that time?

As it turned out, just about everything.

So maybe that's why, during a dark time, this bay colt with the bright, white-blazed face was so easy to cheer for. During uncertain circumstances, the Sackatoga silks with the familiar connections brought a piece of near normalcy to the starting gate.

Even now, as he takes up stud duty at Ashford Stud, Tiz the Law's campaign will long be remembered as one piece of an unforgettable year in racing.

“No one is ever going to forget 2020,” said Ashford's Adrian Wallace. “It was a year in which everyone had been touched in some way or another by the pandemic, by loss. A horse like Tiz the Law, to have gone from the Holy Bull to the Florida Derby to the Belmont Stakes, and then who is ever going to forget the Travers and him running a gallant second in a Kentucky Derby in September? No one is ever going to forget this campaign because of how different it was.”

The fact that this horse was owned by a syndicate of racing fans, Wallace said, made his success all the more meaningful.

“Being owned by a syndicate, he was able to touch so many more people,” he said. “We've seen it when some of his previous owners have come to the farm to visit him. He generated a huge amount of excitement and a huge following. Even though they couldn't go to the races and watch him, [fans] will never forget watching the owners celebrate the Travers win at Saratoga.”

Bred by Twin Creeks Farm, Tiz the Law was a $110,000 yearling purchase for Sackatoga's Jack Knowlton at the 2018 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga New York-bred Sale.

After a winning debut and easy four-length romp in the GI Champagne S., the son of Constitution had already caught Ashford's attention.

“Tiz the Law stamped himself as a very exciting prospect early in his 2-year-old season,” Wallace said. “The Champagne is a race that, year after year, stamps itself as a stallion-making race. We know first-hand with the likes of Uncle Mo, Scat Daddy and Practical Joke all having won the Champagne. It separates the wheat from the chaff, so any horse that wins in New York at that time of year, we're certainly looking at.”

Following his definitive wins in the GIII Holy Bull S. and GI Florida Derby, Tiz the Law followed an odd Triple Crown trail as he took on the first leg of the series in a nine-furlong GI Belmont S. When jockey Manny Franco cued him while heading into the long Belmont stretch, the bay shifted gears to blow by his foes and become the first New York-bred to win the Belmont since 1882.

Then came the GI Runhappy Travers S., which was slated to run exactly one year after his winning debut at the Spa in 2019. Sent off as the 1-2 favorite, Tiz the Law raced three wide before pouncing on his tiring rivals at the far turn and geared down in the stretch to win by 5 ½ lengths to John Imbriale's call of, “Here he is, Saratoga's hometown hero, Tiz the Law.”

“Only one horse has gone faster since 1990, and that was Arrogate (Unbridled's Song) five years ago,” Wallace noted of the Travers victory. “It just shows how much ability the horse had-how much raw, natural talent. What made Tiz the Law so great was his huge ability to quicken off a high cruising speed. The Travers was one example of that and the Belmont was another. I think that's the key to any great horse, and it was the key to him.”

Arguments arose as to if this horse would be named a Triple Crown champion if he were to win the next two legs of the series. But the controversy died when Tiz the Law had to settle for second against Bob Baffert's eventual GI Breeders' Cup Classic champion Authentic (Into Mischief) in the Run for the Roses.

After a sixth-place finish in the Classic, Tiz the Law's connections were ready for a comeback in the GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational S. But after an X–ray revealed bone bruising, the decision was made for him to retire.

The four-time Grade I winner arrived at Ashford with earnings of over $2.7 million, running in the money in all but one of his career starts.

“For a very long period of time, he was right at the top of his generation,” Wallace said. “He was New York's home-bred hero and he really captured the hearts and minds of a lot of people in New York in a very troubling year. That's one of the reasons that, as a four-time Grade I winner, he really resonates with a lot of breeders and a lot of fans.”

Tiz the Law now gives breeders a unique opportunity as the first son of rising young sire Constitution (Tapit) to enter stud.

“It's no secret that Constitution is probably regarded as one of the most promising new sires in the business at the moment,” Wallace said. “Worldwide, he has already sired four Grade I winners, including three from Chile, and Tiz the Law is obviously his marquee horse here. Tiz the Law is a great embodiment of what Constitution has to offer.”

Tiz the Law is out of the Tiznow mare Tizfiz, winner of the 2009 GII San Gorgonio H. and a full-sister to Grade III winner and Grade I-placed Fury Kapcori. Her granddam is a half-sister to Favorite Trick (Phone Trick), who won Horse of the Year honors as a juvenile in 1997.

“It's a family replete with 2-year-old success,” Wallace noted. “Obviously Tiz the Law himself was a very good 2-year-old, so I think it's a pedigree that will offer people a lot of precocity and it will suit a wide array of broodmares here in this country.”

Wallace said the Coolmore team has kept busy since the 4-year-old's arrival as breeders have been out to see the new prospect, who will stand his first season for a $40,000 fee.

“Physically he's all about balance,” he said. “He's an exceptional mover, lots of quality and a lovely nature. A lovely hip and shoulder on him as well. The breeders who have come to see him over the last couple of weeks have been blown away.”

Tiz the Law joins the growing list of fan favorites at Ashford Stud alongside Triple Crown winners American Pharoah and Justify.

“What makes any horse special is the amount of people that they can bring into the sport,” Wallace said. “This sport, like any sport, needs heroes. We need storylines. Barclay Tagg has been around for a long time and we'll never forget his role with Sackatoga Stables and Funny Cide (Distorted Humor). To come back with the same owner-trainer combination with a New York-bred, I think that really drew people into the sport. He's a stunning individual and we couldn't be prouder to stand him here.”

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Tiz The Law: Best-Laid Plans For A 4-Year-Old Campaign Go Awry

To borrow a term used by the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, I was skeptically hopeful when Coolmore announced it had bought the breeding rights to Tiz the Law following the Constitution colt's 3 ¾-length victory in the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes, shortened to 1 1/8 miles and run as the opening leg of the Triple Crown on June 20.

Hopeful because of the comment made at the time by Jack Knowlton, managing partner of Tiz the Law's owner, Sackatoga Stable, that the partnership was “excited to see what Tiz the Law has in store on the track for the remainder of his 3-year-old year and beyond…”

Skeptical because I know what kind of pressure stallion operations like Coolmore can place on owners and trainers when they get their tentacles into a top prospect. And let's face it: Coolmore's emphasis is on acquiring stallion prospects with early racing success. Only two horses on the sizable stallion roster at Coolmore's Ashford Stud in Versailles, Ky., raced as 4-year-olds after winning Grade 1 races at 2 or 3: Mo Town and Maximum Security.

So when I saw the news release from Coolmore stating that Tiz the Law had been retired from racing “on veterinary advice” and with no further explanation, my hopefulness turned to flat-out skepticism. I'd seen this movie before.

After seeing the Tweet, Knowlton called to assure me this was not some manufactured excuse to shuffle Tiz the Law into his next career before the 2021 breeding season begins.

“We're crushed,” Knowlton said, saying he called Sackatoga's 30-some partners with the bad news. “Believe me, nobody wanted him running next year more than me. We were so looking forward to the Pegasus (Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla., on Jan. 23).”

He added that the race he really wanted to win this coming year was Saratoga's G1 Whitney at his hometown track in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. Knowlton called Tiz the Law's G1 Travers win at Saratoga his personal highlight of the stable star's 3-year-old season.

Knowlton said Robin Smullen, assistant to trainer Barclay Tagg, “sensed something wasn't right” after she took Tiz the Law out for a routine gallop Tuesday morning at Palm Meadows training center. He was scheduled to breeze on Jan. 3 in what would have been his sixth workout since a disappointing sixth-place finish as the favorite in the G1 Breeders' Cup Classic at Keeneland on Nov. 7.

“I got the call from Barclay that I always dread,” Knowlton said. “Our vet took X-rays and found there was significant bone bruising in the lower part of the cannon bone in a front leg. We had another vet take a look at it and both said the same thing: 'You really don't have any choice.'

“I'm really thankful that Robin caught it when she did.”

We're rarely privy to stallion contracts between a stud farm and a horse's owner, a major exception being Coolmore's deal to buy the breeding interests of American Pharoah from Ahmed Zayat. That contract became an exhibit in a lawsuit filed against Zayat by a lender.

The stallion deal, signed in January of the eventual Triple Crown and Breeders' Cup Classic winner's 3-year-old season, spelled out the retirement plans for the horse, specifically saying it could be no later than Nov. 30, 2015. Prior to then, the contract stated, “In the event that the horse is under performing or is injured, a panel of Ahmed Zayat, Paul Shanahan (a Coolmore associate) and (trainer) Bob Baffert will meet to discuss and decide whether to modify or terminate the horse's racing career. Each person shall be entitled to one vote. Any decision to modify or terminate the horse's racing career will be made upon the affirmative vote of at least two persons.”

Knowlton said he negotiated the contract to ensure Tiz the Law had the opportunity race at 4. He said there were contingencies for himself, Tagg and an Ashford representative to discuss what to do if the horse went off form.

But the best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry. That's especially true when you're dealing with a finely tuned athlete like a Thoroughbred racehorse.

Tiz the Law goes off to stud with six wins from nine starts over two racing seasons, including four Grade 1 victories. He was defeated in his final two starts, beaten on the square by Authentic to be second in the G1 Kentucky Derby and then failing to hit the board for the only time in the Breeders' Cup.

He was in good hands throughout his career, trained by someone whose “numbers” may not fit the criteria for some Hall of Fame voters but whose wisdom and old school horsemanship have earned the respect of his peers.

Tiz the Law's owners are in the game for the fun of racing, not the business of breeding like the corporate stables that now dominate – a band of Davids competing against an army of Goliaths. Like kids on a Ferris wheel, they wanted to go around one more time.

I remain skeptically hopeful that someday soon we'll see another horse who was a Grade 1 winner at 2 and a Classic winner at 3 that will be pointed for and complete a full campaign at 4.

But I'm not holding my breath.

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Classic Winner Tiz The Law Retired To Ashford Stud

Travers Stakes, Belmont Stakes, Florida Derby and Champagne Stakes winner Tiz the Law has been retired from racing on veterinary advice and will stand at Coolmore America's Ashford Stud for the 2021 breeding season.

“From day one when he broke his maiden at Saratoga, we have been watching Tiz the Law closely and he has everything you look for in a stallion prospect,” said Coolmore America manager Dermot Ryan. “He has an outstanding race record, he's a very good-looking individual and he boasts a strong pedigree. Barclay Tagg, Robin Smullen and their team have done a fantastic job with him and we are also grateful to Jack Knowlton and his partners in Sackatoga Stable for letting us be a part of him.”

“The entire Tiz the Law team is deeply disappointed that Tiz the Law will be unable to race as a 4-year-old as planned,” stated Jack Knowlton, operating manager of Sackatoga Stable. “He has provided the 35 owners a unique opportunity to compete and succeed at the highest level of thoroughbred racing. His impressive victory in the Grade 1 Travers at Saratoga Race Course was particularly rewarding for the Saratoga based stable. Sackatoga Stable is looking forward to the next chapter of his career as a stallion.”

“While it is unfortunate that Tiz's racing career has been cut short, we have been extremely fortunate and blessed to have had him in our lives”, said trainer Barclay Tagg. “Robin and I were able to pick him out and train him to win the Grade 1 Champagne as a 2-year-old and three Grade 1 races (Florida Derby, Belmont Stakes and Travers) as well as run 2nd in the Kentucky Derby this year. He has taken his owners and Barclay Tagg Racing Stable to places that most owners and trainers only dream about. We look forward to his career as a stallion with Ashford Stud.”

But for Ashford stallion American Pharoah, Tiz the Law's sire Constitution would have been champion freshman sire and champion second-crop sire. Off the back of this success, Constitution's fee has risen from $25,000 to $85,000 for the coming season. On the distaff side, Tiz the Law's dam Tizfiz was the winner of seven races including the G2 San Gorgonio Handicap at Santa Anita (now named the Robert J. Frankel Stakes)​ carrying top weight of 118 pounds.

Tiz the Law's fee will be announced shortly and he will be available for inspection at Ashford starting Monday, Jan 4.

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