“It was a nice, easy work,” trainer Barclay Tagg said. “I wasn’t looking for much. I just wanted him to go out there and stretch his legs. He hadn’t done anything in three weeks.”

Prior to his hard-trying runner-up effort in the Derby, the New York-bred had been perfect in four starts at three, including the GI Curlin Florida Derby, the GI Belmont S. and GI Runhappy Travers S. Earlier this week, Sackatoga’s Jack Knowlton announced that Tiz the Law would give the Oct. 3 GI Preakness S. a miss and that the colt would be trained up to his first try against older horses in the GI Breeders’ Cup Classic at Keeneland Nov. 7.

The post Tiz the Law Returns to Worktab appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

A filly by Quality Road topped the session when sold for $1.5 million to Robbie Medina, agent for Joseph Allen.

Offered as Hip 232 by Hill 'n' Dale Sales Agency, agent, the filly is out of Irish One Thousand Guineas winner Marvelous. That daughter of Galileo, who has already produced a stakes winner in Fort Myers, is out of Group 2 winner You'resothrilling, a full-sister to European Horse of the Year and successful sire Giant's Causeway. Marvellous is a full-sister to Group 1 winners Gleneagles and Happily, as well as to group stakes winners Taj Mahal and Coolmore. The session-topper was bred in Kentucky by Orpendale, Chelston and Wynatt.

The session's top colt was Hip 274, a son of 2019 leading sire Into Mischief, sire of this year's Kentucky Derby winner Authentic. Dr. Dermot O'Byrne purchased the top colt for $700,000 from the consignment of Denali Stud, agent. The colt is a half-brother to multiple graded stakes winner Made You Look, out of an Unbridled's Song daughter of champion Serena's Song. The colt was bred in Kentucky by Lewis Thoroughbred Breeding.

Also sold at that price was a daughter of two-time Horse of the Year Curlin. Donato Lanni, agent for Michael Lund Petersen, purchased the filly, offered as Hip 285, from the consignment of Blue Heaven Farm. The filly is out of graded stakes winner Our Khrysty, a half-sister to Grade 1 winner Bullsbay from the immediate family of Grade 1 winning millionaire Grecian Flight. The filly was bred in Kentucky by the consignor.

The session opened with an offering of preferred New York-bred yearlings. Those Empire-state breds were topped by a son of Tiznow purchased for $300,000 by Jack Knowlton of Sackatoga Stable, who purchased this year's Belmont Stakes winner Tiz the Law at the New York Bred Yearlings sale in 2018.

Offered as Hip 135 by Hunter Valley Farm, agent, the Tiznow colt is a half-brother to three stakes horses, including Grade 2 winner Bye Bye Bernie. His dam, the stakes placed Gilded Time mare Eternal Grace, is a half-sister to the dam of New York-bred graded stakes winner Control Group. Hip 135 was bred in New York by Barry R. Ostrager.

The second-highest price in the New York-bred section was Hip 71, a colt by Candy Ride purchased for $295,000 by Dr. Dermot O'Byrne from the consignment of Eaton Sales, agent. The colt is the second foal out of the unraced Any Given Saturday mare Sweet Love, a full sister to graded stakes winner Adventist and a half-sister to three other stakes winners. Hip 71 was bred in New York by Joe Fafone.

The first session grossed $27,166,000 from 172 yearlings sold. The average was $157,942 and the median was $100,000.

“Statistically, we had no expectations,” said Fasig-Tipton president Boyd Browning. “It's impossible to know how to compare this sale to the 2019 results. What we hoped to achieve was to have a viable marketplace, to have commerce to be conducted amongst buyers and sellers, to create an environment to help restore some confidence in the marketplace and provide it some stability and foundation for the 2020 yearling sales, and we're only halfway through. I'm going to be cautious in my overall analysis at this point, but I'm very, very encouraged.

“I think anytime you start a sale, there's a little bit of trepidation, and it takes a little bit of time to find its way, to get a little confidence, and I think that was certainly the case today, but as we progressed through the day, people gained more and more confidence,” he continued. “I think people have rolled up their sleeves, both buyers and sellers, and demonstrated that the game's alive and well. Hopefully we'll have a strong day tomorrow.”

Session results are available online. The Selected Yearlings Showcase continues Sept. 10 at 10 a.m..

The post Quality Road Filly Tops First Session Of Fasig-Tipton Selected Yearlings Showcase At $1.5 Million appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Back in mid-March, right before the GI Florida Derby, Sofer got the chilling diagnosis that he had leukemia. He vowed to beat the disease but knew the odds were against him and he didn’t know what the next few months would entail.

“Roger is a fighter,” said Jack Knowlton, who heads the Sackatoga team.

The fighter is still standing, and he will make it to Kentucky Derby day.

“We’re moving in the right direction,” the 70-year-old Houston resident said. “It’s just a very slow process and I am tired all the time. But I’m not complaining.”

Sofer exercised regularly and kept his weight down, so he wasn’t too worried when he developed a rash in March. He had it checked out and the news was devastating. The doctors at MD Anderson Cancer Center told him that he had a rare and aggressive form of leukemia and there was no known cure for what he had. They gave him a year.

“It was staggering,” he said. “I woke up with a skin rash and there was nothing else wrong with me. I am someone who works out six days a week, and has weighed the same for 40 years. Turned out it was leukemia.”

He began treatment immediately, undergoing chemotherapy seven days a week. He was let out of the hospital just in time to watch the GI Florida Derby, getting home about an hour before the race.

The Sackatoga family had already endured one tragedy. In October, Tiz the Law partner Bruce Phillips passed away. Sofer vowed that his story would not end the same way.

“I am looking forward to beating the brains out of this thing,” he said.

At least he had something to take his mind off of his illness. When Tiz the Law won the Florida Derby and Sofer vowed that not only would he attend the Kentucky Derby he would bring the doctor from MD Anderson who had helped him through his ordeal. If not for COVID-19, those would have been goals he would have met. Then there was the GI Belmont S. and then the GI Travers S. Sofer watched them all from home from what became his lucky television and wearing the same clothes every time.

“Tiz has been great because he gives me something else to think about,” Sofer said. “The Houston press has been really good to me. My story has been in the papers here quite a bit. They got all the clippings up in the unit at the hospital, so everybody there  knows my story and everybody there is rooting for Tiz.”

It wasn’t just the horse. He said Knowlton and the other Sackatoga partners have always done whatever they could to keep his spirits up.

“Roger is a tremendously caring guy,” Knowlton said. “He’s a huge, huge supporter of horse aftercare. I can’t say enough good things about Roger, and we were all really saddened by the situation he was in. We’re hopeful the treatment will be successful and he’ll be back with us watching the races next year.”

Sofer was born in Queens and had been a lifelong fan before deciding to go into ownership. He bought a few horses on his own and went in on a some others with the team at Hidden Brook Farm. He met Knowlton in 2008 and decided to give Sackatoga a try after watching the stable’s Doc N Roll (Wheelaway) win the Cab Calloway S. for New York breds at Saratoga.

“To be involved with Tiz the Law you never think you’re going to get lucky like we’ve gotten lucky with this guy. It’s dream,” he said.

While Sofer was hanging in, his doctors were still concerned and told him that he would die if not getting a bone marrow transplant. With his son acting as the donor, Sofer got the transplant July 2, 12 days after Tiz the Law won the Belmont. He’s convinced that the transplant has allowed him to turn another corner.

“We are going for the cure,” he said. “They don’t want to just make you feel better. They’re in the cure business here at MD Anderson.”

He is now receiving treatment just three days a week as an out patient and is not currently undergoing chemotherapy.

“The heavy lifting has been done,” Sofer said. “Thank God, I am doing well.”

His goal now is to stay that way.

“I really believe I’m going to beat these thing,” Sofer said. “I don’t know if I’m going to beat it for 20 years. But, overall, if I can just stay normally healthy I’m going to be around long time.”

Which might mean watching Tiz the Law win a Triple Crown or have another standout season next year. Being part of a once-in-a-lifetime horse and winning a battle against leukemia, Sofer has come to believe that anything is possible.

The post Tiz the Law Owner Fights Off Leukemia, Makes It To the Derby appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

The two outfits enjoy a strong relationship, with Sequel Stallions serving as home to the Twin Creeks Racing Stables' campaigned stallions Mission Impazible and Destin.

Becky Thomas, owner of Sequel Stallions, said Tiz the Law, a son of Constitution, displayed intelligence and athletic promise from his very first steps.

“We just showed him what we wanted him to do and he listened,” said Thomas. “We try very hard as a farm to be able to breed and raise a good horse and Tiz the Law is the pinnacle of what we hope for.”

Randy Gullatt, who manages Twin Creeks Farm for director Steve Davison, has been associated with Tiz the Law since the colt and his Grade 2-winning dam Tizfiz shipped to Kentucky just 90 days after being foaled.

Tiz the Law excelled at the 230-acre farm before shipping back up to New York for the 2018 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga New York-bred Yearling Sale, and Gullatt said that not much has changed in terms of the horse's demeanor.

“He was very similar to what he is now,” Gullatt said. “Just very easy to manage, very happy, very intelligent and very pleasant to be around.”

Thomas said Tiz the Law exuded class ahead of the sale, where he was purchased for $110,000 by Jack Knowlton of Sackatoga Stables.

“I have found that horses who are smart may go to a place with new surroundings, look around and just process their new environment, but those kinds of horses are the ones that make good racehorses,” said Thomas. “You can go from one place to the next, ship them and move them because they're smart. They want to please you, they stay in their tub, they do the right thing, and they show well at the sale. Tiz the Law was a class act and a star pupil all the way through.

“I wish we could have all babies and yearlings like Tiz the Law,” Thomas added. “They're the kind that the veterinarian doesn't know because nothing is wrong with them. Your help goes to the sale and lead them out because they aren't problematic. He's one of those horses that are always wanting to please, did everything right, and are well-balanced.”

Tiz the Law was a winner at first asking at Saratoga for trainer Barclay Tagg on Aug. 8, 2019, exactly one year removed from Saturday's Travers.

The talented bay has since flourished, winning three Grade 1 races including last year's Champagne Stakes at Belmont Park, the Florida Derby in March at Gulfstream Park and most recently, the Belmont Stakes, where on June 20 he became the first New York-bred in 138 years to win the American classic.

Gullatt and Thomas have both identified Tiz the Law's athleticism as his most outstanding attribute.

“I think 'athletic' would be the word I use more commonly than others,” Thomas said. “He's not a big, stretchy horse, he's a medium-sized horse. Tiz the Law, even though he wasn't a big overpowering horse, he had really good length in his back and those horses cover a lot of ground and they have a lot of room to reach up under them when they're moving. In his case, how he runs is how he walked.”

“He was a very athletic horse,” Gullatt concurred. “He had a very good hind leg on him. I think his mind was just so good. He was very easy to please and loved his job. He wasn't an overly big horse, but it was all his athleticism and his mind that were his biggest strengths.”

In a game of ups and downs, Thomas said she takes a strong sense of pride in being associated with the development of a horse of Tiz the Law's caliber.

“We sure kiss a lot of frogs before we get to that prince,” Thomas said. “We work really hard to produce a product that succeeds in the sales ring and on the racetrack. It's important to me to be associated with these types of horses and types of mares. It's everything we work for.”

Gullatt won 89 races as a trainer before switching careers, and he praised Tagg for being able to keep Tiz the Law in top form throughout the year.

“What's amazing to me is that it's very difficult to do well for as long as Barclay has had this horse do well and just stay at that peak level,” Gullatt said. “So, I think it just goes to show the strength of the horse and how well he's fit Barclay's program. It's a match made in heaven.”

Fans of Tiz the Law can look forward to seeing his Twin Creeks Racing-owned 2-year-old half-sister Angel Oak, by Mission Impazible, make her debut this fall for trainer Todd Pletcher.

“She was up at Belmont and was off one day, so we decided to back off and give her a little break,” said Gullatt. “She's currently at WinStar but she's training every day and we hope to have her ready in the fall. There's a New York-sired stakes race in December that we have circled that I would love to make.”

The post ‘The Pinnacle Of What We Hope For’: Tiz The Law A ‘Star Pupil’ On And Off The Track appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Pool 6 of the KDFW will run concurrently with Pool 2 of the Kentucky Oaks Future Wager. In addition to Win and Exacta betting, an Oaks/Derby Future Double is part of the wagering menu. The wagers will open Friday at noon (all times Eastern) and the KDFW will close Sunday at 6 p.m. while the Kentucky Oaks Future Wager will close 30 minutes later at 6:30 p.m.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, both the $1.25 million Longines Kentucky Oaks (GI) and $3 million Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve (GI) were postponed to the first Friday and Saturday in September, respectively. This weekend's Kentucky Oaks Future Wager will be the final opportunity to wager on the race prior to the Sept. 4 Kentucky Oaks while the KDFW will offer an additional pool on Aug. 7-9.

One of the other horses that is likely take betting interest is Bruce Lunsford's $600,000 Blue Grass (GII) winner Art Collector. Trained by Tommy Drury, Art Collector went off at 20-1 in Pool 5 of the KDFW, which closed three weeks prior to his Blue Grass victory. Art Collector solidified his spot in the starting gate for the Kentucky Derby and currently sits at No. 4 on the leaderboard with 100 points.

Other top betting interests in Pool 6 of the KDFW include C R K Stable's $400,000 Santa Anita Derby (GI) hero Honor A.P. (5-1); Karl Watson, Michael Pegram and Paul Weitman's late Triple Crown nominee Uncle Chuck (10-1); and Spendthrift Farm, Starlight Racing and Madaket Stables' Santa Anita Derby runner-up Authentic (10-1).

Seven betting interests in Pool 6 of the KDFW were not offered in Pool 5: Attachment Rate (50-1); Dean Martini (50-1); Major Fed (50-1); Modernist (50-1); Shared Sense (30-1); South Bend (50-1); and Storm the Court (50-1). This is the first pool that Attachment Rate, Dean Martini and Shared Sense have been offered and the first time since Pool 1 that South Bend has been offered.

Dean Martini, Rushie and Shared Sense are not currently nominated to the Kentucky Derby but can become eligible with a $45,000 late payment due at the time of entry.

Here's the complete Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool 6 field (with morning line odds): #1 Art Collector (9-2); #2 Attachment Rate (50-1); #3 Authentic (10-1); #4 Cezanne (20-1); #5 Dean Martini (50-1); #6 Dr Post (20-1); #7 Enforceable (30-1); #8 Honor A. P. (5-1); #9 King Guillermo (30-1); #10 Major Fed (50-1); #11 Max Player (30-1); #12 Modernist (50-1); #13 Mystic Guide (50-1); #14 Ny Traffic (50-1); #15 Pneumatic (30-1); #16 Rushie (30-1); #17 Shared Sense (30-1); #18 South Bend (50-1); #19 Storm the Court (50-1); #20 Thousand Words (50-1); #21 Tiz the Law (5-2); #22 Uncle Chuck (10-1); #23 “All 3-Year-Old Fillies” (12-1); and #24 “All Other 3-Year-Old Males” (15-1).

In the Oaks Future Wager, top 3-year-old fillies Gamine (9-5) and Swiss Skydiver (3-1) are expected to take much of the betting attention in the field of 24 interests.

Gamine, trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert and owned by Michael Petersen, scored a dazzling 18 ¾-length victory in the $300,000 Acorn (GI). The undefeated daughter of Into Mischief has been highly regarded since her debut in early March and defeated eventual $400,000 Ashland (GI) winner Speech two starts ago in a first-level allowance event at Oaklawn Park.

Gamine could clash with Peter Callahan's three-time graded stakes winner Swiss Skydiver on the first Friday in September. Trained by Kenny McPeek, Swiss Skydiver was the runner-up behind Art Collector in last weekend's Blue Grass at Keeneland. McPeek reported his plans remain in flux when it came to try Swiss Skydiver once again against males in the Kentucky Derby or point toward the Kentucky Oaks.

Other top fillies expected to take betting attention in Pool 2 of the Kentucky Oaks Future Wager include Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Madaket Stables' Speech; Kaleem Shah, Mrs John Magnier, Michel Tabor and Derrick Smith's come-backing $100,000 Santa Ysabel (GIII) winner Donna Veloce (12-1); Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC, Thomas Reiman, William Dickson and Deborah Easter's $300,000 Rachel Alexandra (GII) victor Finite; and Ciaglia Racing, Highland Yard, River Oak Farm and Dominic Savides' Ashland runner-up Venetian Harbor (12-1).

Pool 2 entrants Altaf (30-1), Mundaye Call (50-1), Paris Lights (50-1) and Project Whiskey (50-1) are not currently nominated to the Kentucky Oaks but can become eligible with a $500 late nomination on Aug. 15. Queen of God (50-1) was not originally nominated to the Oaks but Churchill Downs officials have received her late $500 nomination fee.

Here is the field for Pool 2 of the Kentucky Oaks Future Wager (with morning line odds): #1 Altaf (30-1); #2 Bayerness (50-1); #3 Bonny South (30-1); #4 Donna Veloce (12-1); #5 Dream Marie (50-1); #6 Envoutante (30-1); #7 Finite (12-1); #8 Gamine (9-5); #9 Harvey's Lil Goil (20-1); #10 Impeccable Style (30-1); #11 Mundaye Call (50-1); #12 Paris Lights (50-1); #13 Pleasant Orb (50-1); #14 Project Whiskey (50-1); #15 Queen of God (50-1); #16 Shedaresthedevil (30-1); #17 Speech (8-1); #18 Spice is Nice (20-1); #19 Swiss Skydiver (3-1); #20 Tempers Rising (50-1); #21 Tonalist's Shape (30-1); #22 Venetian Harbor (12-1); #23 Water White (50-1); and #24 “All Other 3-Year-Old Fillies” (20-1).

On March 17, Churchill Downs Incorporated announced the 146th running of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (GI) would be rescheduled from Saturday, May 2 to Saturday, Sept. 5 amid public health concerns in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks Future Wagers feature $2 Win and Exacta wagering, and provides fans of Thoroughbred racing with opportunities to place bets on possible entrants in the Kentucky Derby at odds that could be far greater than those available on the day of the race. A special Oaks/Derby Double wager also will be offered.

Bets for the KDFW can be placed on TwinSpires.com and other online wagering outlets across North America. There are no refunds in the Kentucky Derby Future Wager. Should Churchill Downs officials determine during the duration of the three-day pool that one of the wagering interests has experienced an injury, illness or other circumstance that would prevent the horse from participating in the Kentucky Derby, betting on the individual horse will be suspended immediately.

More information and real-time odds are available online at www.kentuckyderby.com/futurewager.

The post Tiz The Law Expected Favorite For Pool 6 Of Kentucky Derby Future Wager appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

“Like (trainer) Barclay (Tagg) said, he's always wanted to win the Travers, and obviously I've always wanted to win the Travers,” Sackatoga's Jack Knowlton told The Daily Gazette. “We were deeply disappointed that (Sackatoga and Tagg's 2003 Kentucky Derby winner) Funny Cide got sick and we weren't able to run it. Now we're back with another chance, and maybe we can do what we did with the Belmont.”

“He's a good horse,” Knowlton continued. “We'll find out how good, because there's going to be challenges.”

Read more at The Daily Gazette.

The post ‘Back With Another Chance’: Tiz The Law Arrives In Saratoga To Prep For Travers appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Anytime someone whispers “one more time” in the ear of the person beside them at a Thoroughbred auction, the goal is to not become the unfortunate person that let the next great racehorse slip away over a few thousand bucks.

Most of the time, that “one more time” bid isn't the one that saves a superstar from the clutches of another owner, but Jack Knowlton's $10,000 stretch over budget to land Tiz the Law at the 2018 Fasig-Tipton New York-Bred Yearling Sale swung the fate of a future Belmont Stakes winner and earner of more than $1.1 million to date.

Knowlton entered the Humphrey S. Finney Pavilion that day with a $100,000 budget targeted for Hip 311, a first-crop Constitution colt out of the Grade 2-winning Tiznow mare Tizfiz. The colt had passed every physical, pedigree, and veterinary test that trainer Barclay Tagg and assistant trainer Robin Smullen put before him, and trusting a partnership that spans 25 years, Knowlton decided to bid on Tiz the Law one more time.

“We went to $95,000, and we were going to lose him when the other guy went to $100,000,” Tagg said. “Jack didn't really want to go over $100,000, and then I looked over at him and he said, 'Go $10,000 more.' I'm glad we did…Turned out, it was a pretty good price.”

Though it was more than he planned to spend, Knowlton said the hammer price on Tiz the Law was safely within the $50,000 to $150,000 range of a normal Sackatoga Stable purchase. Based out of Saratoga Springs, N.Y., the operation buys New York-bred yearlings and 2-year-olds almost exclusively, making Fasig-Tipton's New York-Bred Yearling Sale a destination event every year.

The Sackatoga operation tends to have about four horses in the stable at any given time, so with two fillies already on the team, Knowlton sent Tagg and Smullen looking for a colt at the New York-Bred Sale. The duo was responsible for Sackatoga's private purchase of dual classic winner and champion Funny Cide as a 2-year-old, which has earned them Knowlton's unflinching trust in the bloodstock realm.

“They have many, many decades of knowledge,” Knowlton said. “I have not tried to become an expert, because I have them at my side. My role is to make sure I can raise the capital to pay for the horses they pick out. I've learned I can go through the catalogs and we'll compare notes, but because I'm pretty much using the methodology that I learned from them, most of the time, we're on 80 or 90 percent of the same horses.”

Tiz the Law was stabled in consignor Sequel New York's usual corner of Barn 6 on Fasig-Tipton's Saratoga sales grounds. Tagg said he does not have a cookie-cutter picture of what he looks for in a horse at auction, but strong conformation and athleticism are musts.

“We just really liked him because he had such good bone on him, and his conformation was very correct,” Tagg said about a yearling Tiz the Law. “When you're trying to buy horses, you're trying to get the best conformation and the soundest-looking ones you can get, and they also have to have some pedigree to go with it, depending on what you're looking for.”

The colt was one of about four horses that passed muster with Tagg and Smullen after physical inspections. After the veterinarian's report came back with high marks, he was pegged as one of Sackatoga's primary targets in the catalog. It took a little bit more than expected to get the hammer to fall, but the result was life-changing.

Looking to the future, Tiz the Law would have easily qualified for the Kentucky Derby if it had been held in May, following a dominant spring campaign, but the 272 qualifying points that the colt sits on for the rescheduled classic in September all but guarantees him a spot in the gate. Tiz the Law's class-leading number of qualifying points also put Sequel New York safely on top in the latest Kentucky Derby Consignor Standings all on his own.

It's an exciting time for Tiz the Law's connections, but there is little time to rest on one's laurels in horse racing – especially on the accelerated calendar brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. Not long after rounding the first turn in his chase for a Triple Crown, Knowlton said he and Tagg will be headed to Timonium, Md., next week for the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale, with the aim of finding the next great New York-bred to team with the best New York-bred going today.

The post Kentucky Derby Consignor Standings Presented By Keeneland: Knowlton’s Million-Dollar Stretch For Tiz The Law appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

We hear repeatedly how everyone in the industry is doing the best they can under arduous and unprecedented circumstances brought on by COVID-19. There is truth in that statement, but people can only do so much. For horse racing to persevere during difficult times, the best chance to pull us through is the Thoroughbred itself.

Now, after his tour-de-force romp in the GI Belmont S., it is clear that Tiz the Law (Constitution) has emerged the sport’s horse of hope.

It’s probably unfair to saddle Tiz’s compact, powerful bay shoulders with so heavy a burden. But the charismatic colt has been up to the task of handling everything thrown at him so far. His race record is a near-perfect 5-for-6, but that stat doesn’t fully encapsulate the flair and panache with which he’s dispatched his overmatched foes.

As an aggressive stalker, Tiz the Law’s early races were hallmarked by a knack for putting himself into precarious positions and then extricating himself with a Houdini-like flourish. He won sprinting in his Saratoga debut against New York-breds, then leapt the chasm to Grade I stakes company by annexing the Champagne S. after stumbling at the start and getting trapped on heels before finishing full of run.

His connections–owner Sackatoga Stable and trainer Barclay Tagg–thought the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile a month later might be too much too soon, so they instead pointed Tiz to the GII Kentucky Jockey Club S. at Churchill Downs Nov. 30. Off as the 3-5 favorite in a sea of slop, jockey Manny Franco repeatedly had to ride the brakes to keep Tiz from getting pocketed on the backstretch and again in the home straight. The colt ended up third, beaten three-quarters of a length, his only defeat to date.

After a brief Florida freshening, Tiz had his 3-year-old unveiling in the GIII Holy Bull S., a prep on the GI Kentucky Derby trail that has evolved into a notorious annual trap for highly touted sophomores (favorites going down in defeat in nine of the previous 11 runnings). Tiz shot out of the gate, cruised four deep into the clubhouse bend, then dove to the fence. This maneuvering meant yet another dicey backstretch placement for Tiz, who steadied off heels under more momentum-drag braking. But once repositioned outside, he relished the pursuit of prey, collaring the pacemaker and leaving the remainder of the field reeling with a 100 Beyer Speed Figure win that was easier than the three-length final margin suggested.

After missing a few days of training in early March because of a minor foot bruise, the GI Curlin Florida Derby was next. Tiz broke running and enjoyed a clean trip while energetically forcing the issue. He powered past the frontrunners at will, and for the first time left the impression that he was merely toying with the competition while honing a fast-maturing level of confidence into something akin to a swagger.

The pandemic had already disrupted the Triple Crown prior to Tiz’s Florida Derby win, but you didn’t hear the colt’s connections carping in public about how fate had stolen away their chance at favoritism in the Run for the Roses. Instead, Tagg and Sackatoga managing partner Jack Knowlton pretty much said they’d take on all comers at whatever race spacing and distances the Triple Crown turned out to be, perhaps even with a Saratoga stakes in between for good measure.

The Belmont S. ended up being first in the series, shortened to a one-turn nine furlongs out of deference to the coronavirus disruption. Tiz was once again fleet from the starting stall and Manny Franco gathered him up in hand while allowing the two main speed threats to come through to his inside. Always in striking range within 2 1/2 lengths of the lead, Tiz was a formidable presence while in authoritative stalk mode, coiled but not fully unleashed until the head of the vast Belmont Park homestretch. He nosed his distinctive white blaze in front coming off the turn, shot into an unmatchable gear when cued to quicken, and even while assertively handled through the lane didn’t appear to be fully extended or at the limits of his stamina reserves in another 100-Beyer trouncing.

Tiz the Law is an easy horse to root for. He can press the pace at a high cruising speed against the best East Coast sophomores and still stick around to win going away by open lengths. Every one of his victories has been decided by the eighth pole. He runs major-league speed numbers and never looks sapped or wilted. He’s sensibly managed by connections that clearly enjoy the journey as much as the outcome, and they’re transparent and highly quotable when asked to share their plans for Tiz. Even Tagg, known for decades as a “horseman’s horseman,” can come across as charmingly crusty, like he did on Saturday when he reportedly told a Belmont television interviewer that the trophy presentation and post-race questions had better be quick because he had work to do back at the barn.

Next up for Tiz is the GI Runhappy Travers S. at Saratoga. The New York Racing Association just announced last week that the showcase race of the summer would be moved up several weeks to Aug. 8 in order to better mesh with the remaining two legs of the Triple Crown (Derby Sep. 5 and GI Preakness S. Oct. 3).

Fittingly, the date of the 2020 Travers will coincide with the one-year anniversary of Tiz the Law’s winning debut at Saratoga.

British turf writer Simon Barnes once wrote that “Too much hope is perhaps the worst sin in horse racing.”

That may be true. But right now our sport can use all the optimistic anticipation it can get. So bring on the hope–and the hype–for Tiz the Law.

The post The Week in Review: Laying Down the Law, ‘Tiz’ Shines Amid Difficult Year appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

“He came out of the race great,” said Robin Smullen, assistant to trainer Barclay Tagg. “He ate up and then he came out and grazed for an hour. His legs are good, his attitude and energy are good.”

Mapping out the next few days for the Belmont winner, Tagg said, “He’ll walk for three days and we’ll graze him every afternoon like we do. The fourth day we’ll take him out and jog him once around backwards to see how he moves and how he is and if he eats up that night, we’ll go to galloping. And 10 days after that we’ll give him an easy breeze, a half-mile.”

Tagg added, “I’ve never won the Travers and I want to win it. It’s very important to me.”

Trainer Todd Pletcher is considering the Travers and the July 18 GI Haskell S. at Monmouth Park as possible next targets for Belmont runner-up Dr Post (Quality Road).

“Both of those races are in play. It just depends on how he bounces out of the race,” Pletcher said. “We were always confident that a route of ground will not be an issue for him. He finished up well. It was a very encouraging effort.”

Dr Post was making just his fourth start in the Belmont, following a maiden win at Gulfstream Mar. 29 with a win in the 1 1/16-mile Unbridled S. in Hallandale Apr. 25.

“Considering he broke his maiden the day after Tiz the Law won the Florida Derby, that’s a lot of progress to make in a short period of time,” Pletcher said. “Hopefully he keeps improving.”

Trainer Linda Rice was satisfied with Max Player (Honor Code)’s third-place finish in the Belmont.

“Coming off a 4 1/2-month break, I thought it was a very creditable effort,” Rice said. “You can build on this going forward. Going a mile and a quarter shouldn’t be a problem as well.”

As for what could be next for the GIII Withers S. winner, Rice said, “We’ll keep all the options open for now and sort it out when we get him back to the track in a week to 10 days.”

The post Travers Up Next for Tiz the Law appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

“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.

The post Tiz the Law Tunes Up for Belmont appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post