Sackatoga Stable's Grade 1 Belmont Stakes champ Tiz the Law breezed five-eighths in 1:00.48 Saturday morning on the Saratoga Race Course main track in preparation for the Grade 1, $1 million Runhappy Travers slated for August 8 in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
Under mostly sunny skies and temperatures in the low 70s, the son of second crop sire Constitution recorded splits of 24.20 and 36.00 before galloping out in 1:13.80 over a fast main track with exercise rider Heather Smullen aboard.
“He does exactly what you tell him to do,” Smullen said. “It was a little different this week just because there was some traffic right off the rail and last week there was no one around and nothing for him to look at. This week, there were a couple horses down the stretch and he just buzzed right by them. I never moved my hands or asked him to do anything. He just stays on his own course, does his job, and gallops out great. I just sat there, and he did it on his own. Everything today was just easy and comfortable on his part.”
A three-time Grade 1 winner, Tiz the Law won the Grade 1 Champagne in October at Belmont following a victory on debut against fellow New York-breds in his lone start at Saratoga. He rounded out his juvenile campaign with a close third in the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club at Churchill Downs, which was his only defeat in six starts.
Trainer Barclay Tagg, who watched the work aboard his stable pony, was pleased but unsurprised with how well his horse trained.
“Nothing fazes him. I don't know that I've ever had a horse quite like him,” Tagg said. “His breathing was perfect. You could tell he just worked, but it was nothing like most horses. He's got three nice races under him. He's good and fit and he's trained perfectly.
“He seems willing to want to do more,” Tagg added. “Whenever we do more, he blazes off just as fast. He's a great horse to have. We try not to take anything away from him.”
Tiz the Law made his seasonal bow at Gulfstream Park with a three-length score in the Grade 3 Holy Bull in February en route to a dominating effort in the nine-furlong Grade 1 Florida Derby by 4 ¼ lengths on March 28. Last out, in the nine-furlong Belmont Stakes, Tiz the Law again proved dominant with a 3 ¾-length score in the first leg of the Triple Crown under regular pilot Manny Franco.
“He's been good everywhere we went,” Tagg said. “He was just like this in Florida and did everything we asked him to. You can follow the book so to speak, but if you miss a couple of days because of weather, he can just pick it right back up again.”
Sackatoga Stables operations manager Jack Knowlton was present for the breeze and said the Runhappy Travers' mile and a quarter distance should be no issue for Tiz the Law.
“It's just what we need,” Knowlton said. “He's fit and he just shows that. Time really doesn't matter. If you look at the way he gallops out, that to me is more meaningful. He works five-eighths then gallops out six, gallops out seven and gallops out a mile and still keeps going. There just seems to be no end to the energy he has, so I'm looking forward to a mile and a quarter race. I think he'll really relish the added distance.”
Bred in New York by Twin Creeks Farm, Tiz the Law is out of the graded stakes winning Tiznow broodmare Tizfiz. He has accumulated earnings of $1,480,300.
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.
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