Travers Stakes | Horse Racing Free Tips

‘The Pinnacle Of What We Hope For’: Tiz The Law A ‘Star Pupil’ On And Off The Track

Belmont Stakes hero Tiz the Law, born at Sequel Stallions in Hudson, N.Y., and raised in Versailles, Ky., by breeder Twin Creeks Farm, is the even-money morning-line favorite for Saturday's Grade 1, $1-million Travers Stakes at Saratoga Race Course.

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.”

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Country Grammer ‘Keeps Improving,’ Inspires Chad Brown To Try Travers Off Short Rest

An opportunity to run at a desired distance, in the race he's wanted to win more than any other but has yet to add to his already lengthy list of accomplishments, was too tempting to pass up for trainer Chad Brown.

The Mechanicville, N.Y. native will send out Paul Pompa, Jr.'s Country Grammer in Saturday's Grade 1, $1 million Runhappy Travers for 3-year-olds, the highlight of both the Saratoga season and a loaded 12-race program featuring five graded-stakes worth $1.95 million in purses.

Country Grammer will be the 11th Travers starter for Brown, his best finish coming with Gift Box, who ran fourth in 2016. Growing up a half-hour south of Saratoga, where his family has gathered at the same backyard picnic table on Travers Day for decades, Brown is hoping to break through in a year when coronavirus protocols will prevent fans from attending.

“I was thinking about that; if I finally win and nobody's here, does it count?” Brown said. “It's so depressing to not have the fans here, but at least they have the meet going. NYRA's done a super job, at least from the horsemen's side, to make it feel comfortable as they can. The racing product's been super, as you can see from the wagering, and the surface is extremely safe. The Travers will be a little different, but we'll take it if we can get it.”

Country Grammer enters the 1 ¼-mile Travers off a neck victory over fellow Mid-Summer Derby aspirant Caracaro in the Grade 3, 1 1/8-mile Peter Pan on July 16, opening day at Saratoga. He has never gone less than a mile in any of his five races, and Brown said he has been relishing the chance to go further.

“Two turns is his thing, and we've been wanting to get a mile and a quarter all along,” Brown said. “Hopefully this horse will get the distance. I'm confident he can. He's going to have to take a step forward in this race and hope a couple of the top contenders can't go that far.”

Irad Ortiz, Jr. will ride Country Grammer from post 2 in a field of eight led by even-money program favorite Tiz the Law, the Grade 1 Florida Derby and Belmont Stakes winner this year, and Grade 3-winning California shipper Uncle Chuck.

“I prefer more time in between races with my horses, but I thought it was a great opportunity to take another shot at the Travers. It's a little bit of a shorter field than normal and the Kentucky Derby, some people waiting for that,” Brown said. “It's a unique year to maybe give it a shot with a horse that keeps improving. Even though we're running on short rest, I think the reward is probably a little bigger than the risk.”

Prior to the Peter Pan, Country Grammer ran third in a 1 1/16-mile allowance on June 4 at Belmont Park, his first start since finishing fifth in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth in February at Gulfstream Park in his sophomore debut. He debuted on the Belmont turf last fall before breaking his maiden second time out going 1 1/8 miles at Aqueduct.

“We just drew a line through the race at Belmont. He's really never even trained well there. That's why I debuted him on the turf, actually, the first start of his life. It's something I wasn't really looking to do when I got him in,” Brown said. “He looked like a dirt horse but he just didn't train well enough so I took a shot and he didn't run good on the turf. When I got him over to Aqueduct, anywhere away from Belmont, his races have been good on the dirt.”

Brown has been pleased with how Country Grammer has taken to Saratoga's main track, newly refurbished for 2020, in both his training and racing.

“It's definitely more similar to Aqueduct than it is Belmont. It reminds me of Keeneland, too, a little bit. This new surface has been great,” Brown said. “It's my 13th year of training racehorses on my own, and this is one the best racetracks I've ever trained on or raced on.”

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Rice Hoping Rosario Keeps Max Player Closer To The Pace In Travers

George Hall and SportBLX Thoroughbreds' Max Player, whose two-race win streak concluded when third in the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes in June, has the chance to return to his winning ways in Saturday's Grade 1, $1 million Runhappy Travers at Saratoga.

The 151st running of the 1 ¼-mile Mid-Summer Derby will mark just the fifth career start for Max Player, a 3 ¼-length winner of the Grade 3, 1 1/8-mile Withers in his 3-year-old debut on February 1 at Aqueduct.

Trained by Linda Rice, Max Player didn't run back until the Belmont, shortened to 1 1/8 miles in leading off the revamped Triple Crown lineup. The Travers offers 100-40-20-10 qualifying points to the top four finishers for the next leg, the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby on September 5.

“I knew from February to June, based on the way he was training, that he was going to take a big step forward. Obviously he needed to,” Rice said at Wednesday's post-position draw. “This time around, I don't know that we're going to see the same progression we did from February to June, but if he takes baby steps that would be good [to] get us to September.”

Max Player will be the second career Travers starter for Rice, the only woman to win a training title at Saratoga. The 2009 meet champion was fourth in the 2014 Travers with Kid Cruz.

Rice opted to keep most of her string downstate this summer at Belmont, where Max Player has done the bulk of his training. He arrived in Saratoga Wednesday afternoon and went to the track Thursday and Friday.

“He's trained fine. I've been training at Belmont, not at Saratoga, which is a little unusual,” Rice said. “Coming into the Belmont he was off a 5 ½-month break, so I trained him pretty aggressively. Coming into this race, I backed off him a little bit, [with] a little bit more maintenance breezes. We weren't quite as aggressive with him, but I think he's ready.”

Joel Rosario, aboard for the first time in the Belmont, rides back from post 4 in a field of eight led by even-money program favorite Tiz the Law, the 3 ¾-length winner of the Belmont considered the top 3-year-old in training.

“I'm OK with post 4. I'd rather try to save a little ground in the first turn, on both turns, and not get caught too far outside,” Rice said. “Joel, this will be the second time that he's ridden the horse. It was a learning curve last time. He watched his previous races, he saw that the horse doesn't run into kickback very well, so I think based on the learning curve he was a little too far back [in the Belmont], had a little too much to do. I'd like to think that Joel will work a little more aggressively to keep him closer.”

The late-running Max Player will be stretching out to 10 furlongs for the first time. He has never been worse than third in any of his four starts, winning a one-mile maiden special weight last December at Parx in his juvenile finale, and Rice is hoping to see an honest pace for her closer.

“Racing's funny,” Rice said. “Sometimes when they run shorter distances they go faster early and you have a better chance to close with a horse like him that has a strong closing kick, so on occasion it works against you.”

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Weekend Lineup: Derby Points On The Line In Loaded Travers, Ellis Park Derby

Though it occupies an earlier spot than usual on the calendar, the Grade 1, $1 million Travers Stakes succeeded in luring the top sophomore in training as the race will be headlined by Belmont Stakes winner Tiz the Law, the current No. 1 ranked horse on the NTRA Top Three-Year-Old Poll. The 151st running of the Travers will be one of five graded stakes on the day at historic Saratoga Race Course.

For the second consecutive year, the Travers Stakes will be televised live on the FOX broadcast network as part of a 1 ½ hour telecast from 5-6:30 PM ET on Saturday. An expanded Travers Day edition of Saratoga Live will air nationally on FS1 beginning at 11:30 AM ET. Coverage and analysis of the day's races then shifts to FS2 beginning at 3:00 PM ET and continues throughout the afternoon on FS1/FS2.

TVG will be live on site at racetracks across the country covering a loaded weekend of racing that includes graded stakes races from Del Mar and the Ellis Park Derby, a prep race for the Kentucky Derby in September.

Friday August 7

5:46 p.m.—$150,000 Grade 2 Saratoga Special Stakes at Saratoga Race Course on FS2

A field of 11 juveniles will look to make their star turn in Friday's 114th running of the Grade 2, $150,000 Saratoga Special going six furlongs over the main track. Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen will attempt five victories in the Saratoga Special when saddling Cazadero, who is the lone starter in the field with a graded stakes triumph. Owned and bred by Barbara Banke's Stonestreet Stables, the bay son of Street Sense won the Grade 3 Bashford Manor on June 27 at Churchill Downs in his most recent start, which came after an 8 ¾-length romp on debut at the Louisville oval.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/SAR080720USA9-EQB.html

8:39 p.m.—$150,000 Grade 2 Sorrento Stakes at Del Mar on TVG

In what appears to be a wide-open edition of the Sorrento Stakes at Del Mar, six fillies will face off in a six-furlong tussle that will reward the one home first with a nice payday, a chunk of black type and a leg up toward the meet's top prize for 2-year-old distaff runners — the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante on September 6. The 52nd running of the race features a trio of local juveniles who all scored their maiden victories last out and have the benefit of both experience and a feel for the Del Mar strip.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/DMR080720USA8-EQB.html

Saturday August 8

3:42 p.m.—$300,000 Grade 1 Ballerina Stakes at Saratoga Race Course on FS2

Blue Devil Racing Stable's homebred Come Dancing emerged as one of the country's leading older female sprinters last summer at Saratoga Race Course, and trainer Carlos Martin is hopeful the 6-year-old mare will flash that same form when she goes after a second straight victory in Grade 1, $300,000 Ballerina Stakes. Come Dancing is attempting to become only the second horse to win multiple editions of the Ballerina following Shine Again in 2001 and 2002 for late Hall of Fame trainer Allen Jerkens. A multiple graded-stakes winner of more than $1 million in career purses, Come Dancing has raced just twice this year. She was 12th in her season debut, the Grade 1 Apple Blossom on April 18 at Oaklawn Park and second as the favorite behind fellow Ballerina aspirant Victim of Love in the Grade 3, 6 ½-furlong Vagrancy June 27 at Belmont Park

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/SAR080820USA7-EQB.html

4:22 p.m.—$200,000 Grade 3 Troy Stakes at Saratoga Race Course on FS2

Christophe Clement will look to add to his impressive numbers when he sends out Pure Sensation and Shekky Shebaz in Saturday's Troy Stakes over the Spa's Mellon turf course. Patricia Generazio's homebred Pure Sensation, a 9-year-old Zensational gelding, boasts a record of 37-14-5-7 with purse earnings of $2,001,050. The popular grey won 4-of-6 starts last season, including a pair of graded-stakes at Parx where he captured his third Grade 3 Parx Dash and his fourth Grade 3 Turf Monster at Parx. Pure Sensation wintered at Payson Park in Florida and made his seasonal debut with a seventh in the Grade 1 Jaipur on June 20 at Belmont Park.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/SAR080820USA8-EQB.html

5:02 p.m.—$150,000 Grade 3 Waya Stakes at Saratoga Race Course on FOX

Wise Racing's Fools Gold looks to defend her title in Saturday's Grade 3 Waya Stakes over the Mellon turf. Fools Gold, trained by Chad Brown, will attempt to be the first back-to-back winner of the Waya since Saratoga Source won the first two editions in 1993-94. The 5-year-old daughter of Medaglia d'Oro has not won since taking last year's Waya, where she sat off the pace in the early stages, inched her way into contention and won by three-quarters of a length. Her lone start this season was a well-beaten fifth in her seasonal bow in the Grade 2 New York on June 27 at Belmont Park over the inner turf.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/SAR080820USA9-EQB.html

5:39 p.m.—$300,000 Grade 1 Test Stakes at Saratoga Race Course on FOX

Michael Lund Petersen's Gamine headlines a field of six in Saturday's Test Stakes, a seven-furlong sprint for sophomore fillies. Gamine, an Into Mischief bay trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, has crossed the wire first in all three career starts, winning her March debut at Santa Anita by 6 ¼-lengths when sprinting 6 ½-furlongs. In May, she edged Speech, who two starts later captured the Grade 1 Ashland at Keeneland, in an optional-claiming sprint at Oaklawn where she was subsequently disqualified from purse money. Last out, the $1.8 million Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale purchase annexed a field of seven in the Grade 1 Acorn Stakes by 18 ¾-lengths on June 20 at Belmont Park.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/SAR080820USA10-EQB.html

6:15 p.m.—$1,000,000 Grade 1 Travers Stakes at Saratoga Race Course on FOX

Sackatoga Stable's Tiz the Law, undefeated in his sophomore campaign with three consecutive graded stakes victories, will return to the site where his racing career began last summer as part of an eight-horse field of top 3-year-olds in Saturday's Grade 1 Travers Stakes. Tiz the Law made history in becoming the first New York bred in 138 years to win the Belmont Stakes on June 20. With five wins in six career starts, the Barclay Tagg trainee is the even-money morning-line favorite from post 6 and enters the 1 1/4-mile “Mid-Summer Derby” leading all horses with 272 qualifying points to the Kentucky Derby. He has a chance to add to that record-breaking total, as the Travers will offer 100-40-20-10 points to the top four finishers to the “Run for the Roses” on September 5.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/SAR080820USA11-EQB.html

7:30 p.m.—$150,000 Grade 2 Best Pal Stakes at Del Mar on TVG

Eight times already trainer Wesley Ward has rung the stakes bell at Del Mar and Saturday he's aiming for another gong with a quick 2-year-old colt named Roderick, who ran away and hid from a straight maiden field at Belmont Park in New York on June 21 in his lone outing and looks like a solid favorite for the 50th edition of the Best Pal Stakes. The race, a six-panel spin for juveniles, has drawn a field of seven runners and Roderick has drawn post No. 4 and Del Mar's leading rider, Flavien Prat.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/DMR080820USA6-EQB.html

9 p.m.—$150,000 Grade 2 Yellow Ribbon Stakes at Del Mar on TVG

Slam Dunk Racing or Medallion Racing's Beau Recall (IRE), who was up by a whisker to win last year's Yellow Ribbon Handicap, has come back to Del Mar to try to make it two-for-two in the Grade 2 headliner for fillies and mares that will be run this Saturday. The now 6-year-old mare brings a record of seven wins and eight seconds from 27 starts to the mile and one-sixteenth grass test, as well as a bankroll that reads $1,101,512. Trainer Brad Cox has shipped his well-traveled charge in from New York to defend her title and has assigned Umberto Rispoli to ride.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/DMR080820USA9-EQB.html

Sunday August 9

6:10 p.m.—$200,000 Ellis Park Derby at Ellis Park on TVG

The field was set for Sunday's first-ever Kentucky Derby prep staged at Ellis Park, with Grade 2 Blue Grass Stakes winner Art Collector heading the thirteen 3-year-old colts and geldings entered in the Ellis Park Derby. The 1 1/8-mile Ellis Park Derby carries 50 points to the winner toward qualifying for the Kentucky Derby on September 5. Art Collector seeks to go to 4 for 4 since being turned over to trainer Tommy Drury this year. Thanks to the Blue Grass' 100 points, owner-breeder Bruce Lunsford's colt already has enough points to ensure a spot in the 20-horse Kentucky Derby field, with Drury using the Ellis Park Derby as a conditioning tool rather than training the eight weeks up to America's most important race.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/ELP080920USA10-EQB.html

9:30 p.m.—$125,000 Grade 3 La Jolla Handicap at Del Mar on TVG

Storm the Court, the reigning champion juvenile male, switches to the turf to face seven other challengers in the La Jolla as he seeks his first victory since capturing the Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Santa Anita Park last November. Trained by Peter Eurton, Storm the Court is winless in four starts this season and most recently finished third in the Grade 3 Ohio Derby on June 27.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/DMR080920USA10-EQB.html

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