Connections Of Belmont Third Max Player ‘Leaning Towards’ Travers Rematch With Tiz The Law

George E. Hall and SportBLX Thoroughbreds' Max Player, who ran third in the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes on June 20, is being pointed towards the Grade 1, $1 million Runhappy Travers, trainer Linda Rice said.

Max Player, who finished only behind Dr Post and winner Tiz the Law in last month's first leg of the Triple Crown, registered his first breeze since the Belmont Stakes, going four furlongs in 49 seconds on Sunday over Belmont Park's dirt training track.

“He's doing very well. That was his first breeze since the Belmont and it was just a nice, comfortable breeze, and he's in good order,” Rice said.

Never off the board in four career starts, Max Player could next make his Saratoga debut by running in the “Mid-Summer Derby.” He made his first two starts at Parx, running second in his debut at one mile on November 12 before winning at the same distance at second asking on December 17.

In his sophomore debut, he bested an eight-horse field by 3 ¼ lengths in the 1 1/8-mile Grade 3 Withers on February 1 at Aqueduct Racetrack. That was his previous start since the Belmont Stakes, which was shortened from its famed 1 ½-mile distance to a one-turn 1 1/8 miles to accommodate the revised schedule for 3-year-olds in training.

With the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby set for September 5 and serving as the middle jewel of the Triple Crown this year, Max Player can accumulate even more qualifying points, with the Travers offering a 100-40-20-10 scale to the top-four finishers.

Max Player has accumulated 40 qualifying points for the “Run for the Roses” and is 12th on the current leaderboard for a race that has traditionally taken as many as 20 entries.

Contested at 1 1/4 miles, the Travers would be the longest race Max Player has run, but Rice said she is optimistic the Honor Code colt could handle it.

“We're leaning towards running in the Travers,” Rice said. “We looked at some other options with the [Grade 1] Haskell [at Monmouth] or the [Grade 3] Peter Pan [July 16 at Saratoga], but we are going to point right to the Travers.”

Wicked Trick, who finished fourth in the Grade 2 True North on June 27 at Belmont, will be getting a freshening after three races to start his 5-year-old campaign. The Hat Trick gelding won his seasonal bow against allowance company on January 20 at Aqueduct before running fifth in the Stymie on March 7.

After stepping up to graded stakes company for the first time in 23 career starts in the True North, Rice said she decided to give the Kentucky bred who she co-owns with Stephen Cooper a respite.

“He's just been a little dull lately, so I just sent him to the farm to give him some time off,” Rice said.

Rice has saddled four winners during the Belmont spring/summer meet, which started June 3 and will conclude on Sunday, July 12. She will gear up for the Saratoga meet that runs from July 16 through September 7. Rice has enjoyed success at the Spa, highlighted by the 2009 meet in which she captured the training title.

“I think we were all very happy to just get back to racing in these unusual times,” Rice said. “It's given a lot of relief to the horsemen and the owners so that we can maintain these horses in our stables. Saratoga will be unusual this year as well for sure, but we're just all happy to be back to racing.”

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‘We’d Love To Complete The New York Circle’: Tiz The Law Continues Moving Forward Toward Travers

Grade 1 Belmont Stakes winner Tiz the Law resumed serious business on Wednesday morning, posting a five-furlong breeze over Belmont Park's main track for trainer Barclay Tagg.

Under the guidance of regular rider Manny Franco, the three-time Grade 1-winning son of second crop sire Constitution recorded his work in 1:01.10 over a main track rated fast. The move was a second work for Tiz the Law since being the first New York-bred in over a century to capture the Belmont Stakes. Last Wednesday, he went an easy half-mile in 50.06 seconds.

“He looked perfect,” Tagg said. “He's got a lot of energy. He wouldn't blow out a candle.”

Unbeaten in all three starts during his sophomore campaign, Tiz the Law began 2020 with wins in the Grade 3 Holy Bull and Grade 1 Florida Derby, both at Gulfstream Park, en route to a victory in the Belmont Stakes, which was run as the first leg of the Triple Crown following a rescheduling of the national stakes calendar due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tiz the Law, bred in the Empire State by Twin Creeks Farm, began his career with a maiden triumph against fellow New York-breds at Saratoga Race Course before winning the Grade 1 Champagne at Belmont Park. His only loss took place in the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club at Churchill Downs, where he was third beaten three-quarters of a length over a sloppy main track.

Tiz the Law remains on target for the Grade 1, $1 million Runhappy Travers on August 8 at Saratoga Race. The colt currently tops the Kentucky Derby leaderboard with 272 points and could add to those totals in the Runhappy Travers, which offers 100-40-20-10 to the top-four finishers.

“It's just a matter of keeping him happy and healthy for seven weeks between now and the Travers,” said Jack Knowlton – operations manager for owner Sackatoga Stable. “[Assistant trainer] Robin [Smullen] says nothing phases him. If you watch him around the stable, on the track, and during his races it all seems to be true. Fortunately, Manny has gotten to know what he has under him and has done a great job. Hopefully we can continue the roll that we're on.”

Knowlton has been down a similar road before when Funny Cide won the 2003 Kentucky Derby and Preakness finishing third in the Belmont Stakes but was scratched from that year's Travers.

Knowlton said a win in the Runhappy Travers would be a huge deal for the Sackatoga team.

“Once he won the Champagne in the fall, he was on everyone's radar screen as a top 3-year-old,” Knowlton said. “We had a small bump in the road when we went to Kentucky, but as soon as he won the Holy Bull in Florida, he was right back on top of everyone's list. We're just taking it one race at a time. It will be interesting. No one will have run a mile and a quarter before the Travers and it will be unusual that some horses will have run a mile and quarter before the Derby. This was a race we could have had Funny Cide in, but he got sick. We'd love to complete the New York circle.”

Tiz the Law is scheduled ship to Saratoga on Monday, July 13, where he will continue to train for the Runhappy Travers.

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Belmont Winner Tiz The Law ‘Getting A Little Bit Tough’ In Morning Workouts

In his first breeze since winning the Belmont Stakes on June 20, Sackatoga Stable's Tiz the Law worked four furlongs in 50.06 seconds.

According to the Daily Racing Form, jockey Manny Franco kept Tiz the Law steady through the first quarter mile in 26.71 seconds, then moved up to complete the second quarter in 23.18 seconds. In order to go slow early, trainer Barclay Tagg ponied the 3-year-old Constitution colt all the way to the five-eighths pole.

“That was (Tagg's) plan and that was great for me because he's getting a little bit tough,” Franco told the Daily Racing Form. “That made it easier for me.”

Up next, Tiz the Law is expected to take on the Grade 1 Travers at Saratoga on Aug. 8, en route to the rescheduled Kentucky Derby on Sept. 5.

Read more at the Daily Racing Form.

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Saratoga Stakes Added to Derby & Oaks Prep

With the GI Kentucky Derby moved to Sept. 5 and the GI Kentucky Oaks pushed to Sept. 4, a quartet of Saratoga stakes will be added to the qualifying prep races. The GIII Peter Pan S. July 16 and the GI Traver S. Aug., 8 will be part of the Road to the Derby at 100 and 50 points, respectively. Added to the Oaks trail are the GI CCA Oaks July 18 and the GI Alabama S. Aug. 15, both 100 points.

The post Saratoga Stakes Added to Derby & Oaks Prep appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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