Manny Franco had Tiz’s law under wraps when she hit the wire in the Runhappy Travers
When there were doubts about Sackatoga Stable’s Tiz the Law’s ability to get a mile and a quarter, they were cleared in the two minutes and 95 hundredths of a second it took for the 3-year-old New York-bred son of Constitution to travel that distance and demolish its rivals in the $ 1 million, Grade 1 Runhappy Travers Stakes at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, NY
Under excellent handling by Manny Franco, Tiz put the law in third behind pacesetter Uncle Chuck, moved to the front in turn home, opened a commanding lead and was then won in the final sixteenth of a mile to go with 5 1 to be won / 2 lengths.
Caracaro finished second, with Max Player third and South Bend fourth, Country Grammer fifth, Uncle Chuck sixth and Shivaree last in the field of seven 3-year-olds. First Line was scratched.
The 1-2 favorite, Tiz Law paid $ 3 for the win, his sixth in seven career starts for coach Barclay Tagg. He will travel to Louisville, Ky., Where he will be a heavy favorite for the G1 Kentucky Derby on Sept. It was at Churchill Downs on Nov. 30, where Tiz left the law his only career loss when third, three-quarters of a length, in the G2 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes on a sly track.
The five stakes wins of Tiz the Law came in 2019 in the G1 Champagne and this year the G3 Holy Bull won in February, the G1 Florida Derby in March, the G1 Belmont Stakes in June and now the Travers. The Belmont was shortened from its traditional mile and a half to just nine furlongs due to the reorganization of the Triple Crown which will end with the Preakness Stakes out of Pimliico on October 3rd.
The Travers, nicknamed the Mid-Summer Derby, in addition to being one of the most prestigious races for 3-year-olds, offered Kentucky Derby qualifying points (100-40-20-10) to the first four finishers this year.
Upgraded Kentucky Derby Leaderboard
Tiz the Law, from Lake Tiznow, Tizfiz, was bred by Twin Creeks Farm and sold by Sequel New York for $ 110,000 at the Fasig-Tipton New York bred sale at Saratoga in 2018.
Uncle Chuck, the unrestrained Uncle Mo colt who coached Bob Baffert compared to 2016 Travers winner Arrogate, broke smoothly and put the Travers factions :: 23.65 for the quarter-mile opening ,: 48.36 for the half and 1: 11.95 for six furlongs.
When they reached the quarterfinals, the mile in 1: 36.42, Luis Saez asked Uncle Chuck to find his best and not. Tiz the law and Franco burst at the front at the top of the line, and drifted slightly backwards after one right strike of Franco’s whip. Franco lifted the whip again as if he were ready to give Tiz the law more encouragement, and then saw that no one won on him and wrapped the rest of the stretch track on his head.
Caracaro and Max Player close well from far back, but never challenge the winner.
POST-RACE offers:
Trainer Barclay Tag:
‘I thought Manny [Franco] just advised him. Both Manny and I thought another horse would go with him, the [Bob] Baffert cushions [Uncle Chuck]. Manny advised him perfectly.
‘It’s the way I thought he would end it all. I thought he should come to Uncle Chuck in the stretch and he would go through with it if he stopped. It went so easily for him, that’s fine with me too. The easier, the better.
‘Juan [Barajas Saldana, the groom] has been with us for about 20 years. He is an amazing person. The day this colt ran into our shed, he just took over. He has not left his side since. He makes sure he bunks right next to him every night. Take care of him all day, every day. He goes everywhere with him when he travels. He’s just a great boy and a very, very good horse. Of course Robin [Smullen] is my partner and assistant and she is great in everything. She rides him in the morning. He was pretty hard to ride there for a while, but she got him straight. She is probably the most important person on this horse. It’s just a great team.
“I have done this for a long time and I always wanted to win the Travers. This has been in my head all my life. And now it happened that it could not be better.
‘You always have doubts, because a lot of different things can happen. That’s always in your back, but I was very confident in the horse. ‘
In preparation for the Kentucky Derby: ‘I do not think we are changing much. We’ll give him 10 days of ease and then get a few more breaths in him before we go out there. That’s just about all we can do. ”
Jack Knowlton, managing partner of Sackatoga Stable
‘It’s just so exciting. To be in the race and be 1-2, there is a lot of pressure. We had welfare from everywhere. We saw a show today that just keeps me going. We know we had a nice horse. We thought we had the best horse. To do what he did today, we decided to go to Kentucky now [for the G1 Kentucky Derby.]
“It’s great. We get redemption 17 years later [Funny Cide, the 2003 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner, ran third in the Belmont Stakes and did not run in the Travers]. Tiz won the Belmont, now he won the Travers. It’s quite an achievement for our small stable of New York breds, for Barclay Tagg training that breeds our New York to win the biggest races in New York. We’re just excited to die. We are the third New York to breed to win this race, the first New York to breed in 138 years to win the Belmont Stakes. It tells me that this achievement is something that is spectacular. Barclay, [assistant trainer] Robin [Smullen] and the whole team, they made it all happen.
“When we had Funny Cide and won the Derby, it was Funny Cide mania and everything in town was Funny Cide. There was a Funny Cide shop and everything. It’s taken a little while for me to think for Tiz to get to that point. I truly believe after this race that he is adopted, not only by Saratoga, but also by New York, and hopefully the country. The mask we put on with Tiz, we got calls from California and the whole country; they want a Tiz the Law mask. This is the biggest springboard to going through to Kentucky and I think he’s proven today that he’s definitely a mile and a quarter horse and Barclay has said that quite a bit.
“I wish there were 50,000 plus people here to see these achievements live. We are happy that we can run these races, we are happy that NYRA was able to make accommodations for owners to be here. It’s something I will never forget. After all the Derby wins, which is the highlight of everyone in this sport, this would be number 2. ”
Jockey Manny Franco
‘I can not explain how I feel at the moment. I knew all the support was there, even without the crowd, I felt like everyone was looking at me. I want to thank Jack Knowlton, the owner and coach, Barclay Tagg and Robin and Juan. They did a great job with this horse.
“It means a lot, because it made me a better jockey with this opportunity. I’m grateful for that.
‘I did not expect a race like that, but we will take it. He walked enormously. He was there all the way for me and I was just waiting for the moment because it’s a long way to go – a mile and a quarter – and he has not gone that distance before, so I try so hard to saving horse as I could before I made my move.
‘I had a lot in the tank and I was just trying to save horse, because there have to be three or four more races going, so I have to save some horse.
‘He became part of my family, this horse. He’s unbelievable and I’ve never been on a horse like this in my career. I enjoy the moment.
‘When I came to him [Uncle Chuck] on the pole of half a mile, to the eighties, I try to wait longer, because I knew I got him. Hy [Luis Saez, aboard Uncle Chuck] rode and tried to stop, so I was a little worried about the horses behind me. I tried to save more horse before I made my move.
‘He gave me shivers. When I pressed the button, he just turned it off. He accelerated really hard. After that I took a kick back and he went away and I just rescued horse.
‘Well, I’m more confident than before the race [that he can go a mile and a quarter]. I know now that he can go the distance, but he has to run the race.
“I’m looking forward to the next race. Hopefully the horse keeps sounding. I’m in good hands. Barclay knows what he’s doing and he knows what we have.
‘I think this is good to happen because of the time we are now passing. A New York breeder who wins the Travers, I think that will make New York happy. ”
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