Chelsea Durand / NYRA Photo

New York-bred Tiz the Law warrants Kentucky Derby qualifying points with convincing G1 Champagne win

by Brian Bohl

Sackatoga Stable’s Tiz the Law emerged onto the scene with an impressive debut score in August at Saratoga. The New York-bred handled the step up in class and distance with near-equal dominance, rating off the early speed and surging in the stretch to draw away a four-length winner over Green Light Go in the Grade 1, $500,000 Champagne for 2-year-olds on Saturday at Belmont Park.

The 148th running of the Champagne concluded five stakes on Saturday’s card and was the second of two Grade 1s following Arklow’s half-length win over Channel Maker in the $500,000 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic one race prior.

Tiz the Law, a $110,000 purchase at the 2018 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale, earned an all-fees paid trip to the Grade 1, $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile on November 1 at Santa Anita. The Constitution colt also garnered 10 qualifying points for the 2020 Kentucky Derby in NYRA’s first prep series event of the year for the “Run for the Roses” in May at Churchill Downs.

Out of the gate, 6-5 favorite Green Light Go was sent to the front under jockey Junior Alvarado, leading the six-horse field through opening fractions of 22.57 for the quarter-mile with the half in 46.15 on the fast main track.

Tiz the Law, under Manny Franco, stayed covered in fifth position on the backstretch of the one-turn mile, moving up to third around the turn. Entering the top of the stretch, Tiz the Law easily overtook Gozilla and Green Light Go from the outside and continued to press on to the wire, recording a final time of 1:35.41.

“He broke a little bit aggressive. He bobbled a bit and then he took a strong hold early but I got him to relax and he came back to me” Franco said. “I was just waiting for the moment. I didn't want to move too early because I knew I had a lot of horse under me. I was trying to wait as long as I could. He lugged in a bit, he's still a little green. I had a lot of horse at the end. He's a nice horse."

Barclay Tagg, who trained New York-bred Funny Cide to a fantastic 3-year-old campaign with wins in the 2003 Kentucky Derby and Preakness and a third-place effort in the Belmont Stakes, saw Tiz the Law become the first state-bred to capture the Champagne in 50 years. Silent Screen in 1969 was the last New York-bred to accomplish the feat. 

“It was just what I wanted to see,” Tagg said. “Out of the gate, he bobbled badly. He out broke himself. Manny did a great job with him. He got him all the way back and saved some ground.

“You're taking a chance to jump into a big race like this in just his second start,” he added. “We didn't do that to Funny Cide. He [Funny Cide] had it a little easier, but we were very pleased with him [Tiz the Law]."

Tiz the Law, a 4 ¼-length winner going 6 ½ furlongs on August 8 at the Spa, improved to 2-for-2 and banked $275,000 in victory. Bred by Twin Creeks Farm, he returned $4.80 on a $2 win bet. 

Both Tagg and co-owner Jack Knowlton said they would likely focus on the Kentucky Derby trail and are unlikely to run Tiz the Law in the Breeders’ Cup.

"I don't think so. It's a little bit close and it's a long way away,” Tagg said. “We can always go to California another year, but we can only go to the Kentucky Derby one year."

Knowlton said Tiz the Law will likely target the Grade 2, $250,000 Remsen on December 7 at Aqueduct Racetrack. 

"Highly, highly, highly unlikely for a lot of reasons,” he said about the Breeders’ Cup. “Shipping across the country with a young horse and going a mile and a sixteenth around two turns the first time against top competition. The Remsen is possible. Obviously we would like a mile and a sixteenth race, but we don't have one here. We'll talk about it. It certainly doesn't look like he has distance limitations, so we'll figure it out."

Stronach Stables’ Green Light Go, the field’s only previous graded stakes winner coming off a victory in the Grade 2 Saratoga Special on August 10, edged Big City Bob by a neck for second. The Jimmy Jerkens trainee earned four qualifying points to the Derby and Big City Bob was awarded two.

“Just second best. He was in a nice rhythm,” jockey Junior Alvarado said. “I thought he was very relaxed. Turning for home, I asked him for a run and he gave me his best. Just second best.”

Gozilla (one qualifying point], Alpha Sixty Six and Truculent completed the order of finish. Three Technique was scratched. 

Sunday at Belmont will feature three stakes that are all Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” events, with the Grade 3, $150,000 Futurity [Juvenile Turf Sprint] starting the action in Race 7; the Grade 1, $500,000 Flower Bowl [Filly and Mare Turf]; and the Grade 1, $400,000 Frizette [Juvenile Fillies] in Race 9. The 10-race card will also include a mandatory payout on the Empire 6, which carries a $725,823 jackpot into the sequence, which will start with Race 5 at 2:59 p.m. Eastern. First post is 12:45 p.m.