Francesca LeDonne Photo

Tiz the Law breezes five-eighths for Runhappy Travers (G1)

by NYRA Press Office

• Guarana on target for more G1 glory in $300K Ballerina
• Rookie Report: Handal excited about American Pharoah debuter
• Mr. Buff breezes in preparation for G1 Whitney

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.

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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Guarana on target for more G1 glory in $300K Ballerina

Following a gritty effort to win the Grade 1 Madison on July 11 at Keeneland, Three Chimneys Farm and Hill n Dale Equine Holdings' Guarana is scheduled to seek a fourth career Grade 1 triumph in the $300,000 Ballerina presented by NYRA Bets on August 8 at Saratoga.

The seven-furlong event over the main track for older fillies and mares is a Breeders' Cup "Win And You're In" event and provides an automatic entry towards the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint on November 6 at Keeneland.

"I think that's a logical target," said Doug Cauthen, Vice Chairman of Three Chimneys Farm. "Like with all of them, we let them guide us there but it's definitely on the radar. Hopefully, she can have a good summer and fall."

Trained by Chad Brown, Guarana boasts a consistent 6-5-1-0 with three of her victories taking place against Grade 1 competition. In her most recent effort, she commanded the pace early on and was confronted to the outside by Mia Mischief at the top of the stretch who appeared to be in winning contention at the three-sixteenths. Guarana refused to be denied and battled back along the rail to win by a half-length.

"I think she gained even more fans for her courage," said Cauthen. "It's hard to get passed up and then come back. She was definitely more than game that day. She's really a very special filly and special to everybody here because she's a homebred and she's just brilliant."

Following a sensational career debut last April at Keeneland, Guarana followed up by defeating Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks winner Serengeti Empress in the Grade 1 Acorn at Belmont Park en route to a two-turn score in the Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks at the Spa.

"She's multi-dimensional," Cauthen said. "She showed that talent last year winning one turn races and winning going two turns at Saratoga as well."

Guarana is out of the Distorted Humor broodmare Magical World whose dam was the 2005 Breeders' Cup Distaff winner Pleasant Home. Her fourth dam was Grade 1-winner Maplejinsky, who produced Hall of Famer and 1994 Champion Older Female Sky Beauty. 

"She's got a lot of the scope and the mare has plenty of scope and quality," Cauthen said. "She [Magical World] is a Distorted Humor mare that's bigger than most Distorted Humor mares. Just quality and class that runs through the line."

Fans of Guarana can look forward to seeing her Pioneerof the Nile half-brother debut later in the year. This year, her dam gave birth to a Gun Runner colt and is currently in foal to Quality Road.

"She has a Pioneerof the Nile 2-year-old with Chad that from all hopes is special, but he's got to go out there and prove it. I think he'll be a late summer, early fall horse if all goes well," Cauthen said.

***

Rookie Report: Handal debuts American Pharoah colt

A field of eight juveniles, plus two main track only entrants, has been assembled for a 5 ½-furlong maiden special weight over the Mellon turf course in Race 5 on Sunday at the Spa.

Trainer Ray Handal will debut a well-bred son of 2015 Triple Crown winner and Horse of the Year American Pharoah in American Gentleman.

Owned by Handal in partnership with Sol Kumin and Jason Monteleone's Madaket Stable, West Paces Racing and Cutair Racing, the chestnut 2-year-old is out of the Mineshaft broodmare Makison, who is a half-sister to Grade 1-winning millionaire Connect.

Bred in Florida by Stonehenge, American Gentleman was purchased for $240,000 from the Keeneland September Yearling Sale, where he was consigned by Summerfield.

"He always did things so easily and was breezing like a beast," Handal said. "His presence, demeanor and everything about him is telling me that he's ready."

Handal is relishing the opportunity to train a horse by a Triple Crown winner.

"It's really exciting. When we landed him at the sale, I was so pumped," Handal said. "He honestly makes a quarter of a million look like a bargain. He really jumped out at me. He's just physically got all the right points that I look for in a horse: a great hip, massive gaskin, and a nice hind end. He was a little on the short side and that may have kept his price to where we could get him. He had all of the right things and he had the pedigree to boot."

American Gentleman will break from post 3 under jockey Manny Franco.

Trainer Wesley Ward will saddle first-time starter Outadore and second-time starter River Tiber.

Owned by Breeze Easy, Outadore is by freshman stallion Outwork and is out of the Tactical Cat broodmare Adore You, who produced stakes-winner and graded stakes-placed Piedi Bianchi.

Bred in Kentucky by Dean Baer and Greg Baer DVM, Outadore was a $290,000 acquisition from the Paramount Sales consignment at last year's Keeneland Septmeber Yearling Sale.

Jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. will be aboard Outadore from post 2.

Mrs. John Magnier and Michael Tabor's River Tiber will attempt to make amends following a fourth-pkace finish on debut over the Wider turf at Belmont Park on June 12.

The bay son of champion producing stallion War Front is a full-brother to Hit It A Bomb, who won the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf in 2015 as well as Group 1 winner Brave Anna. All are out of the Sadler's Wells broodmare Liscanna.

River Tiber, bred in Kentucky by Mrs. Evelyn Stockwell, was purchased for $500,000 from Four Star Sales consignment barn at last year's Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano will be aboard from post 10.

***

Mr. Buff breezes in preparation for Whitney (G1)

Chester and Mary Broman's multiple stakes-winning millionaire Mr. Buff breezed five-eighths in 1:01.44 Saturday in company with Tobey L. Morton's 3-year-old maiden winner Famished on the Saratoga main track.

Trained by John Kimmel, Mr. Buff is targeting next Saturday's Grade 1, $750,000 Whitney, a nine-furlong test for 4-year-olds and up offering an automatic berth in the Breeders' Cup Classic.

Kimmel said Mr. Buff, who was guided through the breeze by regular pilot Junior Alvarado, worked well in his second breeze back following a fifth in the Grade 2 Suburban on July 4 at  Belmont.

"That's the first time I worked them together in company and it worked out great. They worked fine," said Kimmel. "They went off in :13 and I had them coming home in 1:01.2 and they went out in 1:14 and 1:28 and change.

"I'm going to throw out his last race. I don't think he ran his 'A' race because his foot had a little bruise in it," added Kimmel. "Junior said he switched his leads today as smooth as can be, so I'm sure he's past that problem and I'm looking forward to seeing him run the race he's capable of running in graded company."

The 6-year-old New York-bred son of Friend Or Foe has posted wins from seven furlongs up to a mile an eighth in a 38-race career that boasts eight stakes wins from an overall record of 14-7-4 and purse earnings of $1,084,536.

The sizable chestnut was in a good run of form over the winter at Aqueduct with scores in the Alex M. Robb, Jazil and Haynesfield before his training was interrupted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He returned off a four-month layoff to finish second to Funny Guy in the one-turn mile Commentator on June 12 at Belmont ahead of his effort in the 10-furlong Suburban.

A probable list of contenders for the Whitney includes By My Standards (Bret Calhoun), Code of Honor (Shug McGaughey), Owendale (Cox), and Tom's d'Etat (Al Stall, Jr.).

"There's going to be some speed in there," said Kimmel. "I think this horse, if he can get in a good rhythm, he doesn't have to be on the lead and can be happy tracking another horse."

Famished, by Uncle Mo and out of the Survivalist mare Ravenist, was purchased for $375,000 at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale. He graduated at second asking in a seven-furlong maiden last summer at Saratoga and has tried his luck mainly in graded races on dirt and turf at a mile or longer since, including a last-out fifth under Irad Ortiz, Jr. in the turf Grade 2 Pennine Ridge on June 20 at Belmont.

Bred in Ontario by Michael C. Byrne, Famished was targeting a path to the 10-furlong $1 million Queen's Plate set for September 12 on the Tapeta at Woodbine Racetrack, but Kimmel said he is considering sprinting the colt next out.

"I'm looking at a race for him here next weekend," said Kimmel. "I'm contemplating whether or not he wants to run that far. Irad thought if we ran him seven-eighths it would be better for him, so we'll try him here going seven-eighths and take it from there."