Breeders' Cup Classic

Sackatoga Stable's top sophomore Tiz the Law (Constitution) breezed a speedy, best-of-six five furlongs in :57.87 at Belmont Park Friday morning under regular breeze rider Heather Smullen. "I didn't want to see him go that fast, but he came out of the work well," trainer Barclay Tagg said. "He scoped well and everything is going good with him." Upset when second in the GI Kentucky Derby Sept. 5, the four-time Grade I winner is skipping Saturday's GI Preakness S. and training up to the GI Breeders' Cup Classic at Keeneland...

The lesser-fancied of the Bob Baffert-trained duo, 'TDN Rising Star' Improbable (City Zip) was uncustomarily taken well off a fast early pace, began to hit his best stride while wide on the second turn, inhaled the leading group in upper stretch and rolled home to defeat odds-on Maximum Security (New Year's Day) by 4 1/2 lengths in the GI Awesome Again S. at Santa Anita. Though he hadn't been more than two lengths off the early pace in any of his last four races, Improbable was taken back to last...

Sackatoga Stables' Tiz the Law (Constitution) returned to the worktab for the first time since finishing second to Authentic (Into Mischief) as the favorite in the Sept. 5 GI Kentucky Derby, breezing a half-mile in an easy :50.07 with regular exercise rider Heather Smullen in the irons. "It was a nice, easy work," trainer Barclay Tagg said. "I wasn't looking for much. I just wanted him to go out there and stretch his legs. He hadn't done anything in three weeks." Prior to his hard-trying runner-up effort in the Derby,...

Twice in its last seven runnings, the GI Awesome Again S. has produced the winner of the GI Breeders' Cup Classic, with Mucho Macho Man (Macho Uno) and Accelerate (Lookin At Lucky) completing the double in 2013 and 2018, respectively. Just a field of five faces the starter this weekend for the nine-furlong test--a 'Win and You're In' qualifier for the Classic--but the two marquee horses have legitimate claims at Keeneland in six weeks' time. Maximum Security (New Year's Day), whose topsy-turvy championship sophomore season saw him miss a start...

All eyes will be on Santa Anita for their opening weekend feature in the GI Awesome Again S. as Bob Baffert trainees Maximum Security (New Year's Day) and Improbable (City Zip) go head to head for the first time since that consequential first Saturday in May last year. The $300,000 Breeders' Cup "Win and You're In" contest could mark the emergence of an unusual stablemate rivalry. Over two decades ago, the race's namesake was part of a different rivalry-- one for 1998 Horse of the Year. Awesome Again had gone...

The Breeders' Cup announced post times Thursday for the two-day Breeders' Cup World Championships, consisting of 14 Championship races and eight undercard races with total purses and awards of more than $31 million, which will be held Nov. 6-7 at Keeneland. The official race order and wagering menu for both days of the Championships will be announced Wednesday, Oct. 28. The 37th Breeders' Cup, which will be held in Eastern Standard Time, begins Friday, Nov. 6 with Future Stars Friday, featuring all five Breeders' Cup World Championships races for 2-year-olds....

Sackatoga Stable's Tiz the Law (Constitution), runner-up in the GI Kentucky Derby, will bypass a run in the Oct. 3 GI Preakness S. and instead train up to the Nov. 7 GI Longines Breeders' Cup Classic, according to a statement from Sackatoga principal Jack Knowlton. "Tiz the Law [is] officially skipping [the] Preakness," Knowlton said on the Sackatoga Twitter account. "Disappointing that Tiz will not be able to run in the Preakness, [but] our primary interest is doing what's right for the horse and in this case he's not ready....

Stablemates Maximum Security (New Year's Day) and 'TDN Rising Star' Improbable (City Zip) will face one another in Saturday's GI Awesome Again S. at Santa Anita, trainer Bob Baffert has confirmed. Baffert had earlier discussed shipping Maximum Security to New York for the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup, but instead will race him this weekend in his own backyard. Via text, Baffert said he thought the race was a good fit for both horses because he likes the spacing and the fact that no one has to ship. The Jockey...

Sackatoga Stable's four-time Grade I winner and recent GI Kentucky Derby runner-up Tiz the Law (Constitution) has returned to trainer Barclay Tagg's Belmont home base as his connections consider a start in the Oct. 3 GI Preakness S. "He'll be doing his regular gallops and as long as everything continues along well, then we'll have a work next weekend to assess where we are," said Sackatoga Operating Manager Jack Knowlton. "We want to make sure he comes out of the race well and acts like he did after the [Aug....

Officials at Breeders' Cup Limited and The Stronach Group have announced that the Oct. 3 GI Preakness S., the final leg of this year's reconstituted Triple Crown, has been added to the Breeders' Cup Challenge series and will offer the winner an all-expenses-paid berth in the starting gate for the GI Longines Breeders' Cup Classic at Keeneland Nov. 7. It will mark the first time that a Triple Crown races is part of the series. Owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, the traditional first leg of the Triple Crown was postponed...

'TDN Rising Star' Improbable (City Zip) scored back-to-back Grade I victories and provided his conditioner Bob Baffert with his second straight renewal of Saratoga's prestigious GI Whitney S. Saturday with a dominant score in this 'Win and You're In' event for the GI Breeders' Cup Classic. Heavily Favored Tom's d'Etat (Smart Strike) missed the break and was relegated to last early as native New Yorker Mr Buff (Friend or Foe) took command, loping through early splits of :25.12 and :49.74 with 3-1 shot Improbable keeping close tabs from second. Improbable...

The post position draw for Saturday's GI Haskell S. will be streamed via Facebook Live on Monmouth Park's Facebook page. The draw, which will take place in the Breeders' Cup Garden on the Clubhouse side of the racetrack, will be held Wednesday at noon. The $1-million Haskell offers points towards the Sept. 5 GI Kentucky Derby and is also a "Win and You're In"race for the GI Breeders' Cup Classic. BetMakers, in partnership with Monmouth Park, is offering a $1-million bonus to the connections of any horse that wins the...