In what was close to an exact replica of his debut score against New York-breds at Saratoga Aug. 8, Tiz the Law (Constitution) posted a head-turning romp in Saturday's GI Champagne S. at Belmont Park. Representing the same Sackatoga Stable and Barclay Tagg team as plucky dual Classic winner and fellow Empire-bred Funny Cide (Distorted Humor), the blaze-faced bay entered with a field's best last-out Beyer Speed Figure of 90 and was backed as the 7-5 second choice behind impressive GII Saratoga Special S. winner Green Light Go (Hard Spun). Falling forward at the start to break fastest, but not smoothest, Tiz the Law was gathered up to sit second last by Manny Franco, who was replacing Junior Alvarado, who had stuck with Green Light Go.
Saturday, Belmont Park
CHAMPAGNE S.-GI, $500,000, Belmont, 10-5, 2yo, 1m, 1:35.41, ft.
1–TIZ THE LAW, 122, c, 2, by Constitution&hid=5588">Constitution
1st Dam: Tizfiz (GSW, $410,944), by Tiznow
2nd Dam: Gin Running, by Go for Gin
3rd Dam: Crafty and Evil, by Crafty Prospector
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN, 1ST GRADE I
WIN. ($110,000 Ylg '18 SARAUG). O-Sackatoga Stable; B-Twin
Creeks Farm (NY); T-Barclay Tagg; J-Manuel Franco. $275,000.
Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $317,900. *First Grade I winner for
freshman sire (by Tapit). **1/2 to Awestruck (Tapit), MSP,
$351,116. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Werk Nick Rating: A.
2–Green Light Go, 122, c, 2, Hard Spun–Light Green, by
Pleasantly Perfect. O-Stronach Stables; B-Adena Springs (KY);
T-James A. Jerkens. $100,000.
3–Big City Bob, 122, c, 2, Shanghai Bobby–Southern Accents, by
Birdstone. ($72,000 RNA Ylg '18 KEESEP; $140,000 2yo '19
OBSAPR). O-Colts Neck Stables LLC; B-Buck Pond Farm, Inc.
(KY); T-Jorge Duarte, Jr. $60,000.
Margins: 4, NK, HF. Odds: 1.40, 1.25, 39.00.
Also Ran: Gozilla, Alpha Sixty Six, Truculent. Scratched: Three Technique. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
Tiz the Law was clearly eager to do more as Green Light Go posted opening splits of :22.57 and :46.17, and he tugged his way up into the pocket while loaded as they headed for home. Tipped out for clear sailing as Green Light Go fended off Gozilla (Flatter), Tiz the Law uncorked a powerful run when finally asked for his best and, despite a touch of greenness while taking over, cruised to the line the easiest of winners.
“He broke a little bit aggressive,” Franco said. “He bobbled a bit and then he took a strong hold early but I got him to relax and he came back to me. 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.”
Despite the Champagne carrying an automatic berth to next month's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile, the winning connections said it was unlikely that Tiz the Law would show up at Santa Anita.
“I don't think so,” trainer Barclay Tagg said. “It's a little bit close and it's a long way away. We can always go to California another year, but we can only go to the Kentucky Derby one year.
Sackatoga's Jack Knowlton was equally unenthused with the prospects of heading to California: “Highly, highly, highly unlikely for a lot of reasons. Shipping across the country with a young horse and going a mile and a sixteenth around two turns the first time against top competition.”
Knowlton, who mentioned the Dec. 7 GIII Remsen S. as a possible spot, also said of his stable's emerging star, “In his debut, he was never asked for anything. He was inside, he split horses, had dirt in his face and that told us a lot and it paid off today. I didn't think he would have any dirt on him today. I figured that Manny would be sitting outside and be able to do it, but he put him right in there and he responded just like he did at Saratoga.”
Pedigree Notes:
Second on the freshman sires list by earnings, Constitution is having the kind of year stallion managers dream of with three graded stakes winners in his first crop, the most among all first-year sires to date. Tiz the Law marked Constitution's first career Grade I winner and the young sire nearly made it two in the span of about 10 minutes when Gouverneur Morris finished second in the GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity. Although a New York-bred, Tiz the Law has roots in the WinStar stallion barn, as not only does Constitution stand at the Kentucky farm, but so does Tiz the Law's broodmare sire, Tiznow. Inbred 5×5 to both Seattle Slew and Mr. Prospector, Tiz the Law is out of the 2009 GII San Gorgonio H. winner Tizfiz, whose previous foals include four-time black-type-placed Awestruck (Tapit). Her last two foals were a yearling filly named Angel Oak and a weanling colt, both by Mission Impazible. A full-sister to 2014 GIII Precisionist S. winner and Grade I-placed Fury Kapcori, Tizfiz hails from the family of Horse of the Year Favorite Trick (Phone Trick).
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