“We haven’t gotten to the bottom of him yet” — why Tiz the Law should top your ticket for Saturday’s Belmont Stakes
Bob Coglianese Photos, Inc. | Courtesy @SackatogaStable (Twitter)
“The wheels on the bus go ‘round and ‘round…”
That nursery rhyme’s familiar refrain might very well be the rally cry for Sackatoga Stable, owners of the 2003 Triple Crown contender—the “gutsy gelding” Funny Cide—who couldn’t deliver better than third in that year’s sloppy Belmont Stakes, after sporting blanket bouquets following the American Classics’ first two legs.
But this year, thanks to a global pandemic which has shuffled the order of the Triple Crown series, Belmont Park offers a chance for Sackatoga’s latest contender to atone for Funny Cide’s near-miss 17 years ago.
Jack Knowlton is Sackatoga Stable’s Operating Manager and he was kind to join me by telephone on the eve of Tiz the Law’s attempt to restore order in horse racing’s three-year-old division.
But before looking ahead, he first took me back to that memorable May in 2003., when Funny Cide wasn’t the only one turning heads for Sackatoga Stable.
“One of the things that has identified Sackatoga Stable ever since is the fact that the partners rode from the hotel in Louisville to the track in an old school bus,” he recalled. “The rest of the crowd (who) had horses that were in the race were riding in limousines and all kinds of other fabulous vehicles, but we opted to pay $1,300 to rent a school bus instead of $3,600 for a conventional bus.
“And that’s how we ended up with a school bus story.”
Asked if the school bus is in the plans for Sackatoga when the Derby is run on Labor Day Weekend, Knowlton promised it would be.
“When we get to Churchill, that is definitely going to be our mode of transportation.”
Before the road trip to River City, however, the New York-bred Tiz the Law enjoys a “home game” as he returns to Belmont Park for the first time since his graded stakes debut victory last October. It was following that race when the Sackatoga partners realized they owned a legitimate contender.
“I mean we felt when he broke his maiden (on debut) at Saratoga that he’d be able to do that in a New York bred race against first asking. But it was really when (Trainer) Barclay (Tagg) and I ended up making the decision to go into (the Grade 1) Champagne (Stakes). And the fact that he won that race and he won it pretty convincingly. That made believers of us.”
Now the colt is returning from his longest layoff between starts, by about three weeks. Still, coming off his previous long respite, he managed to emerge victorious in the Grade 3 Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream Park in early February. He then followed that up with his greatest score to date, a nearly five-length win in the Grade 1 Florida Derby on March 28.
The owners have carefully planned Tiz’s 3yo campaign, to be sure. But this extended layoff was still unforeseen.
I have written previously about how impressed I was with Tiz’s stakes debut in last year’s Champagne, considering he had to be checked on the backstretch and then deliver in a four-wide stretch drive with his head cocked toward the Belmont grandstand.
It seemed that kind of distraction may have also cost him the win in November’s Kentucky Jockey Club at Churchill, when he was set to drive from a narrow opening in the two-path after being bottled up all race.
He’s corrected that tendency in his two starts in Florida this year, and the steady improvement has been without the help of blinkers.
“I think it’s just we had an immature horse that’s running in a Grade 1 in his second start,” Knowlton explained. “As you know, Barclay is an old-school trainer and conservative. For him to agree to put Tiz in that Grade 1 race in his second start, he felt very strongly that he’s an exceptional horse.”
Knowlton further illustrated his progression.
“He came out of Saratoga—even though it was a New York-bred race—with the highest Beyer speed figure of any two-year-old race at Saratoga (last summer). Saying that, you pretty much knew you had a talented horse and it’s taken some time—and he still only has five races—but he’s figured out a lot and he’s a very intelligent horse. Hopefully we’re past some of those early (issues) and he’ll be able to get the kind of trip in the Belmont that he got in the Florida Derby.”
In Saturday’s 10-horse Belmont field, Tiz the Law will break from the eighth stall.
“Post position is great. Barclay wanted 5 to 7, but we’re very happy with 8.”
And although the typical 12 furlong route has been scrubbed for 9 furlongs (a mile and an eighth) this year, due to the COVID-related reorder, Tiz the Law already passed that test in his Florida Derby start.
So does any horse stand in his way?
But Knowlton has ample faith in his own trio, describing Barclay Tagg as a “great horseman” and his jockey, Manny Franco, as a “young star.”
And Franco, himself, has ample faith in his mount, according to Knowlton.
Tiz the Law has arguably not even run the perfect race yet. And perhaps that doesn’t matter.
It certainly doesn’t for Knowlton, who seems to just be enjoying the ride.
“We haven’t gotten to the bottom of him yet,” he admitted. “ If you look at his four wins, he’s done it on his own. The jockeys have never really asked him for much at all. He sees a target out there, they let him a little bit loose and he just flies right through.”
And for anyone who doesn’t believe in the son of Constitution, Knowlton carefully reminds them.
Sackatoga Stable has certainly cornered the market on patience. It’s been a long time since the 2003 Belmont Stakes with Funny Cide.
So are they amped up for Saturday’s edition?
“Have to be. It’s the first leg of the Triple Crown. And as I tell people, there’s a little less pressure this time than there was the last time we had a horse in the Belmont—with a Triple Crown on the line and a $5 million bonus from Visa.”
The wheels on the bus go ‘round and ‘round, indeed.