Tiz the Law poised to become third New York-bred winner of Saratoga’s Travers Stakes. Susie Raisher/NYRA Photo.
By Tom Law and Sean Clancy
Spectators won’t see fan favorite Tiz the Law make his run at history in Saturday’s 151st running of the Travers but that won’t stop the parties or the diminish the pressure.
“He’s a good horse, doing well and in very capable hands,” a horseman without an iron in the fire remarked Friday morning while a light rain fell during training hours at Saratoga Race Course. “But boy, he sure will have a lot of weight on his shoulders.”
Indeed.
Tiz the Law not only carries the hopes of his connections – owners Sackatoga Stable, trainer Barclay Tagg, jockey Manny Franco and his growing legion of fans in and around Saratoga and beyond in the $1 million Travers. He also carries the dreams of his breeder, Randy Gullatt and the team at Twin Creeks Farm who produced the colt mating the Tiznow mare Tizfiz to popular young sire Constitution; and New York state’s breeding industry at large.
Tiz the Law, already the winner of the Grade 1 Champagne at 2 and Grade 1 Belmont Stakes and Florida Derby at 3, will try to become the first New York-bred to win the Travers since Thunder Rumble in 1992 and just the third in the 151-year history of the Saratoga’s signature race.
“It’s a little daunting having an even-money favorite in the Travers but I’d rather be there than 15-1, he’s just got to go out there and do it,” said Jack Knowlton, who heads up the Sackatoga group that bought Tiz the Law for $110,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga New York-bred yearling sale in 2018. “All the signs are that he can and he will. He’s not been pushed this year, Manny hasn’t had to dig down and really ask for something that he hasn’t given him readily.
“I’d love to get through this race the same way, but I do think if Manny needs to get more out of him, I think it’s there, based on the way I see him train and the way I see him finish his races. Barclay’s got all the confidence, he was wanting the Belmont to be a mile and a half so a mile and a quarter I’m not too concerned about.”
Tiz the Law already made history winning the Belmont, joining Ruthless as New York-bred winners of the American classic. He’ll try to join Ruthless again winning the Travers; she did in 1867.
Tagg, who completed a personal Triple Crown winning the Belmont after training New York-bred and Eclipse Award champion Funny Cide to victories in the 2003 Kentucky Derby and Preakness, relishes the next opportunity.
“He’s done everything we’ve asked him to do. We’ve been very fortunate,” Tagg said Wednesday. “I don’t think any distance makes a difference for this horse. From what I’ve seen, I just don’t have any feeling that he can’t handle it. It would be nice to win it if we could.”
Tiz the Law meets a few old foes but mostly new shooters in the Travers. He won the Belmont by 3 3/4 lengths over Dr Post with Max Player another 1 1/2 lengths back in third. Max Player returns for another run at Tiz the Law for trainer Linda Rice and is the 6-1 co-third choice on the line with Grade 3 Peter Pan winner Country Grammer.
Shivaree, a homebred for Fred Brei and trainer Ralph Nicks at 30-1 on the line came within 4 1/4 lengths of Tiz the Law in the Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park March 26. He’s run twice since, finishing third in an optional claimer at Gulfstream and 11th in the Toyota Blue Grass at Keeneland.
The others in the field of eight for the Runhappy Travers are fresh faces, at least to Tiz the Law and his connections.
Bob Baffert ships the 2-for-2 Grade 3 Los Alamitos Derby winner Uncle Chuck from his summertime Del Mar base seeking his fourth win in the Travers. The son of Uncle Mo looks to join Point Given, Arrogate and West Coast as Baffert’s Travers winners, but the Hall of Fame trainer respects Tiz the Law and his team.
“I’ve been very impressed with him,” Baffert said. “They’ve managed them really well. They picked the right spots with him, they had one hiccup when they went to Churchill Downs and … he was in a tough spot the whole way around there. Since then they’ve kept them out of trouble and that’s the thing, you know, these riders … keep these good horses out of trouble.
“He’s progressed perfectly. And he’s definitely the best 3-year-old in the country right now. I’ll get an idea if I can run with him or not. It’s going to be going to be exciting. I’m hoping we’re as good as he is and that’s why we’re going over there.”
Country Grammer won the Peter Pan by a neck over Caracaro, who also returns in the Travers. Trained by Chad Brown for Paul Pompa Jr., Country Grammer is 2-for-5 and will be ridden by Saratoga’s leading rider Irad Ortiz Jr.
The others in the field are double-digit longshots – late July maiden winner First Line at 30-1, Shivaree, Caracaro at 10-1 and Ohio Derby runner-up and recent private purchase South Bend at 15-1.
The Travers goes as the 11th of 12 races Saturday at Saratoga with a post time of 6:15 p.m. The race will air on the FOX broadcast network as part of a 1 ½-hour broadcast from 5-6:30 p.m. Saturday.
