Tiz the Law Much the Best in Champagne Stakes
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Photo: Coglianese Photos
Tiz the Law wins the Champagne Stakes at Belmont Park
Jack Knowlton says he isn't quite ready to bring the school bus out of the garage, though a fleet of stretch limos would have come in handy on a fall day when memories of the dual spring classic winner Funny Cide were rekindled at Belmont Park.
Sixteen years after managing partner Knowlton and his numerous Sackatoga Stable partners and trainer Barclay Tagg won the first two legs of the 2003 Triple Crown with the New York-bred Funny Cide, only to fall short of a sweep in the Belmont Stakes (G1), the stable's colors were on full display Oct. 5 in the Belmont winner's circle after a major grade 1 stakes. This time it was their new state-bred star who scripted a new memory for the stable, as Tiz the Law pulled away to a four-length victory over favored Green Light Go in the Champagne Stakes (G1) for 2-year-olds.
"It's sweet revenge getting the grade 1 here," Knowlton said.
Knowlton said he has about 30 partners in Tiz the Law, a son of first-year sire Constitution , and there was a fan club of about 50 on hand for the victory, but only he and longtime friend Lew Titterton remain from the Funny Cide group.
The new partnership also hopes to make the spring classics with another Tagg runner, but they most likely will not be following the traditional path for a Champagne winner. Though the decisive victory earned Tiz the Law a free spot in the $2 million TVG Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) Nov. 1 at Santa Anita Park, Knowlton and Tagg said traveling to California for the World Championships with a horse who has only started twice was "highly unlikely."
Actually, Knowlton said it was "highly, highly, highly unlikely that we would go."
Tagg also downplayed the Breeders' Cup in favoring of focusing on either the $150,000 Nashua Stakes (G3) Nov. 3 at a one-turn mile or the $250,000 Remsen Stakes (G2) Dec. 7 at 1 1/8 miles in Tiz the Law's third and final start at 2. Both of those stakes are at Aqueduct Racetrack.
"It's very, very doubtful," he said about the Breeders' Cup. "It's a little close (four weeks away), and I think it will be pushing him."
Knowlton was much happier to collect 10 points via the Road to the Kentucky Derby series, which awarded 10-4-2-1 to the top four finishers in the Champagne.
"It's a long way to Louisville, but 10 points today is a good start," he said.
Running in the one-mile Champagne seemed ambitious as the colt out of the Tiznow mare Tizfiz had only started in a 6 1/2-furlong state-bred maiden race Aug. 8 at Saratoga Race Course, winning by 4 1/4 lengths. Though a state-bred stakes was an option, Tiz the Law's Beyer Speed Figure of 90 put the Champagne in play.
"They're all 2-year-olds, and only a few have had more than one or two starts," said Tagg after landing his first grade 1 win since 2010, when Jersey Town captured the Hill 'n' Dale Cigar Mile (G1). "It wasn't the most cautious thing, but I thought he was good enough to handle it. If he wasn't, he would show us, and if he was, he'd show us."
Or, as Knowlton put it, "His numbers showed he belongs. Other (2-year-olds) who have run a 90 Beyer have won the big race in California (Breeders' Cup) and the big race in Kentucky (Kentucky Derby). So why not us? No one who was going to be here ran as fast as us at Saratoga, and he never got asked in that race. He got a great education at Saratoga, and it gave us a lot of confidence that he's a horse who can handle just about anything."
The 148th Champagne unfolded with Stronach Stables' Green Light Go, the 6-5 favorite, and Zayat Stables and Gary Barber's Gozilla dueling for the lead through splits of :22.57 and :46.15. Jockey Manny Franco had Tiz the Law fifth in the field of six at that point. Leaving the quarter pole, Tiz the Law cruised into contention and opened a length lead at the eighth pole that only grew in the final furlong.
"It's unimaginable that we have a horse who wins a New York-bred race and then a grade 1 at Belmont," said Knowlton after the stable's first grade 1 win since Funny Cide prevailed in the 2004 Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) at Belmont Park. "We're excited, but we'll try to stay grounded."
The 7-5 second choice ($4.80) covered the mile in 1:35.41.
"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," Franco said.
Bred by Twin Creeks Farm, the Constitution colt went to Knowlton for $110,000 from the Sequel New York consignment at the 2018 Fasig-Tipton New York-Bred Yearlings Sale. He is the first stakes winner for Tizfiz from four foals to race.
Green Light Go, a Hard Spun homebred, showed some determination in battling along the rail to take second by a neck over Colts Neck Stables' Big City Bob. Gozilla was a half-length back in fourth.
As for the winner, Tagg said there are not many similarities between him and Funny Cide from a physical standpoint.
"They're both fast," he said, "but they are completely different. He's chunkier-built, and Funny Cide was tall and lean."
One other major difference between the two Sackatoga stars will definitely remain that way. Funny Cide was a gelding, and let's just say Tiz the Law isn't.
"Funny Cide was gelded before he arrived at my barn. It hasn't happened yet with Tiz the Law," he said with a chuckle.