Tiz the Law Tops Full Field in Florida Derby

The Curlin Florida Derby (G1) has traditionally sparked anxiety among horsemen. As a 1 1/8-mile test at Gulfstream Park for 3-year-olds that has produced the winners of 59 Triple Crown races, the renowned stakes has ignited a score of dreams about the fabled spring series while also extinguishing the classic hopes of a substantially higher number of connections.

Yet when entries were drawn March 25 for the 69th edition of the $750,000 Florida Derby, there was a new brand of anxiety, one that had horsemen praying, crossing their fingers, rubbing a lucky horseshoe, doing whatever they could to help insure that the grade 1 event—and the rest of the races and stakes on the card—will be contested as scheduled March 28.

"We just have to get through this one and run well," said Jack Knowlton, the head of Sackatoga Stable which owns the New York-bred Tiz the Law, the 6-5 favorite among the 13 Florida Derby entrants, "and if he can accomplish that, we have the luxury of time, if you want to call it that."

In a world gripped by closings and shutdowns to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, predicting what will happen a month from now has become akin to landing the single ticket on a jackpot Pick Six. Simply getting to the starting gate Saturday is enough of a challenge. 

On March 24, a local Hallandale Beach official called on Gulfstream Park to stop racing, even though patrons are not allowed inside the track, but as of Wednesday afternoon there was no comment from Gulfstream Park about canceling dates.

What Gulfstream did announce Wednesday was a payout of its Rainbow Pick 6 pool Saturday, leading to speculation that racing may be shut down beginning with the March 29 card.

In the meantime, for the connections of the 12 starters and one also-eligible runner entered in the Florida Derby, the fervent hope is that their horse can race Saturday. After that, it's a waiting game in a racing world where the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) is now scheduled for Sept. 5 and the Arkansas Derby (G1) has been moved to May 2, racing's revered Saturday in May.

"As of now we'll go to the Florida Derby and then turn the page and go to the next chapter," said Patrick Biancone, trainer of Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) winner Ete Indien, who drew post 12 for the Florida Derby. "What that next chapter is, nobody knows."

There's far more certainty about the horse to beat in a race that will allocate a total of 170 qualifying points for the now far-off goal of the Kentucky Derby. 

A son of Constitution  (one of three starters in the race by the WinStar Farm stallion) out of the Tiznow  mare Tizfiz, Tiz the Law won the Champagne Stakes (G1) in his second start and then closed out his 2-year-old season with a third in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (G2) over a sloppy track.

He atoned for that lone blemish on his record by posting a three-length win over Ete Indien in the Feb. 1 Holy Bull Stakes (G3) at Gulfstream, a victory that was flattered by Ete Indien's eye-opening 8 1/2-length score in the Feb. 29 Fountain of Youth.

Bred by Twin Creeks Farm and purchased by Knowlton for $110,000 from the Sequel New York consignment at the 2018 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Preferred New York-Bred Yearling Sale, Tiz the Law will break from post 7 with jockey Manny Franco.

"That's a good post," said Barclay Tagg, who trains Tiz the Law for the Sackatoga group that has about 32 partners. "He's doing well and this is a race we have to run in because you don't know where you are going after this. It's still an important race."

The Florida Derby will award 100-40-20-10 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the top four finishers and Tiz the Law already has 22 points to his credit.

Of late, the racing gods have been unkind to Ete Indien at post position draws. Owned by Linda Shanahan, Sanford Bacon, Dream With Me Stable, Horse France America, D P Racing, and Patrick L. Biancone Racing, he landed post 11 in an original field of 12 in the Fountain of Youth and wound up with post 12 for his rematch with Tiz the Law. On a positive note, while outside posts are a handicap in two-turn races at Gulfstream Park due to a short run to the first turn, the son of Summer Front  handled matters quite well in the 1 1/16-mile Fountain of Youth, quickly sprinting to the front from post 10 in the field of 10 under Florent Geroux and never looking back.

"What can we do? It's happened to me twice to be on the outside. But what can we do? We have no choice but to run," Biancone said. "We have a good jockey and he has speed and is good out of the gate. He won from (post 10) last time and now we are a few more spots outside but we have 100 more yards to the first turn."

Much like he did before Ete Indien's last few races, Biancone gave the colt out of the Mizzen Mast  mare East India a :48 2/5 half-mile breeze Wednesday. The $269,640 purchase by Biancone from the Powerstown Stud consignment at the 2019 Arqana May 2-Year-Old Breeze Up Sale breezed in :48 three days before his Fountain of Youth win. 

"We do that to keep him fresh," Biancone said. "He was happy to do it and I was happy with the way he did it. When things work out well you keep doing the same thing. You don't want to invent too much."

While the Arkansas Derby looms an inviting target for most Florida Derby starters, Biancone said his likely starter in the race is Sole Volante, the Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby (G2) runner-up who was targeting the now rescheduled Wood Memorial Stakes Presented by Resorts World Casino (G2) at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Equine Thoroughbred Partners, Twin Creeks Racing Stables, and R K V Racing's Independence Hall enters the Florida Derby looking to get back on the winning track after finishing a troubled second in the Sam F. Davis Stakes (G3) at Tampa Bay Downs, the son of Constitution's only loss in four career starts.

"Some circumstantial things went against him in the Sam Davis. He got beat that day on the square, but if you consider the trouble that he had in that race, between (losing) the tongue tie and losing his right front shoe, the race shape and setup playing against him, I thought it was a really strong effort," Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners' president and founder Aron Wellman said. "He's never run a bad race and since that time we've really put a circle around the Florida Derby and he's trained exceptionally well. We've got no reason to expect him not to show up and run his 'A' race come Saturday."

Joel Rosario will ride Independence Hall from post 9.

For Team Valor International and WinStar Farm's Gouverneur Morris, the pressure attached to the Florida Derby has been dialed down a bit. With only four qualifying points, the Constitution colt would have needed a top-two finish to secure a spot in the Kentucky Derby field, but now there will be other chances to pick up points before the first Saturday in September rolls around.

"We're not looking at it as points for the Kentucky Derby. It's a major graded race," Team Valor founder and CEO Barry Irwin said. "If you win it, it gives you instant credentials as a stallion. It's a feather in the horse's cap. If he wins, that's great. If he runs third and puts in a big effort and shows some improvement we'll be happy."

Trained by Todd Pletcher, a five-time winner of the Florida Derby, Gouverneur Morris has two wins and a second in the Claiborne Breeders' Futurity (G1) in three career starts. He'll be ridden by five-time Florida Derby winner John Velazquez and has post 5.

Shadwell Stables' Ajaaweed was supposed to run in the 1 3/16-mile Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby (G2) last weekend, but travel restrictions kept the late-running son of Curlin  in Florida for Saturday's shorter test.

"He's doing good. The farther he goes the better he is, but with the travel restrictions we decided to skip the Louisiana Derby and stay in Florida," said Rick Nichols, vice president and general manager of Shadwell Farm. "I don't know if he can win the Kentucky Derby, but he'll handle the mile-and-a-quarter. It's a speed-favoring course at Gulfstream but we have to play the cards we're dealt. What we are going to do between now and September is a matter of we'll wait and see."

Ajaaweed, who was third in the Sam F. Davis, figures to be the last starter for trainer Kiaran McLaughlin, who will become the jockey agent for Luis Saez next week. He will move to Pletcher's barn after the race.

The field also includes Candy Tycoon and As Seen On Tv, who were second and third, respectively, in the Fountain of Youth.

The Florida Derby will be the final race on 14-race card that begins at 11:30 a.m. ET and features 10 stakes. Post time is tentatively scheduled for 6:36 p.m.

Entries: Curlin Florida Derby (G1)

Gulfstream Park, Saturday, March 28, 2020, Race 14

• Grade I
• 1 1/8m
• Dirt
• $750,000
• 3 yo
• 6:36 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	As Seen On Tv (FL)	Paco Lopez	122	Kelly J. Breen	-
2	Shivaree (FL)	Emisael Jaramillo	122	Ralph E. Nicks	-
3	Disc Jockey (KY)	Tyler Gaffalione	122	Saffie A. Joseph, Jr.	-
4	Soros (KY)	Edgar S. Prado	122	Gustavo Delgado	-
5	Gouverneur Morris (KY)	John R. Velazquez	122	Todd A. Pletcher	-
6	Ajaaweed (KY)	Luis Saez	122	Kiaran P. McLaughlin	-
7	Tiz the Law (NY)	Manuel Franco	122	Barclay Tagg	-
8	My First Grammy (KY)	Hector Isaac Berrios	122	Amador Merei Sanchez	-
9	Independence Hall (KY)	Joel Rosario	122	Michael J. Trombetta	-
10	Candy Tycoon (KY)	Javier Castellano	122	Todd A. Pletcher	-
11	Sassy But Smart (FL)	Joe Bravo	122	Kendall Condie	-
12	Ete Indien (KY)	Florent Geroux	122	Patrick L. Biancone	-
13	Rogue Element (KY)	Miguel Angel Vasquez	122	Dale L. Romans	-