Tiz the Law to Stand at Ashford Stud Upon Retirement

Ashford Stud snapped up its third out of the past six Belmont Stakes (G1) winners for stud duty, announcing June 25 it had acquired the breeding rights to Tiz the Law. The son of leading second-crop sire Constitution  will continue to run for owner Sackatoga Stable for the remainder of his racing career.

"Tiz the Law is the outstanding colt of his generation, so we are obviously delighted he'll be coming here," Coolmore America manager Dermot Ryan said. "From day one when he broke his maiden at Saratoga, we have been watching him closely, and he has everything one looks for in a stallion prospect. We are grateful to Jack Knowlton and his partners in Sackatoga Stable for letting us be a part of such an exciting horse, and also to (trainer) Barclay Tagg, Robin Smullen, and their team who have done a tremendous job with him. He's a grade 1-winning juvenile and is now a classic winner. Combined with his near perfect race record, he's very good-looking and is a very well-bred individual."

Constitution was second only to 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah , who also stands at Ashford alongside 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify , in the freshman sire standings last year and leads his sire class this year with more than $2.4 million in progeny earnings through June 25.

Bred in New York by Twin Creeks Farm, Tiz the Law is out of the grade 2-winning Tiznow  daughter Tizfiz, who won or placed 11 times out of 20 starts and captured the San Gorgonio Handicap (G2T) along with two other listed stakes during her racing career. Tizfiz hails from a deep family with 16 black-type performers under the mare's first three dams. Standouts from the immediate family include 1997 Horse of the Year and champion 2-year-old colt Favorite Trick, two-time grade 1 winner Moonshine Memories, grade 1-placed grade 3 winner Fury Kapcori , and grade 2 winner Favorite Tale.

"I was looking for mares that were more on the stocky side," said Randy Gullatt, who owns and operates Twin Creeks Farm with his longtime friend Steve Davison. "Really, we were trying to get a bunch of different types of mares to Constitution to figure out what it would take to get a good horse. It is a guessing game when you start off and trying to give the stallion as many opportunities as you can with quality mares. She had a lot of ability and a neat pedigree that looked like it worked well with his pedigree. (Tiz the Law) really is the best of both the sire and the mare."

Tiz the Law is inbred 5x5 to Seattle Slew and 5x5x5 to Mr. Prospector. His dam traces to Seattle Slew through Tiznow's dam, Cee's Song (her sire is the Seattle Slew son Seattle Song), and Constitution traces tail-male to Seattle Slew through A.P. Indy. One influence of Mr. Prospector comes through Tizfiz's second dam, Crafty and Evil, who is a daughter of Mr. Prospector's son Crafty Prospector. The two other lines of Mr. Prospector come through Preach, the dam of Pulpit, who is Constitution's grandsire, and through Distorted Humor, who is Constitution's broodmare sire.

Tiz the Law was a $110,000 purchase by Knowlton from Sequel New York's consignment to Fasig-Tipton's New York-Bred Yearlings Sale in 2018. He broke his maiden at first asking Aug. 8 at Saratoga Race Course and went on to race exclusively in graded stakes company, with a victory in the Oct. 5 Champagne Stakes (G1) at Belmont Park next out. His lone loss, a third in the Nov. 30 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs, was followed by a three-race win streak—the Feb. 1 Holy Bull Stakes (G3) and March 28 Curlin Florida Derby (G1) at Gulfstream Park and the June 20 Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets.

Sackatoga Stable plans for Tiz the Law to run in the Aug. 8 Runhappy Travers Stakes (G1) at Saratoga, the Sept. 5 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1), and the Oct. 3 Preakness Stakes (G1) en route to the Nov. 7 Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) at Keeneland.

"Tiz the Law is such a pleasure to be around. He impresses me every day with how easy he does everything; nothing is out of reach for him," Tagg said. "I have been training horses for such a long time, and I have never had a horse like him. He makes my life very easy. We are looking forward to running him in the Travers, then on to the Derby and Preakness. He has achieved so much already and is a very exciting horse for the future. I wouldn't change him for the world."

"Sackatoga Stable is pleased that Tiz the Law will stand at Coolmore America's Ashford Stud," said Knowlton, the operating manager of Sackatoga Stable. "It is an honor that he will become a part of the world's largest breeding operation of Thoroughbred racehorses. We are excited to see what Tiz the Law has in store on the track for the remainder of his 3-year-old year and beyond, and then look forward to his career as a stallion at Ashford."