Tiz the Law Breezes Bullet in Penultimate Derby Work

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Tiz the Law Breezes Bullet in Penultimate Derby Work
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Photo: Skip Dickstein
Tiz the Law breezes under Heather Smullen Aug. 23 at Saratoga Race Course

Tiz the Law was the first horse on the Saratoga Race Course main track Aug. 23, and the expected favorite for the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) breezed a bullet five furlongs in :59.47 in preparation for the Sept. 5 classic.

Sackatoga Stable's 3-year-old colt went out at 5:30 a.m. under exercise rider Heather Smullen. He reached three furlongs in :35 3/5 on the fast-rated track, galloped out six furlongs in 1:12 4/5, and was up in 1:26 for seven furlongs. The work was pushed back a day after a downpour the previous morning that drastically changed the track conditions.

Trainer Barclay Tagg said the workout for the Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G1) and Runhappy Travers Stakes (G1) winner was "perfect."

"It went fast enough, but not too fast," Tagg said. "It was a little quicker than usual, but it wasn't too quick for him. He's a pretty fast horse. I told Heather I wanted a good work in him. I didn't want to set any records out there. I wanted her to keep a good snug hold on him. I wanted a good work."

Sunday's breeze was the first work for Tiz the Law since winning the Aug. 8 Travers by 5 1/2 lengths. With two weeks before the Kentucky Derby, Tagg said this workout was important.

"This is an important workout. In one way, I don't have any way to make up for it," Tagg said. "It's the first thing he has done in the last two or three weeks. That's why I needed a good work today. If he goes a little too slow going on top of the race, I wouldn't want that, but I don't want it too fast either. It's going to have to be almost perfect. If it's just like today, that would be fine. I can only work him two times before this race. To me, this work was more important."

Smullen said the Constitution  colt performed in a professional manner while working on a dark Saratoga main track.

"It was a little dark, and he wasn't quite as focused going down the backside," she said. "He was playing around. At the three-eighths pole, I took my stick out. He stayed nice and straight. I never had to ask him. At the eighth pole, he saw a horse. I didn't have to do anything. He finished up his work. Galloping out, he just kept going. He's good at what he does."

Watching near the clocker stand on the backstretch, Sackatoga Stable principal owner Jack Knowlton said he was also impressed with the workout and gallop out.

"Pretty amazing," Knowlton said. "If you watch him gallop out, he just wants more. He isn't even breathing hard, which is pretty amazing. They didn't expect that he was going to have a fast work. They wanted him to have a vigorous work and gallop out and get a lot out of the work. I think they got all of that and more. (Assistant trainer) Robin (Smullen) and Barclay said not to expect a real fast time because the plan was to be off the rail because the rail was pretty deep."

Thousand Words Works at Del Mar

Albaugh Family Stables and Spendthrift Farm's Thousand Words also worked Sunday ahead of a bid in the Kentucky Derby. The Pioneerof the Nile colt worked in company on the outside of stablemate Cezanne at Del Mar, clocking five furlongs in 1:00 on the fast main track for trainer Bob Baffert.

Sunday's work was the third for Thousand Words since winning the Shared Belief Stakes over Honor A. P. Aug. 1. Cezanne, who won his first two career starts this summer, was fourth in the Shared Belief.