Derby Favorite Tiz the Law Draws Post 17

Sackatoga Stable's Tiz the Law, with a classic win already under his belt and winner of the Aug. 8 Runhappy Travers Stakes (G1), drew post 17 for the Sept. 5 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1).

The Derby, delayed from May 2, saw 18 horses entered but because of COVID-19 will be run without fans.

Tiz the Law was made the 3-5 morning-line favorite. The last time the early choice was slated at 3-5 was 1989 with the entry of Easy Goer and Awe Inspiring.

There was a bit of drama in the post position selection as the favorite was the last name pulled by racing secretary Ben Huffman. The post position draw was held in the Aristides Room at Churchill Downs. Other top contenders drew outside, including Authentic (8-1 morning line) in the outside slot. Honor A. P., winner of the June 6 Runhappy Santa Anita Derby (G1), will be asked to start from post 16 and was pegged as the 5-1 second choice.

Regardless of whether the Run for the Roses is in May or September, there's often even more drama surrounding the draw and the run up to the race. Last year it was favorite Omaha Beach  scratching from the Derby the day after the draw. This year's buzz story is the scratch of Bruce Lunsford's homebred Art Collector the morning of the post position draw after the colt grabbed a quarter Aug. 31.

BLOODHORSE: Art Collector Out of Kentucky Derby With Foot Issue

The exit of Art Collector from the field left 18 3-year-olds for the 1 1/4-mile race. Scratch time is 9 a.m. ET Sept. 4 and the race, worth $3 million, has a post time of 7:02 p.m. NBC will provide coverage from 2:30-7:30 p.m.

With a new 20-stall starting gate in place for this year's Derby and only 18 starters, the slots one and 20 will be empty.

In the previous 145 runnings of the Derby no winner has come from post 17. However, that might become a moot point considering the new gate.

"I kind of look at it as not 17 with the new starting gate," said Jack Knowlton, managing partner of Sackatoga Stable. "It's probably more like 13, 14, 15 maybe. It's a new world that we are in with the starting gate. Obviously, when you had that gap you were a lot further outside. We had horses win from (post) 20. I don't think it matters much. I'm just a lot happier there than in the 1 or the 2."

"I like it being on the outside," Barclay Tagg, trainer of Tiz the Law, said of the position. "I didn't particularly want to be out that far but we have. He seems to handle everything that gets thrown at him. It gives you a chance if you have any speed at all. It gives you a chance."

As for post 17, Tagg said: "Things happen. There's a lot of horses that didn't win the Derby. Frankly, I'm not that worried about it."

New York-bred Tiz the Law was a clear winner of the Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G1) and earlier this year landed the Curlin Florida Derby (G1). It's the second run to the Derby for the Sackatoga team and Tagg, as they won the 2003 Run for the Roses, and the Preakness Stakes (G1) with New York-bred Funny Cide. Funny Cide broke from post 5 in his Derby.

The unlucky rail spot went to Arnaldo Monge's and trainer Rey Hernandez' Finnick the Fierce, a one-eyed son of Dialed In . Unplaced in the July 11 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (G2), he hangs his credentials on a third-place finish behind Nadal and King Guillermo in the second division of the May 2 Arkansas Derby (G1). He's 2-1-2 in nine starts.

"Looking back, the best races that he's been running have been from the 1 position … Especially with him going a mile and a quarter and that he comes from off the pace," Hernandez said. "I don't think it's any issue with the 1."

On Authentic at the opposite end of the starting gate co-owner Jack Wolf of Starlight Racing said: "It's pretty apparent the horse will go to the lead. (Jockey) Johnny (Velazquez) is suited to ride a horse like this. It appears that there is other speed in here, but hopefully he's fast enough to hold his speed for 1 1/4 miles."

Also drawing outside was Cash is King, LC Racing, John Fanelli, Paul Braverman, and Team Hanley's Ny Traffic, a fellow New York-bred. The son of Cross Traffic  was second in the Matt Winn Stakes (G3) May 23 at Churchill Downs and was second to Authentic by a nose in the TVG.com Haskell Stakes (G1).

"We didn't want to get too far inside," said trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. after landing post 15. "Chasing the speed would be a perfect scenario. (The Haskell) was encouraging and since that race he's been moving forwardly. So far so good."

A late entrant was South Bend, a son of Algorithms  owned by Gary Barber, Wachtel Stable, Peter Deutsch, and Pantofel Stable. Fourth in the Travers and second in the June 27 Ohio Derby (G3), South Bend is trained by Bill Mott, conditioner of last year's winner, Country House. South Bend was sixth behind Silver Prospector and Tiz the Law in last fall's Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (G2).

Entries: Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve (G1)

Churchill Downs, Saturday, September 05, 2020, Race 14

• Grade I
• 1 1/4m
• Dirt
• $3,000,000
• 3 yo
• 7:01 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Finnick the Fierce (KY)	Martin Garcia	126	Rey Hernandez	50/1
2	2Max Player (KY)	Ricardo Santana, Jr.	126	Steven M. Asmussen	30/1
3	3Enforceable (KY)	Adam Beschizza	126	Mark E. Casse	30/1
4	4Storm the Court (KY)	Julien R. Leparoux	126	Peter Eurton	50/1
5	5Major Fed (KY)	James Graham	126	Gregory D. Foley	50/1
6	6King Guillermo (KY)	Samy Camacho	126	Juan Carlos Avila	20/1
7	7Money Moves (KY)	Javier Castellano	126	Todd A. Pletcher	30/1
8	8South Bend (KY)	Tyler Gaffalione	126	William I. Mott	50/1
9	9Mr. Big News (KY)	Gabriel Saez	126	W. Bret Calhoun	50/1
10	10Thousand Words (FL)	Florent Geroux	126	Bob Baffert	15/1
11	11Necker Island (KY)	Miguel Mena	126	Chris A. Hartman	50/1
12	12Sole Volante (KY)	Luca Panici	126	Patrick L. Biancone	30/1
13	13Attachment Rate (VA)	Joseph Talamo	126	Dale L. Romans	50/1
14	14Winning Impression (KY)	Joseph Rocco, Jr.	126	Dallas Stewart	50/1
15	15Ny Traffic (NY)	Paco Lopez	126	Saffie A. Joseph, Jr.	20/1
16	16Honor A. P. (KY)	Mike E. Smith	126	John A. Shirreffs	5/1
17	17Tiz the Law (NY)	Manuel Franco	126	Barclay Tagg	3/5
18	18Authentic (KY)	John R. Velazquez	126	Bob Baffert	8/1