Tizamagician Defends Title in Cougar II

MyRacehorse and Spendthrift Farm’s Tizamagician , a 2 1/4 length winner of the Cougar II Stakes (G3) last summer at Del Mar, will try to repeat in the 1 1/2-mile, $125,000 main-track stamina test July 24.

Tizamagician has been consistent throughout his career with five wins and nine seconds in 21 starts. Sunday's race will be the first start of the year for the 5-year-old son of Tiznow , who has been benched since a runner-up effort behind Lone Rock  in the 2021 Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance Stakes (G2) on Breeders' Cup Saturday at Del Mar.

The 8-5 morning-line favorite in the Cougar II, the Richard Mandella trainee will break from post 2 with Juan Hernandez up.

"He hasn't run in a long time," Mandella said. "He's had some long-winded works. He's a long-winded horse. I expect him to run a pretty good race."

When asked if he was concerned about coming back in a 1 1/2-mile race after the 8 1/2-month layoff, Mandella said, "I'm always concerned about something... but he acts like he's up to it."

Tizamagician has been working once a week since the Memorial Day weekend, going one mile July 6 and then again July 14, both at Santa Anita Park.

"He looks about like the horse we had last year," Mandella noted.

Last year Tizamagician used his Cougar II victory as a springboard for a try in the $1 million TVG Pacific Classic (G1), where he ran one of the best races of his career but had to settle for second behind winner Tripoli . Mandella indicated that a return to the Pacific Classic could be in the books for Tizamagician.

With a recent start behind him, the chief threat to the favorite appears to be Hronis Racing’s Heywoods Beach , fourth most recently in the May 30 Shoemaker Mile Stakes (G1T). Trained by John Sadler, the son of Speightstown   was third in last year's Cougar II.

Trainer John Sadler called the Shoemaker Mile a prep. The horse stalked the pace before weakening to finish fourth, 6 3/4 lengths behind Count Again . Now he shifts from turf to dirt, on which he is 1-0-2 in five starts.

"It's his second start off a layup, and he's a nice horse," Sadler said of Heywoods Beach.

Dicey Mo Chara  and Extra Hope  are other contenders. The former is an unknown on dirt, having raced exclusively on turf and synthetic, while the latter tries to stretch out after competing in shorter routes. Extra Hope may attempt to lead from start to finish on the stretch out.

Dean Martini and Order and Law round out of the field. 

Dean Martini has raced on turf in three California starts but has positive dirt experience from earlier in his career when racing in Kentucky and Louisiana.

Entries: Cougar II S. (G3)

Del Mar, Sunday, July 24, 2022, Race 8

• Grade III
• 1 1/2m
• Dirt
• $125,000
• 3 yo's & up
• 5:33 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Dicey Mo Chara (GB)	Drayden Van Dyke	121	Leonard Powell	4/1
2	2Tizamagician (KY)	Juan J. Hernandez	123	Richard E. Mandella	8/5
3	3Heywoods Beach (KY)	Ramon A. Vazquez	121	John W. Sadler	5/2
4	4Extra Hope (KY)	Tyler Baze	121	Richard E. Mandella	4/1
5	5Order and Law (KY)	Umberto Rispoli	121	Robert B. Hess, Jr.	12/1
6	6Dean Martini (KY)	Edwin A. Maldonado	121	Peter Eurton	8/1
7	7Win the Day (KY)	Diego A. Herrera	116	Doug F. O'Neill	20/1