Tiz a Slam Dominates in Woodbine Nijinsky Stakes
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Photo: Michael Burns
Tiz a Slam wins the Nijinsky Stakes at Woodbine
Only 21 days after his second grade 3 score, Chiefswood Stable's Tiz a Slam proved a step up in class was warranted when he ran gate-to-wire to win the Nijinsky Stakes (G2T) at Woodbine.
From the moment the gates opened until the moment he crossed the finish line, Tiz a Slam never looked back.
Breaking from post 6 under jockey Steven Bahen, the 4-year-old son of Tiznow went to the front of the pack for the 1 1/2-mile test, setting moderate fractions of :25.85, :51.97, and 1:17.19 through the first six furlongs and leading the field through 10 furlongs in 2:05.83.
Holding a comfortable lead as they headed into the stretch, Tiz a Slam refused to yield to late challengers Johnny Bear and Mekhtaal, holding steady under a drive to win in 2:29.06.
Mekhtaal took second, with Johnny Bear a neck behind in third. Final Copy, Seeking Albert, Bangkok, Pumpkin Rumble, and Vettori Kin rounded out the order of finish.
"This is huge," said Chiefswood Stable owner Robert Krembil.
Sent off at odds of 10-1, the winner paid $22.70, $10.60, and $7.50.
As impressive as Sunday's win was, it came as no shock to his connections, who have watched the colt improve steadily with every start.
"He's a big horse. He's taken a long time to mature," said trainer Roger Attfield. "He's still maturing, he's learning. The last two races, he trained up to both of these races better than he's trained up to any race in his career so far, so it doesn't surprise me. We looked after him as well as we could as a 2-year-old, and he's just getting bigger and stronger, and maybe he just keeps getting better, also."
A versatile runner on both the grass and the all-weather track, Tiz a Slam entered the Nijinsky off another dominating, gate-to-wire romp in the July 1 Dominion Day Stakes (G3).
"This is what we're trying to do," Krembil said. "I have to give Roger and his team a lot of credit for the patience they showed in this guy. He's as strong now as he's ever been. He gets himself a little hot as you saw, but that doesn't seem to stop him."
Bred in Canada by his owners out of the Grand Slam mare Flaming Rose, Tiz a Slam is a half brother to stakes-placed Holy Flame. His win in the Nijinsky improved his record to 6-2-1 from 18 starts and his earnings to $655,990.