Tiz a Slam Leads Every Step of Louisville Stakes
Image:
Description:
Photo: Coady Photography
Tiz a Slam (inside) wires the Louisville Stakes at Churchill Downs
Canadian invader Tiz a Slam led every step of the way in the 82nd running of the $100,000 Louisville Stakes (G3T) May 18 at Churchill Downs and turned back fierce challenges in deep stretch from Shahroze, Nessy, and Vettori Kin to win the 1 1/2-mile turf marathon by three-quarters of a length.
Ridden by Steven Bahen, Tiz a Slam dictated the pace from the outset and led the field of seven older horses through splits of :24.91, :50.81, 1:38.51, and 2:04.43 before stopping the timer in 2:27.48 over the firm going. Inside the final sixteenth of a mile, each of the top four finishers had an opportunity to win, but it was a determined Tiz a Slam who held sway in the final stages.
"It's been a great trip to Churchill Downs. We had everything go our way today, and he ran a really strong race," Bahen said. "We had a comfortable lead, and he kept going the entire time."
Hall of Famer Roger Attfield trained the winner for Robert and Mark Krembil's Chiefwood Stable. Attfield also won the 2012 race with Simmard, who holds the stakes record of 2:27.16.
Attfield's assistant Sue Lorimer was on hand for Tiz a Slam's victory.
"Roger looked at this race and thought it would be the perfect fit for him going 1 1/2 miles. It was the absolute perfect trip, and Steve was able to get a very comfortable lead," she said. "We're thrilled and so proud of Tiz a Slam. He's just so classy and proved it once again today."
The win was worth $60,760 and improved Tiz a Slam's career earnings to $802,519 with a record of 7-3-1 in 24 starts. It was his fourth graded stakes victory. He won a trio of stakes at his Woodbine home base: the Ontario Derby (G3) in 2017 and Dominion Day Stakes (G3) and Nijinsky Stakes (G2T) last year.
Tiz a Slam was fourth in his previous start, the April 20 Dixiana Elkhorn Stakes (G2T) at Keeneland.
Tiz a Slam returned $7, $3.60, and $3.20 as the 5-2 second betting choice. Shahroze, under Chris Landeros, paid $3.60 and $2.80 as the 2-1 favorite. Nessy, ridden by Julien Leparoux, was another head back in third and paid $3.40. Defending Louisville champ Vettori Kin was another neck back in fourth and was followed by Royal Artillery, Soglio, and Strike the Flag.
Tiz a Slam, a 5-year-old son of Tiznow out of the Grand Slam mare Flaming Rose, was bred in Ontario by his owners.