Tiz a Slam Aims to Repeat in Nijinsky Stakes

In a sport of unknowns, one thing the connections of Tiz a Slam can count on July 28 is that the 5-year-old son of Tiznow  will be in a familiar place.

Tiz a Slam will attempt to win the $175,000 Nijinsky Stakes (G2T) Sunday at Woodbine for a second straight year. Last season, he delivered a gate-to-wire victory in the 1 1/2-mile turf test.

That distance on turf has been Tiz a Slam's specialty. He's started at that distance in six of his past eight starts dating to last year's Nijinsky. Trainer Roger Attfield has entered Tiz a Slam in Sunday's race off back-to-back graded stakes wins, both 1 1/2 miles on turf: the Louisville Stakes (G3T) May 18 at Churchill Downs and the Singspiel Stakes (G3T) June 22 at Woodbine.

Since the Singspiel, Tiz a Slam has worked three times for Attfield, including a July 21 breeze of five furlongs in :59 4/5 on the Woodbine turf.

"He's been running well all year, hasn't he?" Attfield said. "He's seems to be keeping up his form in his training and he looks awfully good. I'm very happy with the horse right now."

Jockey Steven Bahen, aboard for Tiz a Slam's most recent frontrunning victories, is back Sunday.

"It looked like there was no speed to contend with, and that's how he likes to do it," Bahen said after the Singspiel. "When he gets those easy fractions, he's very tough down the lane."

Rivals hoping for more of an early challenge for Tiz a Slam, who went :53.52 on good turf for the first half-mile of the Singspiel, will look to Woodbine newcomer Dark Templar, a 4-year-old son of Tapit  who in his turf debut June 16 at Monmouth Park scored a front-end victory in a 1 1/16-mile allowance optional claiming race.

The Singspiel runner-up and third-place finisher—Avie's Mesa, who chased from second throughout, and Sir Sahib, respectively—also are entered.

Entered off a graded stakes win is Souper Tapit, who won the Eclipse Stakes (G2) May 20 on the Woodbine synthetic surface. Trained by Mark Casse, the son of Tapit has not won in five turf starts.

The field also includes a veteran Woodbine runner making his 44th career start: Pumpkin Rumble, who will break from the rail. The 8-year-old English Channel  gelding enters off a third-place finish in the Dominion Day Stakes (G3), the first start of 2019 for the grade 3 winner.

One to watch Sunday is Bourbon Lane Stable's Bourbon Resolution, who in April delivered a decisive victory in the Ben Ali Stakes (G3) on the Keeneland main track. Trainer Ian Wilkes moved the 4-year-old New Year's Day colt to turf for the first time in the Wise Dan Stakes (G2T) June 15 at Churchill. Though Bourbon Resolution finished eighth, he did rally late.

Entries: Shady Well S.

Woodbine, Saturday, July 27, 2019, Race 8

• STK
• 5 1/2f
• All Weather Track
• $125,000
• 2 yo Fillies
• 4:49 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Owlette (ON)	Patrick Husbands	118	Wesley A. Ward	8/5
2	2Curlin's Voyage (ON)	Eurico Rosa Da Silva	116	Josie Carroll	3/1
3	3West Paw (ON)	Jerome Lermyte	118	Mark E. Casse	5/2
4	4Take Charge Eh (ON)	David Moran	118	Nicholas Gonzalez	8/1
5	5Wake Up Maggie (ON)	Justin Stein	118	Harold Ladouceur	10/1
6	6Avie's Samurai (ON)	Luis Contreras	116	Josie Carroll	6/1