Tiz the Law: Shortest Priced Kentucky Derby Fave in Years?

Here are the KENTUCKY DERBY POINTS LEADERS heading to the September 5 classic:

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ROAD TO THE KENTUCKY DERBY (courtesy www.horse-races.net)

Points as of August 10 – Points are used if more than 20 horses are entered in Kentucky Derby.

Not all of the horses below are confirmed to go into the Derby.

Tiz the Law … 372 … $1,972,400
Authentic … 200 … $980,000 –
Art Collector … 150 … $476,461 – owned by Bruce Lunsford who races horses at Woodbine
Honor A. P. … 140 … $340,000
NY Traffic … 110 … $472,820
King Guillermo … 90 … $317,050
Thousand Words … 83 … $297,000
Dr Post … 80 … $331,035
Max Player … 60 … $337,500
Caracaro … 60 … $205,000
Country Grammer … 50 … $66,400
Enforceable … 43 … $314,550 – trained by Mark Casse
Swiss Skydiver … 40 … $626,820
Shivaree … 40 … $284,505
Major Fed … 38 … $179,100
Attachment Rate … 35 … $93,675
Anneau d’Or … 32 … $435,821 – owned by Vancouver’s Peter Redekop
Sole Volante … 30 … $243,510
Finnick the Fierce … 25 … $121,700
Pneumatic … 25 … $79,250
Dean Martini … 20 … $300,000
Field Pass … 20 … $289,960
Shared Sense … 20 … $174,550
Uncle Chuck … 20 … $90,000
Winning Impression … 20 … $53,000
South Bend … 18 … $291,902
Necker Island … 14 … $74,808
Jesus’ Team … 10 … $50,000
Rowdy Yates … 7 … $211,428

In a year when nothing resembles normal and the American Triple crowns are starting months later and out of order, one thing has remained steady – a win by the 3-year-old star TIZ THE LAW.

Sackatoga’s $110,000 yearling purchase heads to Churchill Downs as potentially one of the shortest-priced Kentucky Derby (G1) favorites in years after a resounding, hometown victory in Saturday’s $980,000 Travers Stakes (G1) at Saratoga.

Enjoying a three-wide stalking trip under Manny Franco as second choice Uncle Chuck carved out fractions of :23.65, :48.36, and 1:11.95, Tiz the Law eyeballed that rival around the far turn and soon led when meeting little resistance from that tiring rival.

Roused by Franco to open up in upper stretch, Tiz the Law did so convincingly and was ultimately geared down in the final sixteenth while still maintaining plenty of social distance between he and runner-up Caracaro. The winning margin was 5 1/2 lengths and the final time for 1 1/4 miles over a fast track was 2:00.95.

He posted a hefty 109 Beyer Speed Figure according to Daily Racing Form.

The last horse who went to post for the Derby at less than even money was ARAZI in 1992. In 1988 Easy Goer was 80 cents on the dollar. Before that it was the last horse to win the Derby at less than even-money; SPECTACULAR BID who was 60 cents on the dollar in 1979.

Owned by Sackatoga Stable, the partnership that also campaigned the 2003 Derby and Preakness (G1)-winning New York-bred Funny Cide, Tiz the Law paid $3 to win. Caracaro finished two lengths ahead of Max Player, with South Bend, Country Grammer, Uncle Chuck, and Shivaree completing the order of finish.

Tiz the Law earned an additional 100 Kentucky Derby qualifying points and now has a total of 372 for the Sept. 5 classic. Caracaro earned 40 boosting his total to 60, while Max Player also has 60 after earning 20 points here. South Bend earned 10 points, increasing his total to 18.

Trained by Barclay Tagg, Tiz the Law is now 4-for-4 this year and 6-for-7 lifetime. He preceded this victory with comfortable scores in the Holy Bull (G3) on Feb. 1, the Florida Derby (G1) on Mar. 28, and the Belmont S. (G1) on June 20. The latter, run as the first leg of the Triple Crown this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, was run at the reduced distance of 1 1/8 miles.

At two, Tiz the Law won at first asking in a New York-bred maiden at Saratoga and then romped in the Champagne (G1) at Belmont Park by four lengths. Bypassing the Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita, Tiz the Law instead completed his juvenile campaign in the Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) at Churchill Downs, but was a narrowly-beaten third in his one and only encounter to date with an off track. Tiz the Law has now earned $2,015,300.

Tiz the Law is by Constitution and out of Grade 2 winner Tizfiz, by Tiznow. He’s from the family of 1997 juvenile champion Favorite Trick.

BRUCE LUNSFORD’S ART COLLECTOR – One day after Tiz the Law cemented his Kentucky Derby credentials with a runaway victory in the Travers (G1), the up-and-coming Art Collector responded with a thoroughly dominant triumph of his own in the Ellis Park Derby.

Victory in the 1 1/8-mile race was hardly unexpected for Art Collector, who entered off a 3 1/2-length win in Keeneland’s Blue Grass (G2). A son of Bernardini out of the Distorted Humor mare Distorted Legacy, Art Collector entered the Ellis Park Derby with a perfect 3-for-3 record in 2020 and was favored at 2-5 to defeat 11 rivals.

But Art Collector seemed bored with the notion of winning the Ellis Park Derby in a well-measured manner. Instead, he elected to flaunt his dominance in a manner befitting an odds-on favorite. With jockey Brian Hernandez aboard for trainer Tommy Drury, the Bruce Lunsford homebred broke alertly and managed to secure the lead through testing splits of :23.33, :46.74, and 1:10.70.

Longshot Truculent and Ohio Derby (G3) winner Dean Martini endeavored to push Art Collector at various points in the journey, but they were clearly running short of steam on the far turn. Attachment Rate launched a more substantial bid at the top of the stretch, but Art Collector turned him back with ease, drawing clear under minimal urging from Hernandez to romp home by 3 1/4 lengths.

“Our horse broke sharp and I put him in the race. He was going quick enough but at some point I knew I’d be able to give him a breather,” said Hernandez. “He was able to take a breather going into the second turn. And once he did that, I was pretty confident in him. From the stretch home he was in himself and cruising along. He seemed to enjoy himself.”

Art Collector crossed the finish line in a snappy 1:48.02, just 0.42 off the track record set in 1988, and he certainly could have won by more if asked. Attachment Rate stayed on strongly to gain the runner-up spot, 5 1/4 lengths clear of Necker Island, but he never seriously challenged the winner.

Rowdy Yates finished fourth, holding off a belated late rally from Indiana Derby (G3) winner Shared Sense to complete the superfecta. Dean Martini, Winning Impression, Anneau d’Or, Sprawl, Trident Hit, Little Menace, and Truculent trailed the field.

“This is huge. We’re going into the Derby now with a legitimate horse,” continued Hernandez. “Like we said after the Blue Grass, he’s proven he’s getting better and better with each race. He showed it again today. He put everyone away. He did it all on his own and ran away from there.”

“It’s a big day for us,” agreed Drury. “We got what we were looking for. We wanted to get enough out of this without overdoing it. Brian even mentioned coming to the eighth pole that he was going a little too easy, so he let the reins out a notch just to let him finish on up. He was going away from the end of it and that’s kind of been him every race this year. That’s all you can ask of one. Every time we throw something at him, he answers the question and handles it with flying colors.”

In addition to the winner’s share of the $200,000 purse, Art Collector collected 50 qualification points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, giving him 150 points total to rank third on the leaderboard.

Owner Bruce Lunsford, who races much of his stable at Woodbine with trainer Barbara Minshall, raced the dam of Art Collector, Distorted Legacy, who raced at Woodbine a few times for Minshall.