Oaklawn: Always in a Tiz back in New York

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Always in a Tiz, who had been at Oaklawn preparing for the Grade 2, $600,000 Rebel, did not enter Saturday’s race because he was not training to the satisfaction of his connections, said Anthony Bonomo Jr., general manager for the horse’s owners, MeB Racing Stables and Brooklyn Boyz Stables.

Bonomo said Always in a Tiz has been shipped to trainer Dominick Schettino’s stable at Belmont Park. The horse had made two starts this meet at Oaklawn, running third in the $150,000 Smarty Jones in January, then fifth in the Grade 3, $300,000 Southwest in February. He emerged from the Southwest with a lung infection, was treated, and returned to the local work tab, with his latest move a half-mile breeze in 48.60 seconds March 9.

“He wasn’t going as good as he usually does after the breeze,” Bonomo said Thursday. “We came to the decision to [pass] the Rebel. We’ll see where we go from here.

“If we see there’s nothing wrong, we may point to one of the races [in New York]. There’s the Wood in front of us. But we’ll take it one step at a time.”

The Grade 1, $1 million Wood Memorial is to be run April 6 at Aqueduct.

Always in a Tiz won his debut at Saratoga in September, then one start later was second to eventual Jerome and Gotham winner Vyjack in an overnight stakes at Aqueduct. Always in a Tiz is a son of Tiznow.