Big-figure debut win gives Tagg options with Tiz the Law

As impressive as Green Light Go was winning the Grade 2 Saratoga Special and the two Steve Asmussen maiden breakers were earlier on Saturday’s card, the most noteworthy juvenile performance of the week, at least from a Beyer Speed Figure standpoint, was turned in by a New York-bred, Sakatoga Stable’s Tiz the Law.

Tiz the Law, a son of Constitution, earned a 90 Beyer Figure for his 4 1/4-length maiden win when debuting against statebreds going 6 1/2 furlongs on Wednesday. The number was not only tops for the week but to this point the highest posted by any 2-year-old in New York in 2019 – and that figure could have even been higher had jockey Junior Alvarado not geared Tiz the Law down through the final sixteenth of a mile.

Tagg said he wasn’t totally surprised Tiz the Law was good enough to graduate at first asking, but he was a little stunned at the ease with which he won right off the bench.

“We were pretty keen on him,” said Tagg. “What was so surprising was that it looked like he was just cantering the whole way around. When they turned for home, it seemed like he was a little befuddled for a moment there behind the two leaders. And then he just galloped away from them while looking like he was in a hack canter. That was a very nice surprise.”

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Tagg said he believes Tiz the Law should improve off his first start and that added ground will not be an issue.

“He gives the appearance he’d be limited in distance because he’s built kind of stocky,” said Tagg. “But watching him train in the morning, looking at the stride on him, we never felt that way.

Tagg said he has nothing definite in mind for Tiz the Law at the moment with his two primary options to either try open company in the Grade 1 Hopeful on Sept. 2 or to keep him with New York-breds for the immediate future. Coincidentally, the next stakes for 2-year-old statebreds on the schedule is the $200,000 Funny Cide, which comes up just a bit too quick on Aug. 23. Tagg won the Kentucky Derby for Sackatoga Stable with Funny Cide in 2003.