Silver Prospector pulls upset in Kentucky Jockey Club; Tiz the Law third

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Steve Asmussen and Ricardo Santana Jr. enjoyed another big day together when Silver Prospector raced to victory in the Kentucky Jockey Club, capping a sweep of the two Grade 2 stakes that ended the Churchill Downs fall stakes schedule Saturday.

Their familiar success story, however, was perhaps overshadowed by the defeat of Tiz the Law, who had a golden opportunity to earn a divisional Eclipse Award if only he could win the KJC as the 3-5 favorite in a field of eight 2-year-old colts and geldings. Alas, the previously unbeaten colt failed to punch through an opening when the opportunity presented itself in the upper stretch.

“He didn’t kick at all,” said Manny Franco, who rode Tiz the Law for Sackatoga Stable and trainer Barclay Tagg.

With 200 yards to go in the 93rd running of the $300,000 KJC, Silver Prospector had rallied from fifth to take a short lead from the 84-1 front-runner New Eagle, with Tiz the Law poking through between them. Tiz the Law drew virtually even with Silver Prospector but came up empty while Finnick the Fierce, an 87-1 shot, came along with an outside surge to get second, three-quarters of a length behind Silver Prospector and a head before Tiz the Law.

Silver Prospector paid $17.80 after finishing 1 1/16 miles in 1:45.94.

Besides the $180,420 winner’s share, Silver Prospector also earned 10 qualifying points toward the 146th Kentucky Derby here next May. Owned by Ed and Susie Orr, the gray colt by Declaration of War won for the first time in four starts when he captured an Oct. 13 maiden sprint at Keeneland, after which he was third in the Street Sense on Oct. 27, opening day of the Churchill fall meet.

“It’s very special to have horses compete at the highest level on days like today,” said Asmussen, who an hour earlier had greeted Santana in the winner’s circle after Finite ($3.60) won the filly counterpart to the KJC, the Grade 2 Golden Rod, in 1:45.99. “This horse has learned how to relax and was able to do that very well today.”

It was the third win in the KJC for Asmussen, the Hall of Fame trainer who is second in all-time wins (nearly 8,700) behind only the late Dale Baird (9,445). His prior KJC winners were Private Vow (2005) and Tapiture (2013), the latter with Santana riding.

Run under the Churchill lights and over a sea of slop that resulted from day-long rain, the KJC unfolded with Tiz the Law stumbling slightly from post 3 and getting stuck in a somewhat uncomfortable position, boxed in along the rail from just a couple of lengths behind New Eagle. Franco never had a chance to extricate Tiz the Law, and after wrestling with an eager colt for much of the way, Tiz the Law hung in the final furlong.

“I know that going outside would’ve been more comfortable to him, but it is what it is,” said Franco. “They got me the whole way. I had to wait and never could get outside. He did handle the mud OK.

The defeat of Tiz the Law now leaves Storm the Court, the upset winner of the Nov. 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Santa Anita, as the apparent front-runner to be the top 2-year-old in Eclipse voting, which ends in early January.

After the top three, the order was Enforceable, New Eagle, South Bend, Fighting Seabee, and Two Last Words.

Silver Prospector will head with Asmussen’s main string to Fair Grounds in New Orleans to prepare for the major 3-year-old events of 2020, while Tiz the Law will be vanned straight from here to Tagg’s winter headquarters at Palm Meadows in Florida.

The $2 exacta (5-6) paid $737.60, the $1 trifecta (5-6-3) returned $1,507.10, and the 10-cent superfecta (5-6-3-1) was worth $645.54.

The KJC not only shared the Saturday spotlight with the Golden Rod, but a number of other maiden and allowance races that showcased other budding talent on a very busy Stars of Tomorrow card restricted to 2-year-olds.

Those highlights included the first two-win day for trainer Cherie DeVaux, with Veruca ($6.80) and Bayerness ($8.60); a one-two finish in a maiden race by first-time starters from the Bret Calhoun barn, Mailman Money ($51) and Digital; a tight one-two finish in a mile allowance by Necker Island ($13.80) and Silver State, both colts by Hard Spun; and back-to-back winners, Blackberry Wine ($12.60) and Art Collector ($9.20), for trainer Joe Sharp.

* Sunday calls an end to the 25-day fall meet with a 12-race card that starts at 1 p.m. Eastern. Mandatory disbursements will be made in all wagering pools, including the 20-cent Single 6 (races 7-12), which has a carryover of $61,122.

Turfway Park in northern Kentucky begins nearly four months of winter racing Wednesday evening.