Slew's Tiznow's stature as sire soars after El Camino Real Derby

As far as showcase races go, the Grade 3 El Camino Real Derby last weekend at Golden Gate Fields was about as good as it gets for young sire Slew’s Tiznow.

Zakaroff, a gelding who entered the race while still eligible for an allowance for non-winners of two races lifetime, rallied to give Slew’s Tiznow his first stakes winner at odds of 48-1. About 4 1/2 minutes of deliberation later, the stewards promoted More Power to Him to second place following the disqualification of runner-up Ann Arbor Eddie.

Slew’s Tiznow thus became the first sire this year to fill out the exacta in a graded stakes.

While the inquiry sign was still blinking, the phone of Clay Murdock, general manager of Rancho San Miguel, was lighting up with texts inquiring about the sire who just picked up California’s hottest update.

“It was just an immediate response,” Murdock said. “One person had already booked one mare and texted me a short time after the race and said, ‘I’ve got two more.’ It generates a lot of excitement to have a couple 3-year-olds who look like they have a lot of ability right now.”

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Slew’s Tiznow, a 12-year-old son of Tiznow, stands at the San Miguel, Calif., farm for an advertised fee of $2,500. He is a Grade 1-placed stakes winner.

The two black-type earners had crossed paths prior to their meeting at Golden Gate Fields, having both grown up at Rancho San Miguel.

More Power to Him, who brought a pair of stakes placings into the El Camino Real, was born and raised at the farm, while Zakaroff arrived after being foaled in Kentucky and was prepped by the staff for the 2015 Barretts fall yearling sale, where he sold for $25,000.

Murdock said he expected runners by Slew’s Tiznow to improve as they matured and competed regularly around two turns. The El Camino Real result helped validate the promise the stallion had shown since his first foals hit the ground.

“He just throws a very good-looking foal,” Murdock said. “That’s helped him a lot, so now we just needed to get it on the racetrack. We’d seen some signs. We’d had these maiden special weight winners and allowance winners. We were just right there, but this just sends it to the next level.”

Both horses have raced exclusively at Golden Gate Fields, but Zakaroff and More Power to Him now have a license to test deeper waters outside of Northern California, although it is unlikely that either one will race on the Kentucky Derby trail.