Tagg sending Tiz the Law back to New York to train for Belmont Stakes

Tiz the Law is ready to go home.

Trainer Barclay Tagg said Monday that in light of the recent announcement that racing will begin again at Belmont Park the first week of June, he is tentatively planning to ship Tiz the Law and the rest of his stable back to New York on June 1.

Tagg said the Belmont Stakes would likely be Tiz the Law’s next start, although there has been no official announcement regarding the date or the distance of the race from New York Racing Association officials. Tagg said he has been told that one scenario would have Belmont Park shorten the Belmont Stakes from 1 1/2 miles to 1 1/8 miles and run it June 20. The Kentucky Derby has been moved to Sept. 5 at Churchill Downs, and the Preakness will be run Oct. 3 at Pimlico.

“I didn’t have any answers last week about a lot of things,” Tagg said. “At least now we have some kind of time schedule.

“I really don’t like shortening it up like that because at a mile and one-eighth the race may no longer be considered a classic. I know I wouldn’t mind going a mile and one-half with him right now. My big plan, if it works out, would be to run him in the Belmont, Travers, and the Derby. But we still have to wait and see what happens.”

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Tiz the Law, who has been idle since his impressive victory in the Grade 1 Florida Derby on March 28 at Gulfstream, has worked on a regular basis at Palm Meadows over the past month, including an easy four furlongs in 50.20 seconds under regular exercise rider Heather Smullen on Monday morning.

“Just something to keep him going this morning, an easy half after which he was hard to pull up, as always,” Tagg said.

Tiz the Law galloped out five furlongs in 1:02.60 before easing up six furlongs in 1:15.80, according to track clocker Brian Walls.

“He just seems to do things so easily,” Tagg said. “Heather said he didn’t even take a deep breath after the work was over. I don’t think he’d care if I walked him up to the Belmont.”

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Tiz the Law wasn’t the only Kentucky Derby contender to work at Palm Meadows over the weekend. On Sunday, trainer Patrick Biancone sent out both Ete Indien and Sole Volante to work simultaneously over the turf. Ete Indien was credited with a half-mile in 47.00, Sole Volante in 47.60.

“It’s typical for Biancone to two-minute-lick his horses into their works,” said Walls, the clocker. “Both horses left the six-furlong pole with their riders letting them go too fast, at well better than a two-minute lick, right from the start. They both went six furlongs in about 1:13, but the official order from Patrick was for a half-mile work, so that’s the times they were credited with.”

Ete Indien has not started since finishing third behind Tiz the Law in the Florida Derby. Sole Volante has been idle since checking home a well-beaten second to King Guillermo as the 3-2 favorite in the Tampa Bay Derby on March 14. The works Sunday were just the second for each since their most recent start.

Casino Grande big winner

Three-year-olds were in the spotlight on the racetrack here Saturday, highlighted by Double Crown’s upset victory over the odds-on favorite Green Light Go in the 6 1/2-furlong Roar Stakes. An hour later, a promising group of six 3-year-olds led by Gotham runner-up Untitled met at a mile under first-level optional-claiming conditions, with the Calumet Farm homebred Casino Grande remaining undefeated with a convincing 3 1/4-length victory for trainer Christophe Clement.

Casino Grande, a son of Cairo Prince out of the stakes-placed mare Selective, had captured his only previous start in wire-to-wire fashion going seven furlongs two months earlier at Tampa Bay Downs. Extraordinary, an impressive maiden winner in his previous start, finished second, with Edge of Fire third and Untitled a tiring fifth as the even-money favorite.