In a sport in which margins of victory can be measured in fractions of a second, the plans for top stallion prospects can change in the blink of an eye. In the days following the Breeders’ Cup in early November, many of 2021’s incoming stallions – including the Breeders’ Cup Classic’s top three finishers, Authentic, Improbable, and Global Campaign, and champion Maximum Security – left their racetrack lives behind and shipped to their respective stud farm homes to begin to settle in to their new surroundings, learn their daily routines, and be inspected by prospective breeders who were inking contracts for top mares. Meanwhile, multiple Grade 1 winner Tiz the Law, whose future breeding rights were held by the Coolmore group, shipped to Palm Meadows in Florida to begin preparing for a 4-year-old campaign in 2021, starting with the Grade 1, $3 million Pegasus World Cup in late January at Gulfstream. :: DRF BREEDING LIVE: Real-time coverage of breeding and sales However, on Dec. 30 it was announced that Tiz the Law had been retired after bruising was discovered to the cannon bone in his right front leg. The son of Constitution arrived at Coolmore’s Ashford Stud in Kentucky days later. Compared to some other prominent stallions in his class, he had about six weeks, rather than some three months, to adjust before breeding sheds began opening across the country in the last week – and he’s not the only prominent runner playing catch-up this year. “As everyone knows, the plan was for Tiz the Law to have a 4-year-old campaign and retire to Ashford after that,” Ashford director of sales Charlie O’Connor said. “He looked set for a huge 2021, but, unfortunately, plans change, and whilst we were all disappointed we didn’t get to see him on track this year, we are very excited to have him at Ashford.” Settling into farm life, which is far more sedate than racetrack life, can be a major adjustment for some stallions. Newcomers also are test-bred, both to check their fertility and to teach them the mechanics of the breeding shed. Overly enthusiastic stallions, or, at the other end of the spectrum, shy or reluctant breeders, require special attention. Meanwhile, in the background, farm staff are in the process of wooing breeders to get a stallion off on the right foot with a solid book of mares, both in quantity and quality. A stallion’s owners may also be active during the mixed sale season, which runs from November to February, to acquire mares to specifically fit a stallion. The advent of the Pegasus World Cup, which at one point had a purse of $16 million, has changed the timetable. In recent years, runners such as California Chrome, Gun Runner, City of Light, and Accelerate made their final start in the Pegasus, shipped to Kentucky the following day, and began the breeding season about three weeks later. However, those retirements were pre-planned and announced well in advance, allowing breeders to begin considering the stallions and booking mares. That process starts from scratch when a retirement is unplanned, such as with Tiz the Law. “It’s obviously a bit later than ideal to retire and announce a new stallion,” O’Connor said, “But it also represents a great opportunity for people who have been shut out of other popular stallions at that level, to get their mares into such an exciting young horse like Tiz the Law.” Tiz the Law was one of several high-profile runners eyeing the Pegasus forced into unexpected retirement by injury. Defending winner Mucho Gusto sustained a soft-tissue injury while training in early January. His connections said they had been in contact with various breeding farms, but a 2021 stud deal was not publicly announced for him. Bodexpress won the Grade 1 Clark in late November at Churchill Downs to put himself in Pegasus consideration, but was retired shortly afterward with an injury sustained in the race. On Jan. 21, it was revealed that he would debut at Barton Thoroughbreds in California. Tiz the Law will debut at stud for an advertised fee of $40,000. That ties him with champion Improbable at WinStar Farm as the second highest-priced incoming stallion in Kentucky for 2021. Leading the list is Kentucky Derby and Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Authentic, who was voted Horse of the Year, at $75,000 at Spendthrift Farm. Authentic covered his first mare on Jan. 10 as the farm’s breeding shed opened. Spendthrift itself has a late retiree this season in multiple graded stakes winner Thousand Words. He made his final start in the Grade 1 Malibu on Dec. 26, with his retirement announced on Jan. 10. He will participate in the “Share the Upside” program, one of Spendthrift’s programs to support and popularize its young stallions in a competitive market. Thousand Words will stand for $7,500, or $10,000 on a Share the Upside contract. After the breeder has a first-season foal in 2022, pays the stud fee, and breeds a mare back, they earn a lifetime breeding right beginning in 2023. “Thousand Words is a terrific package and will greatly complement our stallion roster, especially at his price point,” Spendthrift general manager Ned Toffey said. “We think breeders are really going to like everything he has to offer as an exciting young stallion prospect.” Other latecomers in Kentucky this year include Grade 1 winner Instilled Regard, who had not raced since summer but whose residence at Taylor Made Farm was announced Dec. 11; and Grade 2 winner Shancelot, announced by Buck Pond Farm on Jan. 11.