Tiz the Law arguing championship case in Kentucky Jockey Club

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes offers more than just a $300,000 purse and qualifying points toward the 146th Kentucky Derby – at least for the race favorite.

Indeed, no less than a divisional Eclipse Award seems there for the taking by Tiz the Law, a New York-bred colt who figures as an odds-on choice when the KJC is run Saturday under the Churchill Downs lights.

“If he runs big, you’d have to give him the Eclipse, I’d think,” said Barclay Tagg, who trains Tiz the Law for the Sackatoga Stable of Jack Knowlton and partners. “I really hadn’t thought about it that much until I got here and people started asking me about it. I don’t know what else he’d have to do.”

Tiz the Law, whose 2-for-2 record consists of an August debut victory versus statebred maidens followed by a four-length jaunt in the Grade 1 Champagne eight weeks ago at Belmont Park, is in the somewhat unusual position of having a chance to earn the Eclipse for top 2-year-old without having raced in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.

It was in the Nov. 1 BC Juvenile at Santa Anita that longshots Storm the Court and Anneau d’Or, lacking outstanding prior form, finished one-two while the favorites were well beaten. Proponents for Tiz the Law – assuming he prevails Saturday in convincing fashion – could reasonably argue that the combination of winning the Champagne and KJC trumps the narrow BC Juvenile victory of Storm the Court.

Eclipse voting ends in early January. The last three horses to be voted the Eclipse for top 2-year-old male without a Breeders’ Cup start were American Pharoah (2014), Shared Belief (2013), and Declan’s Moon (2004).

The 93rd KJC and its twin sister, the Golden Rod Stakes, anchor a 12-race all-2-year-old card on this final weekend of the Churchill fall meet. Both are Grade 2, $300,000 races at 1 1/16 miles, and they offer qualifying points (10-4-2-1) toward, respectively, the Kentucky Derby and Oaks, in May 2020.

First post Saturday is 1 p.m. Eastern, with the Golden Rod (race 9) going at 4:57 and the KJC (race 11) at 5:56. The concept of an all-2-year-old card was originated by the late Bobby Umphrey at the old Calder before being picked up by Churchill in 2005.

Tiz the Law will break from post 3 with Manny Franco back to ride. In both prior starts, the Constitution colt laid just off the pace before firing home with flair.

“He’s strong as iron – not real big, but put together extremely well,” said Tagg, best known for teaming with Sackatoga to win the 2003 Kentucky Derby and Preakness with the New York-bred Funny Cide. “The Breeders’ Cup came up a little close for us, and I wanted to spread his races out more. Three starts is enough for a 2-year-old like this one. He’ll go straight to Florida from here.”

Tiz the Law will face eight other colts and geldings in the KJC, with his chief opposition being the respective 1-2-3 finishers here four weeks ago in the Street Sense – South Bend, Fighting Seabee, and Silver Prospector.

South Bend, trained by Stan Hough for Sagamore Farm, also is unbeaten, although this will be his first crack at a graded event. The bay Algorithms colt already has developed a well-timed stretch kick, having won all three of his starts by a length or less. He will break from post 4 with Julien Leparoux in the saddle.

Meanwhile, the 76th Golden Rod will have no bearing on the Eclipse for top 2-year-old filly, given that the Churchill-based British Idiom clinched that honor in winning the BC Juvenile Fillies. Still, the Golden Rod is a frequent precursor to the spring classics, with fillies such as Rachel Alexandra, Carina Mia, and Monomoy Girl having used it in recent years toward 3-year-old stardom.

Finite comes off a six-length romp in the Rags to Riches on opening day of the meet and is the 7-5 morning-line favorite in a field of eight. Despite all his mega-success here and elsewhere, her Hall of Fame trainer, Steve Asmussen, has never won the Golden Rod.

“This filly has really come around,” said Asmussen. “Obviously we were very pleased with the way she ran in the Rags to Riches and we’re hoping for another big race.”

Finite drew post 1 and will have Ricardo Santana Jr. aboard.

Top upset threats include Turtle Trax, stretching out off two sprint wins for Ian Wilkes, along with His Glory and Motu, the 1-2 finishers in an opening-day allowance.

The early portion of the Saturday card will coincide with the Louisville-Kentucky rivalry football game that kicks off in Lexington at noon. The game will be televised throughout the facility.

Sunday will call an end to the 25-day fall meet with a 12-race card. Mandatory disbursements will be made in all wagering pools, including the Single 6, which had its jackpot emptied Wednesday when a solo winning ticket hit for $255,793.

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