Tiz the Law gets feel for track ahead of Kentucky Jockey Club

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Tiz the Law, the unbeaten 2-year-old whose chances of earning a divisional Eclipse Award depend heavily on how he runs here Saturday in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes, got his first feel for the track with an easy jog Wednesday morning over a sloppy Churchill oval. Exercise rider Heather Smullen was up, with trainer Barclay Tagg alongside aboard a pony. The colt also gate-schooled.

“He surprises us every day with what he has,” Tagg said. “It’s what we look for and hope for.”

Tiz the Law is one of nine colts and geldings in the KJC (race 11), which will be co-featured on a 12-race all-2-year-old card with its twin sister, the Golden Rod (race 9) for fillies. Both are Grade 2, $300,000 races at 1 1/16 miles, and they are qualifying-points events (10-4-2-1) toward the Kentucky Derby and Oaks, respectively, next May.

Tiz the Law was a four-length winner of the Grade 1 Champagne last month at Belmont Park, and after longshots dominated the Nov. 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, the Constitution colt has a chance to be voted the Eclipse with a win Saturday.

Owned by the Sackatoga Stable of Funny Cide fame, Tiz the Law was assigned post 3 with Manny Franco back to ride.

Tiz the Law and KJC second choice South Bend (post 4, Julien Leparoux) are the only individual interests in Pool 1 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager scheduled to race this weekend. The pool opened Thursday and will close Sunday at 6 p.m. Eastern.

Finite (post 1) and Turtle Trax (post 2) are likely favorites in a field of eight in the Golden Rod.