Tiz the Law looks eager in five-furlong Derby work

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Trainer Barclay Tagg is not babying Tiz the Law into the Kentucky Derby.

Fifteen days after Tiz the Law won the Runhappy Travers emphatically and 13 days before he runs in the Derby as the favorite on Sept. 5 at Churchill Downs, Tagg sent Tiz the Law out early Sunday morning for a rigorous five-furlong workout that he completed in 59.47 seconds, according to Daily Racing Form clocker Mike Welsch’s watch, over Saratoga’s main track.

After a sloppy track prompted Tagg to cancel a scheduled Saturday work at 8:45 a.m., Tiz the Law was the first horse to work on the track just after it opened at 5:30 a.m. Sunday. Though it was pretty dark, Tiz the Law, under exercise rider Heather Smullen, could be seen streaking his first three furlongs in 35.75 seconds. During the early part of the work Smullen, who kept Tiz the Law a couple of paths off the fence, said Tiz the Law was playing around so she took the stick out of her back pocket, but didn’t use it.

“When I took the stick out he went 'Oh fine,’ and went perfectly straight the rest of the way, went by a horse [galloping] at the eighth pole nice and straight and continued to gallop out,” Smullen said.

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Tiz the Law completed his final quarter in 23.72, then proceeded to gallop out six furlongs in 1:12.86, seven furlongs in 1:26.00 and a mile in 1:40.06.

Smullen could hardly pull Tiz the Law up even after 1 1/8 miles in 1:55.98.

“He didn’t want to pull up,” Smullen said. “I was like 'Oh good, we’re going to go around again, great, fabulous.’ ”

Tagg said with only time for two works, he wanted to make each one count.

“I could only work him twice and I wanted to get a good work in him this time,” Tagg said. “I didn’t want a phony work, I wanted him relaxed and doing it on his own and see how fast he could do it. I was just happy he went in 59-and-something. I still have the horror of Funny Cide going in 57 four days before the Belmont Stakes.”

In 2003, Funny Cide, after winning the Kentucky Derby and Preakness for Tagg, finished third in the Belmont Stakes.

Tagg said he walked the main track before it opened Sunday morning and found it to be a touch deep.

“It didn’t look like it was deep for him, he just glided over it,” Tagg said.

Since the year began, Tiz the Law has had his races well spaced out. On Feb. 1, he won the Grade 3 Holy Bull off a nine-week layoff and the Florida Derby eight weeks after that. With the COVID-19 pandemic throwing the spring schedule amok, Tiz the Law won the 1 1/8-mile Belmont Stakes on June 20 off a 12-week layoff layoff before galloping seven weeks later in the Travers on Aug. 8.

Now the schedule gets tight. The Kentucky Derby is four weeks after the Travers, and the Preakness, which is where Tiz the Law would run should he win the Derby, is four weeks later on Oct. 3. Then there is the Breeders’ Cup Classic on Nov. 7 at Keeneland.

“I don’t see him going backwards at all, but he’s got some wood to chop,” Tagg said. “He’s got the Derby, that’s a lot of traveling. I think he can handle it, but whether he can handle what he has to do after that I don’t know. You never know when you hit bottom.”

Weather permitting, Tagg plans to work Tiz the Law at Saratoga next Sunday. The horse then ships to Kentucky on Aug. 31.

While Tagg expressed concern about running in a field of 18 to 20 horses, he’d be less concerned if he can get the trip he wants under jockey Manny Franco.

“If he could sit third in the two path all the way around I’d be happy,” Tagg said.