Tiz the Law puts Franco in national spotlight

Manny Franco is trying to take the next step in a career that appears to be on the right trajectory. A horse like Tiz the Law could help accelerate the process.

The 25-year-old Franco has been the leading rider on the New York Racing Association circuit for the last two years. In 2019, he won four of his eight career Grade 1 stakes, including his first Breeders’ Cup race with Sharing in the Juvenile Fillies Turf.

Tiz the Law could give Franco his first real shot at a Kentucky Derby after an 18th-place finish on Spinoff last year and a 17th-place finish on Tencendur in 2015.

Franco is 2 for 3 on Tiz the Law, including victories in the Grade 1 Champagne last year at Belmont Park and Grade 3 Holy Bull last month at Gulfstream Park. Yet there was criticism from some corners on his ride aboard Tiz the Law in the Kentucky Jockey Club last November at Churchill Downs, where he finished third, and even in the Holy Bull, which Tiz the Law won by three lengths. In both instances, Franco had to extricate Tiz the Law from potential trouble on the inside.

Saturday, Franco gets another chance on Tiz the Law, who will most likely be the favorite in the $750,000 Florida Derby. Franco relishes the opportunity.

“All I want is that he runs good and keep them happy,” Franco said.

Franco is referring trainer Barclay Tagg and the ownership group Sackatoga Stable, led by Jack Knowlton. Franco definitely has a supporter in the veteran Tagg.

“I’ve ridden every jockey that ever lived and they’ve all made mistakes,” Tagg said. “You’re on a 1,000-pound horse, you can’t have it work out perfectly every time. Everybody thinks it’s like driving a car. Most of the people who complain the loudest have never been on a horse.

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“I like Manny. He’s athletic, he’s young, he’s smart. I don’t think he has any fear in him or anything like that. He goes in and does the best he can do. I think he’s a fine rider.”

Tagg also likes the fact Franco has a good teacher in the Hall of Fame jockey Angel Cordero Jr., who is Franco’s agent.

Franco first got on Tiz the Law in the Champagne, where he was able to overcome a stumbling start and some traffic to win the Grade 1 race by four lengths.

In the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club, run over a sloppy Churchill Downs track on Nov. 30, Tiz the Law was a bit hard to handle early as he raced along the inside and behind horses. Inside the three-sixteenths pole, Franco got Tiz the Law through a seam, but managed only a third-place finish, three-quarters of a length behind Silver Prospector. Once through the hole, Tiz the Law had his head cocked toward the grandstand and didn’t change leads.

“He was a little keen early. I had to pull him back a little bit,” Franco said. “He didn’t run in two months. He wanted to run.”

Tiz the Law had another two months off before he ran in the Grade 3 Holy Bull. Tiz the Law broke on top and Franco had Tiz the Law in the three path entering the first turn. Around the turn, however, Luca Panici aboard Ete Indien was successful in pushing Franco down toward the inside and it looked like he’d be trapped again.

Straightening away down the backside, Franco was looking for a way to get out. At the three-quarter pole, he steadied Tiz the Law, but got him outside and into the clear, three wide. Franco made his move on Tiz the Law entering the far turn, and straightening away for home he put the race away.

“As soon as I got to the paddock, with everything that happened in Churchill, they wanted me to keep the horse on the outside and out of trouble,” Franco said. “That’s why I made that move when we went to the backside. I looked back and I said, ‘This is the moment to go outside.’”

Franco said that once he got Tiz the Law to the outside, “you could see the smile on my face because he jumped into the bit right away and he start going comfortably.”

Tiz the Law lugged in a path or so in the stretch, but Franco said he believes that is because the horse is still immature.

“He’s done that since he started running,” Franco said. “I think he looks at the grandstand, the people. He does not lug in bad, he’s still a little green.”

Though he’s ridden primarily at Aqueduct this winter, Franco has flown to Florida twice since the Holy Bull to work Tiz the Law for the Florida Derby.

“He’s still working the same. I’m very happy with the way he’s coming into the race,” Franco said.

Franco is also coming into the Florida Derby in good form. After a slow start to the Aqueduct meet, he won 21 races from his last 60 mounts over the last 10 cards to claim the riding title at the shortened meet. That included his third career five-win day on Feb. 22 and a four-win day March 8.

“Things were going a little slow. You need the right horses and then everything goes well,” Franco said.

Tiz the Law certainly looks to be the right horse.