Tiz the Law works an easy half toward Florida Derby

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Tiz the Law, currently the top rated 3-year-old on Daily Racing Form’s Derby Watch, returned to the work tab for the first time in three weeks when breezing an easy half-mile in 50 seconds Monday morning at Palm Meadows with regular rider Manny Franco aboard. The work was the second for Tiz the Law since his convincing victory over Ete Indien in the Grade 3 Holy Bull on Feb. 1.

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“He went great,” trainer Barclay Tagg said. “An easy half-mile to get something under his belt, that’s all I wanted. Manny came back from New York to ride, and I was very happy with the way he went. He was happy and came out of it good. He might have bruised his heel a little when he lost the shoe a couple of weeks ago, but it was never a major issue and that’s all done with now.”

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Tagg plans to work Tiz the Law “every six or seven days” leading up to the Grade 1 Florida Derby on March 28, with all subsequent drills likely to be at five furlongs. Tagg also said he was delighted to see Ete Indien come back from his second-place finish behind Tiz the Law in the Holy Bull to dominate the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth here Saturday.

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“Winning the way he did certainly made our horse look better,” Tagg said. “Although I don’t like to dwell on that stuff all that much. Tiz the Law still has to go out there and do it himself next time.”