Tiz Miz Sue, Grade 1 winner, retired at 6

Tiz Miz Sue, who became a Grade 1 winner in the Ogden Phipps Handicap at Belmont Park in her most recent start May 27, was retired Thursday, said Ran Leonard, the racing and breeding manager for the Cresran operation of Carol Ricks.

Tiz Miz Sue had recently resumed training following a freshening, and a routine exam revealed bone bruising, Leonard said. The 6-year-old mare had been targeting a start in either the Beldame or Zenyatta as a springboard to the Breeders’ Cup Distaff.

“We started to crank on her this week, and she was a little off,” Leonard said. “The scan showed the natural wear and tear of a high-class racehorse. Obviously, she’s done enough for us, and we decided to retire her.”

Tiz Miz Sue, by Tiznow, won 8 of 32 starts and $1,129,709. She gave Ricks, who has raced such graded stakes winners as Chindi, a retired millionaire, and Sue’s Good News, the dam of Tiz Miz Sue, her first Grade 1 win in the Phipps.

“It was certainly a big deal,” said Leonard, the grandson of Ricks who for the past 10 years has overseen her racing interests. “I treasure that day at Belmont, with my grandma there, entering the winner’s circle after a Grade 1. Tiz Miz Sue has been such a thrill for my grandmother. She can’t wait to have her babies running.”

Leonard said Tiz Miz Sue is at Churchill Downs with her longtime trainer, Steve Hobby, but will be retired to Fox Tale Farm in Nicholasville, Ky. He said breeding plans are to be determined. Leonard said Ricks has no plans to sell Tiz Miz Sue, who is named for her best friend.

The Phipps was the third career graded stakes win for Tiz Miz Sue, who also captured the Grade 3 Azeri at Oaklawn in 2012 and 2013. Other career highlights include a runner-up finish in the 2012 Delaware Handicap, where she posed a significant stretch threat to champion Royal Delta and lost by a neck.

Tiz Miz Sue’s yearling half-sister, who is by Indian Charlie, is scheduled to sell at Keeneland in September.