Tiznow R J starting to put it together

NEW ORLEANS – Give a horseman a choice between a talented early-season 3-year-old with size and scope and a more diminutive model, and – particularly with classic-race aspirations in mind – he probably will choose the big horse. But bigger is not always better. Young horses of large size need more time to grow into their frame, to figure out how their bodies work at peak speed.

And with that in mind, meet Tiznow R J. The sizable colt is one of 11 entrants in Saturday’s Lecomte Stakes here, a Grade 3 race with a $200,000 purse and 17 Kentucky Derby qualifying points. Trained by Steve Asmussen for Mike McCarty, who purchased him as a yearling for $130,000, Tiznow R J served notice that he’s one of the more-promising youngsters stabled this winter at Fair Grounds when, in his third career start Dec. 11, he won a two-turn maiden race by 13 1/4 lengths.

But even in that romp, Tiznow R J showed that he remains more unformed lump of clay than perfectly sculpted racehorse. After failing to change leads during the stretch run in his two one-mile starts in Kentucky, Tiznow R J, despite several attempts from jockey Robby Albarado, needed most of the homestretch before he finally got off his right lead and onto his left in his maiden win.

“Those were the instructions before the race: ‘Be sure you switch leads,’ ” Asmussen said. “And that tells you all you need to know about where you’re at. It’s still kind of a learning process with him. With how big he is, I think we’re a ways from where he can be. He’s still a little sloppy, but he’s getting better.”

Tiznow R J is a son of Tiznow out of the Broken Vow mare Ruban Bleu, who is a half-sister to Good Ba Ba, a Hong Kong-based runner who earned $7.4 million. He stands well over 16 hands and is heavily muscled, particularly through his shoulders and hindquarters. Distance should not be a problem, and Tiznow R J’s connections are working with plenty of raw material. The horse is doing well right now, his coat gleaming and full of dapples, especially considering the season.

Tiznow R J has his mind in the right place and, Asmussen said, is a generous and impressive work horse. He may or may not be quite ready to win a race like the Lecomte, but if his professionalism continues to progress, there is probably a stakes race somewhere this winter or early spring with his name on it.