Velazquez to ride Tiz the Law in Pegasus World Cup

If you can’t beat him, grab him.

Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez, who has twice beaten Tiz the Law aboard Authentic, will be the new rider for Tiz the Law when he makes his next start in the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 23, his connections announced Thursday.

“We’re very pleased to have an opportunity to have Johnny ride him,” said Jack Knowlton, head of the Sackatoga Stable, which owns Tiz the Law. “He beat us twice this year with Authentic. Now that Authentic isn’t around any longer, getting Johnny is a good opportunity.”

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Velazquez replaces Manny Franco, who guided Tiz the Law to three Grade 1 victories this year, but who was criticized by trainer Barclay Tagg for his ride in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Tiz the Law finished sixth behind Authentic, who went gate to wire under Velazquez.

In the Breeders’ Cup, where Tiz the Law broke from post 2, Franco had Tiz the Law down on the inside for most of the trip before getting him to the outside at the head of the lane. Tagg would have preferred if Franco had gotten Tiz the Law outside and in the clear earlier.

“I think that’s pretty obvious,” Knowlton said. “Barclay made his feelings known. We were all disappointed.

“As I told our partners, we were on a magical ride starting with the Florida Derby, the Belmont, the Travers. Manny got stuck inside in the Holy Bull but he got out of it. The next three were perfect.”

In the Kentucky Derby, Tiz the Law finished second to Authentic, but Knowlton maintains that Tiz the Law didn’t like the Churchill Downs track, where he had suffered his lone loss at age 2.

In the Derby, “there was nothing wrong with the trip,” said Knowlton, adding that in the Breeders’ Cup, “it didn’t work out.”

“I’m not going to say we would have won the race, Authentic was awfully good that day, but possibly second, third probably could have happened with a better trip,” Knowlton said.

Tiz the Law arrived at Tagg’s Palm Meadows barn in Florida on Tuesday.

Knowlton said that with Velazquez based in South Florida for the winter, that will give him ample opportunity to work the horse. Franco was based in New York last winter and will be again this winter, according to his agent, Angel Cordero Jr.

Velazquez worked Tiz the Law once in January, and Cordero has stated that he believes his making sure Franco stayed on the horse for the Holy Bull Stakes was among the reasons Velazquez fired Cordero as his agent last February. Velazquez has said that wasn’t the case.

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Cordero said he was glad Franco got to ride the horse.

“I’m glad he won so many important races for us and put us on the map,” Cordero said. “I’m glad they gave Manny the opportunity.”

Knowlton said he has just a one-race commitment from Velazquez, who is represented by Ron Anderson.

“The way the world works, you take one race at a time,” Knowlton said.

Knowlton did say that should things go well in the Pegasus, he’d be interested in running Tiz the Law in the $10 million Dubai World Cup in late March.

Other races on Knowlton’s wish list in 2021 include the Whitney at Saratoga and the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Del Mar.