Kentucky Derby Horse Profile: Tiz the Law
By Ed McNamara
Like a jaguar, Tiz the Law stalks patiently before his instant acceleration eliminates his prey. This New York-bred win machine is expected to be the first odds-on Derby favorite since Arazi in 1992.
He’s 4-for-4 this year – Holy Bull (G3), Florida Derby (G1), Belmont Stakes (G1), Travers (G1) – by an average margin of four lengths, and jockey Manny Franco still hasn’t had to ask him for his best.
Tiz the Law would be undefeated if not for a bad-trip third in a rainstorm last November at Churchill Downs, where he lost by less than a length. Eventually, he’ll run a bad one, but he couldn’t be more intimidating. Just hope that none of the field’s many no-hopers get in this superstar’s way.
On Sunday morning (Aug. 23), he worked 5 furlongs in 59.47 seconds at Saratoga under regular exercise rider Heather Smullen – the fastest of 16 at the same distance.
Profiles will be updated with morning-line odds and post position after the field is drawn on Tuesday, Sept. 1.
TIZ THE LAW
Tiz the Law wins Travers Stakes – Courtesy of NYRA/Coglianese Photo
Odds: TBD
Post position: TBD
Jockey: Manny Franco
Trainer: Barclay Tagg
Owner: Sackatoga Stable
Career record: 7-6-0-1
Career earnings: $2,015,300
Top Equibase speed figure: 117
Kentucky Derby points: 372 (1)
Pedigree: Constitution-Tizfiz, by Tiznow
Color: Bay
Running style: Stalker
Notes: Tiz the Law is the first NY bred in 138 years to win the Belmont Stakes… The Sackatoga Stable/Barclay Tagg combo has been together for nearly two decades, and brought us Funny Cide in 2003 — the New York bred gelding who won the Derby and Preakness, but came up short in the Belmont in his bid for a Triple Crown… This will be Tagg’s sixth Derby starter; in addition to winning with Funny Cide, his other runners were Showing Up (sixth in 2006); Nobiz Like Shobiz (10th in 2007); and Tale of Ekati (fourth) and Big Truck (18th), both in 2008… This will be Manny Franco’s third Derby – he was 17th aboard Tencendur in 2015 and 18th aboard Spinoff in 2019.
(US Racing’s Kentucky Derby will include profiles of the horses listed as probable for the race on Saturday, Sept. 5. Each day until the post-position draw on Tuesday, Sept. 1, US Racing will publish selected profiles of the contenders.)
Ed McNamara is an award-winning journalist who has been writing about thoroughbred racing for 35 years. He has handicapped races for ESPN.com, Newsday and The Record of New Jersey. He is the author of “Cajun Racing: From the Bush Tracks to the Triple Crown” and co-author of “The Most Glorious Crown,” a chronicle of the first 12 Triple Crown champions.