Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Favorite too much for Belmont rivals
NEW YORK — Tiz the Law won an unprecedented Belmont Stakes, claiming victory Saturday at the first race of a rejiggered Triple Crown schedule in front of eerily empty grandstands.
The 3-year-old colt from upstate New York charged to the lead turning for home and now can set his sights on the Sept. 5 Kentucky Derby and Oct. 3 Preakness. All three legs of this year’s Triple Crown schedule were postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Belmont, usually the series capper,
was initially scheduled for June 6.
Tiz the Law gave New York a hometown champion in its first major sporting event since the coronavirus pandemic seized the area. He’s the first New York-bred horse to win the Belmont since Forrester in 1882.
“It’s a lot smaller crowd, that’s for sure,” said owner Jack Knowlton, who watched from a restaurant patio in the familiar surroundings of Saratoga Springs.
The 4-5 favorite won by four lengths, covering the 11/8 miles in 1:46.53. Dr Post finished second and Max Player was third.
The race was shortened from the usual 11/2-mile standard to account for competitors’ unusual training schedules. Horses kicked off from a starting gate placed atop the backstretch, rather than in front of the grandstands.
In most every way, this Belmont States was unlike any of the 151 that preceded it. The Long Island track can pack in nearly 100,000, but this race had about 100 on hand, including jockeys, media members and park staff.
Masks were mandated for all — even the jockeys wore face coverings.
Closed to the public since March, Belmont Park hardly resembled the summer soiree New Yorkers are used to. Betting windows and gift shops were closed, not a single boozy Belmont Breeze to sip.
Foot traffic was so slow that a few weeds over a foot tall sprouted up between bricks paving the track-side pavilion.
Silence at the 115-yearold venue was broken when New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo issued the traditional “riders, up!” call remotely via video. Bugler Sam Grossman pulled down his facemask to tap out “Call to the Post,” and horses strolled onto the track to a recording of Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York.” A PA announcer introduced them to empty grandstands.
Signs outside the lockeddown venue instructed gamblers that if they wanted to wager on this Belmont Stakes, their best bet was to download an app and do it on their phones.
Tap It to Win led out of the gates and seemed poised to give trainer Mark Casse a third consecutive Triple Crown race victory.
Instead, Tiz the Law powered past him on the outside and cruised to a four-length victory.
Knowlton, from New York’s Sackatoga Stable, noted this race was a little different than 17 years ago, when the Sackatoga crew took a school bus to watch their colt Funny Cide try to wrap a Triple Crown sweep at Belmont Park. Funny Cide finished third.
It was a breakthrough victory for 82-year-old trainer Barclay Tagg, who completed
a career Triple Crown after also training Funny Cide.
“It’s tremendous,” Knowlton said. “We just buy New York-breds, that’s our game. We don’t spend a lot of money. We’ve been with Barclay Tagg for 25 years. I keep telling everybody Barclay doesn’t get a lot of big horses and big opportunities, but when he gets them he knows what to do.”
Tagg said he wasn’t sure if Tiz the Law would pull it off
until the final 100 yards. Tiz the Law paid $3.50, $2.90 and $2.60.
“I’m just glad I lived long enough that I got another horse like this,” Tagg said.
Manny Franco, a 25-yearold jockey from Puerto Rico, entered the winner’s circle in his first career Belmont Stakes. He called Tiz the Law a ” versatile” horse in the runup to the race, and what he showed Saturday was typical — stalk the pacemakers early, then pounce on the home stretch.
Dr Post, owned by famed trainer Todd Pletcher, paid $5.80 and $4.20. Max Player paid $5.20. Linda Rice, Max Player’s trainer, was trying to become the first woman to ever send a horse to victory at a Triple Crown race.
Tiz the Law earned Knowlton the top share of a $1 million purse, and the top four horses earned Kentucky Derby qualifying points.
Tiz the Law took advantage of a 10-horse field weakened by injuries. Among the casualties were two potential entrants from famed trainer Bob Baffert, who ended up without a horse in this race — one of then, Charlatan, is expected to run the Preakness. Charlatan won a division of the Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn in Hot Springs on May 2.