San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
And ... they’re off at Belmont
The restructured Triple Crown season finally began Saturday as Tiz the Law, with Manny Franco aboard, won the 152nd running of the Belmont Stakes in New York.
NEW YORK — Tiz the Law won an unprecedented Belmont Stakes, claiming victory Saturday at the first race of a rejiggered Triple Crown schedule by crossing the finish line in front of empty grandstands.
The 3yearold colt from upstate New York charged to the lead turning to the frontstretch and the winner’s handlers now can set their 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 Yorkbred horse to win the Belmont since Forrester in 1882.
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 and park staff.
Masks were mandated for all but the horses — 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, no boozy Belmont Jewels shaken to order.
Signs outside the locked down venue instructed gamblers that if they wanted to wager, their best bet was to download an app and do it on their phones.
Perhaps it seemed a harbinger for Tap It to Win, who led out of the gates and seemed poised to give trainer Mark Casse a third straight Triple Crown race victory.
Instead, Tiz the Law powered past on the outside and cruised to a fourlength win.
It was also a breakthrough win for 82yearold trainer Barclay Tagg, who completed a career Triple Crown after also training Funny Cide.
“I’m just glad I lived long enough that I got another horse like this,” Tagg said.
Manny Franco, a 25yearold 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.
The 45 favorite won by four lengths, covering the 11⁄8 miles in 1:46.53. Dr Post, owned by famed trainer Todd Pletcher, finished second. Max Player finished third, among the highest finishes by a womantrained horse — Linda Rice was trying to become the first woman to ever send a horse to victory at a Triple Crown race.
The track was shortened from the grueling 11⁄2mile standard to account for competitors’ unusual training schedules. Racers kicked off from a starting gate placed atop the backstretch, rather than in front of the grandstands.
Plenty was on the line. Tiz the Law earned 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 10horse 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 them, Charlatan, is expected to run the Kentucky Derby.
Earlier Gamine led all the way in winning the $300,000 Acorn Stakes for 3yearold fillies by 183⁄4 lengths. Trained by Baffert, Gamine ran one mile in 1:32.55, fastest in the 90year history of the race.