Tiz the Law ’tis Belmont champ
Favorite runs away from field to capture Triple Crown opener
NEW YORK — Eerily empty grandstands. Masked jockeys. Shuttered betting windows.
For Tiz the Law trainer Barclay Tagg, there was no finer way to round out a career Triple Crown.
‘‘I’m not trying to be a jerk about it,” Tagg, 82, said. ‘‘But I thought the quiet, to me, was very nice.’’
Everything was strange about this Belmont Stakes but the winner.
Heavily favored Tiz the Law won an unprecedented Belmont, claiming victory Saturday in the first race of a rejiggered Triple Crown schedule that barred fans because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The 3-year-old colt charged to the lead in the 10-horse field turning for home and now can set his sights on the Kentucky Derby on Sept. 5 and the Preakness Stakes on Oct. 3.
All three legs of the Triple Crown schedule were postponed because of the pandemic. The Belmont, usually the last race in the series, initially was scheduled for June 6.
Tiz the Law gave New York a hometown champion in its first major sporting event since the pandemic. He became the first New York-bred horse to win the Belmont since Forester 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.
Tiz the Law, the 4-5 favorite, won by3 ˝ lengths and covered the 1◊ miles in 1 minute, 46.53 seconds. Dr Post finished second and Max Player third.
The race was shortened from the usual 1½-mile standard to account for the horses’ unusual training schedules caused by the pandemic.
In most every way, this Belmont was unlike any of the 151 that preceded it. The track can pack in nearly 100,000 people, but this race had about 100 on hand, including jockeys, media and park staff.
Closed to the public since March, the track hardly resembled the summer soiree New Yorkers are used to. Betting windows and gift shops were closed, and there wasn’t a boozy Belmont Breeze to sip.
Silence at the 115-year-old venue was broken when New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo issued the traditional ‘‘Riders, up!’’ call remotely via video. Longtime bugler Sam Grossman pulled down his face mask to play ‘‘Call to the Post,’’ and horses strolled onto the track to a recording of Frank Sinatra’s ‘‘New York, New York.’’ A public-address announcer introduced them to empty grandstands.
Tap It to Win led out of the gates and seemed poised to give trainer Mark Casse a third consecutive Triple Crown race victory, but Tiz the Law powered past him on the outside and cruised to victory.
‘‘Everything just went like clockwork,’’ said Tagg, who completed his personal Triple Crown.
Tagg said he wasn’t sure Tiz the Law would pull it off until the final 100 yards.
‘‘I’m just glad I lived long enough that I got a horse like this,’’ he said.
Jockey Manny Franco found the winner’s circle in his first career Belmont. He called Tiz the Law ‘‘versatile’’ in the run-up to the race, and the horse proved it by stalking the pacemakers early, then pouncing in the homestretch.
‘‘It means a lot to me,’’ Franco said. ‘‘This is my home track . ... One leg of the Triple Crown is the dream of any jockey. I’m happy with the opportunity I have right now.’’