In stakes debut, Mikes Tiznow speeds to victory

Mikes Tiznow used a significant pace advantage as the only true front-runner in the field of seven to win the $65,750 Albany Stakes on Saturday at Golden Gate Fields. The 5 furlongs on grass only enhanced his leverage.

Making his stakes debut, Mikes Tiznow reeled off fractions of 21.14 seconds and 44.17 while maintaining a lead of 1 to 1½ lengths over Summersimage. Mikes Tiznow remained clear down the stretch to win by 1½ lengths in 55.83 — not far from the course record of 55.27.

“He’s aggressive out of the gate, and then I just try to get him to relax and he does the rest,” jockey Ricardo Gonzalez said. “I was full of horse turning for home.”

Mikes Tiznow made his debut July 21, 2017, at Del Mar and finished sixth going 5 furlongs on dirt. He didn’t race again until Aug. 30, 2018, at Del Mar, where he won a 5-furlong maiden event on grass.

After a third-place finish in an allowance at Del Mar on Nov. 18, trainer Andy Mathis brought Mikes Tiznow to Golden Gate Fields. He had two wins and two seconds in allowance events prior to the Albany Stakes.

“He came out of that first race with sore shins, and we gave him a lot of time off,” Mathis said. “He ran so well in his comeback that I’ve tried to space his races out. Today he put it all together.”

Bettors cognizant of Mikes Tiznow’s pace advantage made him the 8-5 favorite over Southern California stakes performer Brandothebartender (2-1), who finished third. “Sometimes when you have a speed horse nobody really wants to go with you,” Mathis said. “It would be a suicide mission to pester my horse and then try to hold off the closers.”

Briefly: Post time for Sunday’s 12-race seasonending program is 12:15 p.m., with a mandatory payout of the Golden Pick Six and a $100,000 guarantee on the late Pick Four. … Jockey Kyle Frey won two races Saturday. He used an inside rally to take the fifth aboard 3-1 second choice Tigerbeach, and he guided first-time starter Prospicience to a 44-1 upset in the eighth. … Trainer Jerry Hollendorfer’s Rowayton won a $92,000 allowance at Belmont Park on Thursday.