STRANGE STAKES
Saratoga horse Tiz the Law basks in Belmont victory raced under unique circumstances
NEW YORK » Eerily empty grandstands. Masked jockeys. Shuttered betting windows.
For Tiz the Law trainer Barclay Tagg, no finer way to round out a career Triple Crown.
“I’m not trying to be a jerk about it,” the 82-year-old said. “But I thought the quiet, to me, was very nice.”
Everything was strange about this Belmont Stakes, except the winner.
Heavily favored Tiz the Law won an unprecedented Belmont, claiming victory Saturday at the first race of a rejiggered Triple Crown schedule that barred fans because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The 3-year-old colt from Saratoga Springs 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 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.
The 4-5 favorite won by 3 ¾ lengths, covering the 1 1/8 miles in 1:46.53. Dr Post finished second and Max Player was third.
The race was shortened from the usual 1 ½-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 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, not a single boozy Belmont Breeze to sip.
Foot traffic was so slow that a few weeds over a foot tall had 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. Longtime 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 locked down 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.
Perhaps a welcome 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 him on the outside and cruised to victory.
“Everything just went like clockwork,” Tagg said.
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 that day.
It was also a breakthrough win for 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. The colt 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-year-old 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 run-up to the race, and what he showed Saturday was typical — stalk the pacemakers early, then pounce on the home stretch.
“It means a lot to me,” Franco said. “This is my home track. I’ve ridden here for about six years already. One leg of the Triple Crown is the dream of any jockey. I’m happy with the opportunity I have right now.” will get home to Russia due to travel restrictions amid the coronavirus pandemic. He had won seven of his last eight fights, but hadn’t competed since his one-sided victory over Greg Hardy in Moscow last year.
Blaydes won on the judges’ scorecards 49-46, 48-47 and 48-46.
Blaydes and Francis Ngannou are the most likely contenders to get the next shot at the UFC heavyweight title after champion Stipe Miocic completes his trilogy with former two-belt champ Daniel Cormier at UFC 252 on Aug. 15. Ngannou is responsible for the only two losses of Blaydes’ career, winning their bouts in 2016 and 2018.
Emmett and Burgos put on the performance of the night with a fascinating slugfest, with Emmett winning 29-28, 29-28 and 29-27. The 35-year-old Emmett (16-2) persevered through a knee injury in the first round to land two knockdowns and a dominant third round, but Burgos absorbed tremendous punishment and thought he had earned a decision.
“Dana, I told you, get that checkbook ready!” Emmett shouted immediately after the fight in the direction of UFC President Dana White, who hands out the promotion’s bonuses for outstanding performances.
The event was the fourth of five consecutive UFC shows held over five weekends with no fans on its corporate campus. After next week’s show headlined by Dustin Poirier’s meeting with Dan Hooker, the UFC will move to Yas Island in Abu Dhabi for four shows in 14 days, beginning with UFC 251 on July 12.
Veteran Jim Miller finished Roosevelt Roberts with an armbar in the first round of his latest milestone fight. The 36-yearold Miller (32-14) matched Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone’s record 35th appearance in a UFC cage, and his 21st UFC victory left him trailing only Cerrone (23) and Demian Maia (22) in the promotion’s history.
Former bantamweight title contender Raquel Pennington (11-8) earned only her second win since 2016 with a clear decision over 42-year-old high school teacher Marion Reneau. Pennington’s fiancée, Tecia Torres, snapped her four-fight skid since 2017 with a one-sided decision over Brianna Van Buren on the early undercard.
Justin Jaynes had a storybook UFC debut, stopping Frank Camacho with strikes in just 41 seconds. The 30-yearold Jaynes accepted the fight only three days ago when Matt Frevola was pulled from the Las Vegas card because of a teammate’s positive coronavirus test.
In two matchups pitting seasoned veterans, Lauren Murphy won a unanimous decision over fellow veteran flyweight Roxanne Modafferi, and Bobby Green controlled his win over Clay Guida.