LEXINGTON, Ky.– All eyes figure to be on Tiz the Law when he makes his expected start in the Belmont Stakes on June 20 as the son of Constitution heads into the first leg of the 2020 Triple Crown with a firm lead in the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) Top Three-Year-Old Poll.
Trained by Barclay Tagg for Sackatoga Stable, Tiz the Law is expected to be the favorite for the Belmont Stakes, which will be contested over 1 1/8 miles this year instead of its usual distance of 12 furlongs. The bay colt most recently captured the Grade 1 Florida Derby on March 28 and is the leader of the sophomore male ranks, earning 28 first-place votes and 360 points from poll voters this week.
Tiz the Law completed his final serious workout in preparation for the Belmont on June 14, breezing a half mile in :50.42 under regular rider Manny Franco.
“He makes my work a lot easier,” Franco told the NYRA publicity team after the colt’s workout. “He’s a versatile horse. He can be there on the pace or sit off, so I can do whatever I want.”
Honor A. P., winner of the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby on June 6, remains second in the poll behind Tiz the Law with 9 first-place votes and 339 points. Authentic, second in the Santa Anita Derby, moved up one spot this week to third overall with 260 points followed by King Guillermo (201 points) and expected Belmont Stakes runner Sole Volante (171).
Grade 1-winner Maxfield (109 points) dropped to sixth overall in the wake of news that he would miss this year’s Kentucky Derby due to a condylar fracture suffering during a June 10 workout.
Fellow Grade 1-winner Charlatan (97 points) is seventh with former stablemate Nadal (78) in eighth. Basin (72 points) and Ete Indien (70) complete the top 10.
Rankings were relatively stagnant this week in the NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll with champion Midnight Bisou continuing to be unshakable from the No. 1 spot. The daughter of Midnight Lute earned 26 first-place votes and 343 points to stay atop the rankings as she prepares for an expected run in the Grade 2 Fleur de Lis Stakes at Churchill Downs on June 27.
Grade 1-winner Mucho Gusto (245 points) and By My Standards (2 first-place votes, 244 points) remain second and third, respectively, followed by Code of Honor, who earned 3 first-place votes and 190 points in the wake of his victory in the Grade 3 Westchester Stakes on June 6.
Tom’s d’Etat (138 points) holds in fifth followed by Zulu Alpha (1 first-place vote, 129 points). Vekoma, winner of the Grade 1 Carter Handicap on June 6, remains in the seventh spot with 119 points with champion Maximum Security (4 first-place votes, 100 points), Improbable (88), and McKinzie (83) rounding out the top 10.
Tiz the Law (25 points) was not ranked in the top 10 but did receive one first-place vote.
The NTRA Top Thoroughbred polls are the sport’s most comprehensive surveys of experts. Every week eligible journalists and broadcasters cast votes for their top 10 horses, with points awarded on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis. All horses that have raced in the U.S., are in training in the U.S., or are known to be pointing to a major event in the U.S. are eligible for the NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll. Voting in both the Top 3-Year-Old Poll and the Top Thoroughbred Poll is scheduled to be conducted through the conclusion of the Breeders’ Cup in November.
NTRA Press Release
