Tiz the Law was tabbed a heavy 6-5 favorite at Wednesday afternoon’s post draw for the 152nd running of the $1 million Belmont Stakes.
The post position draw was conducted for the 10 horses heading to the gate at approximately 5:42 p.m. on Saturday for the first leg of this year’s Triple Crown series. Due to the timing of the race in the 3-year-old schedule, it will be contested at 1 1/8 miles versus its traditional 12-furlong distance at Belmont Park.
The Belmont Stakes, offering 150-60-30-15 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the top-four finishers, is carded as Race 10. The races will be run spectator-free due to the coronavirus pandemic and owners will not be allowed to attend at the expansive race track. NBC will present live coverage starting at 2:45 p.m.
In a fractured year of scheduling for the three Triple Crown races, the winner will have 11 weeks until the second leg is run in Kentucky Derby 145 in Louisville on Sept. 5. The Preakness Stakes will become the final leg of the series and will be run four weeks later Oct. 3. That puts 15 weeks between the first and last legs, versus the traditional 5-week trifecta of races for 3-year-olds.
The morning line favorite likely will be lower than 6-5 when he leaves the gate before an empty grandstand early Saturday evening on Long Island. Manny Franco will ride the son of Constitution.
Trainer Barclay Tagg, who saddled dual classic winner and New York-bred Funny Cide, returns to the scene where the Triple Crown hopes were throttled by Empire Maker on a sloppy track in June 2003 for owner Sackatoga Stables.
He’ll try to kick off this Triple Crown series with another New York-bred in Tiz the Law, a two-time Grade 1 winner and the likely favorite for the Kentucky Derby had it been run on its traditional date. He’ll leave from post No. 8, just beyond where trainer Tagg had hoped to draw.
“We’re hoping for five, six or seven, but we’ll take eight,” Tagg said at the post draw. “He’s done everything the way we’ve asked him to do, he seems to be very happy and content when he does his works. He likes this track so I’m glad he’ll be back on it.”
Newly elected Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse will send speedster Tap it to Win (6-1) from the rail. Before the entry of Fore Left (30-1) late Tuesday afternoon, he was likely going to be the only horse with early speed and likely would have controlled the pace.
Casse will seek to capture his third straight Triple Crown race after winning last year’s Preakness (War of Will) and Belmont (Sir Winston). It’s not quite the Tiger Slam, but it would still be a major accomplishment to add to his Hall of Fame resume.
Contacted after the draw, Casse's take on the drawing the rail presented his sarcastic wit.
"Well, I would like to change places with the favorite, but I don't think they will allow that," he said via text message to The News.
Todd Pletcher will send two colts from his barn to post, looking for his fourth career Belmont Stakes victory. Dr. Post (5-1) drew post No. 9 and closer Farmington Road (15-1) was placed in post No. 5. Eclipse-winning jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. will ride.
Pletcher believes Dr. Post benefited from the schedule change as the son of Quality Road likely wouldn’t have made the traditional Triple Crown series, breaking his maiden on March 29 and coming back to win an ungraded stakes race at Gulfstream Park on April 25.
“This has been to his benefit, he’s progressed greatly since the beginning of the year,” Pletcher said during a national media teleconference on Monday. “I thought he was very impressive in his maiden win. And while he lacks a little bit of experience in terms of number of races run, he got a lot of education in the Unbridled Stakes, when he was kind of boxed in through a good portion of the race and ate a lot of dirt.”
Trainer Linda Rice will attempt to become the first female trainer to win a Triple Crown race when she sends out Max Player (15-1), a son of Honor Code. The other Honor Code colt on the Triple Crown trail, A.P. Honor, won the Santa Anita Derby impressively two weeks ago.
“It would be great to win a Belmont or any Triple Crown race for any trainer,” Rice said at the draw. “He has improved dramatically in his training in the last 60 days so I’m excited for this weekend.” She drew post No. 3 and was happy with the draw. “My horse is a closer, so I think that will work.”
Saturday's 12-race card will feature six graded stakes and four Grade 1 races, including the $250,000 Woody Stephens presented by Claiborne Farm, the $300,000 Acorn and the $250,000 Jaipur, a "Win and You're In" qualifier to the Breeders' Cup Turf, providing a full day of racing.
Gene Kershner, a Buffalo-based turf writer, is a member of the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters Association, and tweets @EquiSpace.
Here's a look at the field for the 152nd running of the Belmont Stakes:
| $1M Belmont Stakes | June 20 | Belmont Park | ||
| PP | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Odds |
| 1 | Tap It to Win | Casse | Velazquez | 6-1 |
| 2 | Sole Volante | Biancone | L Panici | 9-2 |
| 3 | Max Player | Rice | Rosario | 15-1 |
| 4 | Modernist | Mott | Alvardo | 15-1 |
| 5 | Farmington Road | Pletcher | Castellano | 15-1 |
| 6 | Fore Left | O'Neill | J Ortiz | 30-1 |
| 7 | Jungle Runner | Asmussen | R Gutierrez | 50-1 |
| 8 | Tiz the Law | Tagg | Franco | 6-5 |
| 9 | Dr. Post | Pletcher | I Ortiz Jr. | 5-1 |
| 10 | Pneumatic | Asmussen | Santana Jr. | 8-1 |
| Race | 10 | |||
| Distance | 1 1/8-miles | |||
| Post Time | 5:42 EDT |
"heavy" - Google News
June 18, 2020 at 04:31AM
https://ift.tt/30UeJDU
Tiz the Law heavy favorite for Belmont Stakes - Buffalo News
"heavy" - Google News
https://ift.tt/35FbxvS
https://ift.tt/3c3RoCk
heavy
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Tiz the Law heavy favorite for Belmont Stakes - Buffalo News"
Post a Comment