Tiz the Law heads $1 million Belmont Stakes
Tiz the Law heads $1 million Belmont Stakes
Friday, June 19, 2020 // by the NY Hot List Staff
Saturday is the first day of summer.
It is also opening day at Belmont Park for the first day of the Triple Crown, a series known as the spring classics.
A spring classic in summer?
Odd, but given that we’re talking about the pandemic ravaged days of 2020, that’s actually a highly positive comment.
And in the case of Saturday’s $1 million Belmont Stakes, the opening leg in a shuffled Triple Crown wound up with something even more positive – a true gem in Tiz the Law.
A New York State-bred, Tiz the Law is arguably the best 3-year-old in the country and definitely the most accomplished horse of his crop with a pair of grade 1 wins, one of them coming in last year’s Champagne Stakes at Belmont Park.
Tiz the Law, trained by Barclay Tagg, has won four of his five career starts, including both of his starts this year at three. In his last start, the son of Constitution registered a decisive 4 ¼-length victory in the Florida Derby, paving the way for him to be a 6-5 favorite in Saturday’s race.
There will be nine rivals lined up to face him, though none of them own a grade 1 win. With a questionable pace scenario and a one-turn, 1 1/8-mile distance that should be within the scope of each starter, there should be a lively battle to fill out the spots in the exotics wagers.
And, should Tiz the Law be rusty after 12 weeks on the sidelines, there could be a huge payoff.
That’s a longshot, but it’s also a horse race in which anything can happen.
As for what can happen, here’s our Hot List selections for the Belmont Stakes:
10th race – $1,000,000 Belmont Stakes (G1) – (8) Tiz the Law is the horse to beat in the first leg of Triple Crown. He’s the only Grade 1 winner in the field and one of them came at Belmont Park last year in the Champagne going a one-turn mile. He should sit in an ideal stalking position and begin to chase down the leader on the big sweeping turn. (1) Tap It to Win returns 16 days after an explosive allowance victory at Belmont Park going a mile and a sixteenth for Mark Casse. He might face some pressure on the lead but appears to be best of the pace horses (2) Sole Volante is a confirmed late runner who won the Sam F. Davis (G3) and a recent allowance race with impressive closing moves. (10) Pneumatic is likely to be pressing the early pace and after his third-place finish in the Matt Winn (G3) he proved that he could be a factor at the end of the nine-furlongs.