- 2020 Belmont Stakes winner Tiz the Law has been retired due to severe bone bruising.
- He was the first New York bred horse to win the Belmont since Forester in 1882.
- He will stand at Ashford Stud for the 2021 season.
Four time Grade 1 winning New York bred Tiz the Law has been retired from racing upon the advice of a veterinarian. Trainer Barclay Tagg indicated that something looked amiss during Tuesday’s routine gallop and the horse was sent for an examination and X-rays. These revealed some bone bruising at the bottom of the cannon bone on Tiz the Law’s right foreleg.
Jack Knowlton, Operating Manager of Sackatoga Stable, expressed his disappointment that Tiz the Law will not race as a four year old as originally planned:
“Yesterday I got one of those calls I dread answering. It was a call from Barclay when I don’t expect him to call me. It was bad news. Fortunately, having a horsewoman like Robin (assistant trainer Robin Smullen) on (Tiz the Law) every day and who knows him, she knew there was a problem. Because of that, we had him X-rayed and found an issue.”
A second opinion was sought and it confirmed the original diagnosis and retirement recommendation:
“You don’t want to worry about a catastrophic injury that would have occurred if we continued to race him. We had a second opinion and they both said we could not continue to train and race him. There was no decision to make other than to retire him when you get a diagnosis like that.”
Trainer Barclay Tagg had other medical professionals review the X-rays and they all came to the same conclusion:
“I had three vets look at the X-rays and every one of them said the next thing could be a facture. They didn’t want to take any chances. I can’t blame them.”
In a subsequent press release announcing the retirement of Tiz the Law Sackatoga Stable’s Knowlton had this statement:
“The entire Tiz The Law team is deeply disappointed that Tiz The Law will be unable to race as a 4-year-old as planned. He has provided the 35 owners a unique opportunity to compete and succeed at the highest level of Thoroughbred racing. His impressive victory in the GI Travers at Saratoga Race Course was particularly rewarding for the Saratoga based stable. Sackatoga Stable is looking forward to the next chapter of his career as a stallion.”
Tiz the Law will stand at Ashford Stud for the 2021 season. Ashford is owned by Coolmore America and manager Dermot Ryan shared his thoughts:
“From day one when he broke his maiden at Saratoga we have been watching him closely and he has everything you look for in a stallion prospect. He has an outstanding race record, he’s a very good-looking individual and he boasts a strong pedigree. [Trainer] Barclay Tagg, [assistant trainer] Robin Smullen and their team have done a fantastic job with him and we are also grateful to Jack Knowlton and his partners in Sackatoga Stable for letting us be a part of him.”
Tiz the Law was the dominant three year old in racing during the early summer despite the disruption posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. With wins in the GIII Holy Bull Stakes, the GI Curlin Florida Derby, the GI Travers Stakes at Saratoga and the Belmont he looked for a time downright unstoppable. He finished second to Authentic at the Kentucky Derby and then watched his challenger claim the ‘best three year old’ mantle. Tiz the Law would finish off the board in the GI Breeders’ Cup Classic. He was being pointed to January’s Pegasus World Cup at the time of his retirement.
