Tiz the Law Owner Expects High Performance vs. ‘Baffert Brigade’ in Breeders’ Cup Classic

Written By Kevin Shelly on November 6, 2020 - Last Updated on April 10, 2024
Tiz the Law Ready to Run Breeders Cup Classic

The $6 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic, with Tiz the Law looking for a redemption rematch against Authentic, goes off Saturday. Both three-year-olds have something to prove, having each won a leg of the Triple Crown.

Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup Classic at Keeneland in Lexington, Kentucky, is the richest event in horse betting.

FanDuel spices up the Breeders’ Cup betting

And to torque things up for the casual pony player, the Breeders’ Cup and FanDuel have teamed up to offer a free-to-play fantasy contest offering big bucks — up to $1 million.

The DFS contest is open until 3:15 p.m. EST on Saturday, Nov. 7. Competitors must pick the exact order of finish for the horses.

Entrants collect points for each horse placement correctly predicted. There is $20,000 in cash prizes awarded to the top 3,100 participants on the leaderboard. If anyone can correctly predict all 14 horses’ finishing order in the FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Mile, they will win or share the $1 million prize.

FanDuel Group, which includes the TVG and FanDuel brands, became an official partner of the Breeders’ Cup in 2019. For those wanting to place more traditional horse bets, you can do so online in Pennsylvania at FanDuel Racing.

New users to FanDuel Racing in PA can get a 50% deposit bonus of up to $250 just for signing up through our links here and using our exclusive bonus code LSRTVG.

Additionally, FanDuel Racing is offering Breeders’ Cup insurance on your first win bet in any Breeders’ Cup race. If you bet a horse to win and it places second or third, your bet will be refunded up to $10.

Tiz the Law and Authentic have a history

Tiz won the first leg of the Triple Crown, the Belmont Stakes on June 20, a race that Authentic did not run.

But Authentic bested Tiz in the Kentucky Derby on Sept. 5 to take away his chance at the Crown. Tiz was the prohibitive favorite in that one and was even with Authentic at the quarter-mile before finishing 1¼ lengths back in second place. The horse was 6-for-6 during his career in New York and Florida but lost twice at Churchill Downs.

Then, Authentic finished runner-up to Swiss Skydiver in the Preakness on Oct. 3, but Tiz skipped the Preakness.

Tiz the Law has PA connections

Tiz is the lone horse entered in the Breeders’ Cup Classic for Sackatoga Stable and veteran trainer Barclay Tagg.

Tagg is a Pennsylvanian by birth, with roots in PA’s Chester County hunt country, a background he shares with his assistant trainer and life partner Robin Smullen and her niece, exercise rider Heather Smullen. Many of the horse’s share owners are also from PA.

The Derby is Tiz’s most recent start, meaning he has had a nine-week layoff. He later breezed four times at Belmont and shipped early to Keeneland for two breezes by the end of October.

Sackatoga’s Jack Knowlton told TVG that the long rest period has been good for Tiz’s training times, with the horse in great shape. He’s currently the second favorite in the Breeders’ at 3/1 odds and runs from the second post in the 10-horse field.

Baffert has three horses running against Tiz the Law

But trainer Bob Baffert‘s horse Improbable is the favorite at 5/2 in the 37th running of the Breeders’ at 5:13 p.m. Saturday.

Baffert’s Authentic is 6/1, and his third horse, Maximum Security, is 7/2.

Baffert is both a major force in racing and a controversial figure due to the taint of medication misuse, as the Louisville Courier-Journal just pointed out. His barn has had four positive drug tests just this year.

The advocacy group PETA recently bought shares in horse racing stocks, including PA-based Penn National, with the stated intention of pushing authorities to do a better job of policing the illicit drugging of horses.

Knowlton upbeat on prospects for Tiz

“He’s coming into the race at the same place where he was for the Travers,” said Knowlton, Tiz’s managing owner, during an interview Wednesday with PlayPennsylvania.

“The track agrees with him,” added Knowlton, saying his horse’s training times are tied for the top spot.

Tiz should do well against the “Baffert Brigade,” he predicted. And the fact that he’s running against older horses should not matter, since his times make him a strong entrant. “There’s more upside than downside,” Knowlton said.

Lead image credit: AP Photo/Mark Humphrey

Kevin Shelly Avatar
Written by
Kevin Shelly

Kevin C. Shelly is an award-winning career journalist who has spent most of his career in South Jersey. He's the former assistant city editor of The Press of Atlantic City, where he covered the casino industry and Atlantic City government as a reporter. He was also an investigative, narrative enterprise, and features reporter for Gannett’s Courier-Post.

View all posts by Kevin Shelly
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