Tiz rhe Law Retired from Racing with Leg Injury, After Career that Included Florida Derby Win

HRFLA Staff Report

Tiz the Law, the winner of the Florida Derby (Grade 1) at Gulfstream Park and three other graded stakes in 2020, has been retired from racing due to what his owner said is severe bone bruising near the bottom of a front leg.

In an announcement on Twitter on Wednesday evening, Sackatoga Stable said it made that decision based on the advice of a veterinarian.

Jack Knowlton, Sackatoga's principal owner had planned to run Tiz the Law in the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (Grade 1) at Gulfstream in Hallandale Beach, Fla., on Jan. 23.

Since early December, Tiz the Law had been in training at the Palm Meadows  Training Center in Boynton Beach, Fla. Stronach Group owns Gulfstream and Palm Meadows.

Tiz the Law on Wednesday was sent to Ashford Stud in Versailles, Ky., where he will begin his breeding career. 

This year Tiz the Law also won the Holy Bull (Grade 3) at Gulfstream, the Belmont Stakes (Grade 1) at Belmont Park and the Travers (Grade 1) at Saratoga. 

The Belmont was the first race, rather than the third, in this year's  Triple Crown series for 3-year-olds that was revised amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tiz the Law finished second to Authentic in the Kentucky Derby (Grade 1) at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., on Sept. 6.  He closed his season, and what turned out to be his career, on Nov. 7. with a seventh place finish in the Breeders' Cup Classic (Grade 1) at Keeneland.

Tiz the Law won  six of his nine career races and had total earnings of $2,735,300. 

He is a New York-bred son of Constitution, the winner of the 2014 Florida Derby. His maternal grandsire  is Tiznow, who won the Breeders' Cup Classic in 2000 and in 2001. 

Tiz the Law was trained by Barclay Tagg and ridden in all of his races by Manuel Franco.

Tiz the Law had a large fan base  partly because Sackatoga and Tagg teamed up with Funny Cide.  In 2003, that popular New York-bred gelding won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness and then finished third in the Belmont behind Empire Maker and Ten Most Wanted.