Tiz the Law (6), with Manny Franco up, wins the Travers Stake

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — The top 3-year-old horses in the country have not been able to stop Tiz the Law in 2020.

Can post position stop the precocious colt in this strange, rescheduled novel coronavirus environment?

To win the Derby Saturday, Tiz the Law will have to deliver from post No. 17. In Derby history, horses that have started in post 17 are 0-for-41. The best finish was a second by Forty Nine in 1988.

That is the unlucky spot the colt was given late Tuesday morning when post positions were drawn for the 18-horse, mile-and-a-quarter race, which is worth $3 million.

Tiz the Law won his last three prep races from post positions 4, 5 and 8 while rolling into Churchill Downs as the powerful favorite for Kentucky Derby 146.

It’s the first time since 2003 that 20 horses have not been entered in the Derby.

Oddsmaker Mike Battaglia made Tiz the Law, owned by Sackatoga Stable, a 3-to-5 favorite. That's the shortest price on a Derby favorite since Easy Goer was 3-to-5 in 1989.

Tiz the Law benefited several hours before the draw. Art Collector, the likely second choice, was scratched because of a minor injury to his left front foot that the colt suffered during a routine gallop Monday.

Tiz the Law has won six of seven career starts, including his last four in stakes competition.

Coincidentally, his last defeat came at Churchill Downs Nov. 30. Boxed along the rail along the backside and into the clubhouse turn, Tiz the Law briefly surged toward the lead in the stretch before he stalled to finish third, beaten by less than a length.

Tiz the Law is trained by Barclay Tagg, 82, who won the race in his first attempt with Funny Cide in 2003. Tagg has saddled four other Derby horses, none since 2008, without finishing better than fourth.

The colt’s rider is Manny Franco, who is 0-for-2 in the Derby, finishing 17th in 2017 and 18 last year.

Tiz the Law won the Grade I Travers at Saratoga Aug. 8. Starting from the No. 5 hole, the colt dominated six contenders, defeating Caracaro by 5 1/2 lengths. He covered the Derby distance of a mile-and-a-quarter in a crisp 2:00.95.

The started in the 8 hole at Belmont June 20 as he outran a 10-horse field. In a schedule revised because of COVID-19, the Belmont shifted from the third leg of the Triple Crown to the first. The distance was also shortened from 1 1/2 miles to 1 1/8.

In March, when Tiz the Law established himself as the Derby favorite, he won the 9-horse Florida Derby from post No. 4.

Favorites had won six consecutive Derbies until 2019 when Improbable finished fourth in the Derby that Country House won after Maximum Security was disqualified.

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