Tiz the Law Draws Eight As Belmont Favorite
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THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2020 TIZ THE LAW DRAWS EIGHT >TENTATIVE= DEAL IN WORKS FOR ARLINGTON MEET AS BELMONT FAVORITE by T.D. Thornton A deal for a 30-date race meet spanning July 23-Sept. 30 at Arlington International Race Course was being finalized on Wednesday with the goal of having a signed contract between the track and the Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen=s Association (ITHA) in place prior to Thursday morning=s Illinois Racing Board (IRB) meeting, during which the late and curtailed 2020 season could be approved. On Wednesday afternoon, Arlington issued a notice on Twitter that read, in part, AArlington and the ITHA have reached a tentative agreement for the 2020 and 2021 race meets. Final details of the agreement are being drafted and are expected to be signed later [Wednesday].@ Cont. p4 The field is set for Saturday=s 152nd GI Belmont S. | Coglianese IN TDN EUROPE TODAY LORD NORTH POUNCES IN PRINCE OF WALES’S S. by Steve Sherack ELMONT, NY--Led by imposing GI Curlin Florida Derby winner Tiz Lord North (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) booked his ticket to the Breeders’ Cup with a win in the G1 Prince of Wales’s S. at Royal the Law (Constitution), a field of 10 has been drawn for Ascot on Wednesday. Click or tap here to go straight to TDN Saturday's shortened 152nd renewal of the $1-million Europe. GI Belmont S. Tiz the Law, also an authoritative winner of last term's GI Champagne S. at Belmont Park, will break from post eight under regular rider Manny Franco in the first leg of the reshuffled Triple Crown going 1 1/8 miles. The 6-5 morning-line favorite is trained by Barclay Tagg for Sackatoga Stable. Tagg and Jack Knowlton's outfit, of course, teamed up to campaign the popular gelding Funny Cide to wins in the GI Kentucky Derby and GI Preakness S. before being denied by Empire Maker in the Belmont slop 17 years ago. "He does everything you ask him to, he's very happy and content," Tagg, sporting a mandatory facial covering, said of the New York-bred before a small group of socially distanced media assembled in the Belmont Cafe for the draw Wednesday afternoon. "He likes this track, so I'm glad to be back here." Tagg added, "It means a lot. You don't get top contenders all the time. He's a nice horse. Hopefully, he's as good as we think. You work every day, seven days a week, you just hope nothing happens and nothing goes wrong. But so far, so good. We're pleased with the way he's been doing and we're ready for the race." Cont. p3 PUBLISHER & CEO Sue Morris Finley @suefinley [email protected] SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT Gary King @garykingTDN [email protected] EDITORIAL [email protected] Editor-in-Chief Jessica Martini @JessMartiniTDN Managing Editor Thursday, June 18, 2020 Alan Carasso @EquinealTDN Senior Editor Steve Sherack @SteveSherackTDN Racing Editor Brian DiDonato @BDiDonatoTDN Deputy Editor Christie DeBernardis @CDeBernardisTDN Associate Editors Christina Bossinakis @CBossTDN Joe Bianca @JBiancaTDN News and Features Editor In Memoriam: Ben Massam (1988-2019) ADVERTISING [email protected] Director of Advertising Alycia Borer Advertising Manager Lia Best Advertising Designer Amanda Crelin Advertising Assistant/Dir. Of Distribution Rachel McCaffrey Advertising Assistants Amie Newcomb Kristen Lomasson Photographer/Photo Editor Sarah K. Andrew @SarahKAndrew GI Belmont S. contender Max Player (Honor Code) takes in the scene on the Belmont [email protected] main track after his morning gallop with Oscar Gomez in the irons. | Christie DeBernardis Social Media Strategist Justina Severni COLLMUS TO ‘PINCH HIT’ AT DEL MAR THIS SUMMER Director of Customer Service 5 Vicki Forbes Regular racecaller Trevor Denman will not announce races [email protected] this summer at Del Mar out of an abundance of caution related to COVID-19, so Larry Collmus is stepping in. Marketing Manager Alayna Cullen @AlaynaCullen Director of IT & Accounting WIFE OF CONGRESSMAN BARR DIES AT 39 8 Ray Villa Carol Barr, the wife of Kentucky congressman Andy Barr, [email protected] tragically died from a brain aneurysm Tuesday. [email protected] TODAY’S GRADED STAKES WORLDWIDE INFORMATION EST Race Click for TV International Editor 9:25a Jersey S.-G3, ASC -------------- NBCSN/TVG Kelsey Riley @kelseynrileyTDN [email protected] 10:35a Gold Cup-G1, ASC -------------- NBCSN/TVG European Editor Emma Berry [email protected] Associate International Editor Heather Anderson @HLAndersonTDN Newmarket Bureau, Cafe Racing Sean Cronin & Tom Frary [email protected] 60 Broad Street, Suite 100 Red Bank, NJ 07701 732-747-8060 | 732-747-8955 (fax) www.TheTDN.com TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 3 OF 10 • THETDN.COM THURSDAY • JUNE 18, 2020 Belmont Draw cont. from p1 "It would be great to win the Belmont or any Triple Crown race Sole Volante (Karakontie {Jpn}) (post two; 9-2), winner of the for any trainer," said Linda Rice, seeking to become the first GIII Sam F. Davis S. and second as the favorite in the GII Tampa female conditioner to win a Triple Crown race. "I think Barclay Bay Derby, returns on quick notice following a come-from- and I were going to fight over numbers five, six and seven. He behind optional claiming tally going a one-turn mile at got the outside. I got the inside. I'm excited about running this Gulfstream June 10. weekend." "I think he really needed that Three-time Belmont S. race," said co-owner Andie winning-trainer Todd Pletcher Biancone, who also serves as an will tighten the girth on both Dr assistant to her father, trainer Post (Quality Road) (post nine; Patrick Biancone. "Fitness, 5-1) and Farmington Road wise--he really just improved (Quality Road) (post five; 15-1). since that race and he came out The lightly raced Dr Post was a super fresh and happy. We were tenacious winner of the just like, 'You know what? Let's Unbridled S. in his stakes debut go. Let's take a shot at it.' He's a at Gulfstream Apr. 25 while pleasure to be around and we Farmington Road enters off a love him." fourth-place finish behind Nadal Max Player (Honor Code) (post (Blame) in the three; 15-1) handled his first test GI Arkansas Derby. versus winners with aplomb, New Normal: 2020 Belmont S. draw | Adam Coglianese The speed of the race figures capturing the GIII Withers S. to come in the form of Tap It to going 1 1/8 miles when last seen at the Big A Feb. 1. He Win (Tapit) (post one; 6-1), a very sharp wire-to-wire winner in a previously earned his diploma at Parx last December. salty Belmont allowance going 1 1/16 miles June 4. Cont. p4 TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 4 OF 10 • THETDN.COM THURSDAY • JUNE 18, 2020 The Live Oak homebred will break from the rail with Hall of the GI Arlington Million. Famer John Velazquez. If the above details are correct, the agreement doesn=t seem To align with required health and safety measures noticeably different from the offer that Arlington proposed but implemented in New York to mitigate risk and combat the the ITHA rejected as recently as June 8, when the two sides last spread of COVID-19, the Belmont S. will be held without aired their contract differences at a special IRB meeting that had spectators in attendance. been called to address the stalemate. That meeting was preceded by a weekend-long contract negotiation session mandated and mediated by the IRB. The only apparent difference in the terms seems to be that the >Tentative= Deal for Arlington Meet in Works cont. from p1 ITHA is now willing to accept what its leadership described 10 TDN could not immediately reach ITHA spokespersons to days ago as the main sticking point: Arlington wanted a contract confirm the negotiations. But the Daily Herald of suburban signed for both 2020 and 2021, while the ITHA only wanted to Chicago ran a story earlier Wednesday quoting ITHA president ink a one-year deal. Mike Campbell as saying, AAt this hour, we have a tentative The relationship between Arlington and the ITHA has been agreement. The devil could prove to be in the details.@ contentious for several years now. But the split widened Campbell said that Arlington=s corporate owner, Churchill considerably last August when Arlington management stunned Downs Inc., has attorneys Agenerating the initial draft as we Illinois horsemen by intentionally missing a deadline to apply for speak, which will then be reviewed by our attorneys and our a racino license after more than a decade of working with contract committee. I am hopefully optimistic all will be done in horsemen to get the Illinois Gaming Act passed as a way to time for tomorrow's meeting of the IRB.@ boost purses via other forms of betting. The Arlington notice stated the expected racing schedule Arlington=s decision not to pursue slot machines and table would be Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays with 2 p.m. (Central) games at the track took on heightened controversy because CDI post time. The stable area would open Aon or before@ July 6. has an ownership stake in a nearby competing casino and is The Daily Herald story reported that the agreement calls for aiming to open another near Chicago. no stakes program in 2020, including the track=s signature race, Cont. p5 HONOR CODE A.P. Indy — Serena’s Cat, by Storm Cat DOMINANT WINNERS ON BOTH COASTS CREED, MSW at Belmont by 7 ¾ lengths - $650,000 KEESEP yearling HONOR A. P., Santa Anita Derby (G1) by 2 ¾ lengths - $850,000 FTSAUG yearling HONOR A.