Breeders’ Cup Contenders - Tizway Leads The Field For The Classic Division

By Author: Lee Lane-Edgar
Total Articles: 365
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Tizway has clearly marked himself as the top older male horse on the East Coast, and possibly in the country. His victories in the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap and Grade 1 Whitney Handicap have shown that he is at the peak of his ability and probably the top contender for the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
He first has to either win or at least put forth a solid effort in the upcoming October 1st Jockey Club Gold Cup at 1 ¼ miles on dirt. He has never won at that distance and in fact finished third to Summer Bird in the 2009 running.
Tizway is not the same horse as he was in 2009. He has matured and developed as a six year old horse and shows every indication that he is ready to perform well in this race. His win in the Met Mile shows that he loves the Belmont Park track – perhaps it runs in the family, as his famous father Tiznow took the Breeders’ Cup Classic in 2001 at Belmont. He finished strongly in the Whitney in early August which was run at 1 1/8 miles, which indicates that another 1/8 of a mile should be no problem for him, especially since it is a one turn race.
His trainer James Bond got in ...
... a work on Thursday morning in preparation for the $750,000 Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park on Oct. 1st, drilling five furlongs in 1:01.34. Bond wanted to get his workout in on Thursday morning before forecasted rains came in the evening. His prior work was six days earlier on September 9th in which he breezed five furlongs in 1:01.26.
His splits were 25.20 for the first quarter, 37.20 after three furlongs, and came home his final quarter of a mile in 24.24 seconds, galloping out the three quarter miles in 1:14.85 over a fast track that was reported not to have too much spring in it.
Tizway will have one more work before he ships to Belmont for the Gold Cup. This final work will be his fourth work since taking the Grade 1 Whitney Invitational.
Trainer Bond was very pleased with the work and said that Tizway came out of the Whitney as good as he possibly could have come out of it.
In the Gold Cup Tizway is expected to face off with Flat Out again, whom he beat in the Whitney on August 6th by several lengths. Flat Out himself also loves Belmont Park, and holds the highest Beyer Speed Figure of the year for races over a mile. He received a 113 for his effort in the Suburban. Tizway will also face Grade 1 Travers Stakes and Jim Dandy winner Stay Thirsty, who is the undisputed leader of the three year olds.
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