Michael Cooper and Pamela Ziebarth’s homebred TIZDEJAVU (Tiznow) had never
raced on the grass prior to Friday’s $181,950
Crown
Royal American Turf S. (G3), and with only a Polytrack maiden win to his
credit, it was no surprise that he was dismissed in the wagering at 21-1. The
Greg Fox pupil had lured Garrett Gomez into the saddle, however, and together
they sprang an upset in the 17th running of the turf contest for sophomores at
Churchill Downs.
With the scratch of early pace factors Prussian (Danzig) and Cape of Storms
(Cape Town), Tizdejavu seized the initiative as the controlling speed on the
yielding course, which had been pelted by afternoon rains. Under shrewd handling
by Gomez, the bay colt established fractions of :24 3/5, :49 and 1:13 4/5. Halo
Najib (Halo’s Image) took up a stalking position in second, while Nistle’s
Crunch (Van Nistelrooy), Cannonball (Catienus), and 5-2 favorite Sailor’s Cap
(Distant View) were also well placed early.
Tizdejavu delivered the coup de grace turning into the stretch. As he poached
a decisive lead in the testing conditions, most of his rivals began to toil.
Sailor’s Cap was the only one who rallied strongly inside the final furlong. He
gave the winner a brief scare, but his bid wound up being too little, too late.
Tizdejavu hung on by a neck while finishing 1 1/16 miles in 1:46, paying $44.60,
$14.40 and $6.80 and spearheading the $235.60 exacta, $1,388 trifecta and
$7,891.60 superfecta (5-9-2-6).
“They (the stalkers) were pretty much the whole way on him,” Gomez said. “He
kept finding more for me. The more I asked, the more he gave. He kept fighting
his way around there. He was starting to get a little tired. It’s deep out
there.”
Sailor’s Cap returned $5 and $4 for his game runner-up effort. Nistle’s
Crunch stayed on for third, another 1 1/4 lengths adrift, to yield $3.80 at 5-1.
It was another six lengths back to Halo Najib in fourth, followed by Blackberry
Road (Gone West), Boss Lafitte (Dynaformer), Cannonball, Processor’s Turf (Sky
Mesa) and Free Fighter (Out of Place).
Tizdejavu boosted his bankroll to $137,315 from his 5-2-2-1 line. After
breaking his maiden in his second start at Turfway Park, the Kentucky-bred
placed second in an allowance/optional claimer at that venue. Last time out,
Tizdejavu finished third in a solid allowance event at Keeneland.
The aptly named Tizdejavu was produced by the winning Remember When (Dixie
Brass), a full sister to Polished Brass, victor of the 1997 Sanford S. (G3).
This is the family of multiple Group 1 heroine Terre a Terre (Kaldouneeves
[Fr]). Tizdejavu has an unraced juvenile full brother named Gigaton.