Tommy Town Thoroughbreds LLC’s It Tiz Well lived up to her 4-5 favoritism in Saturday’s $300,125 Delaware Oaks (G3), scoring by a half-length with jockey Drayden Van Dyke aboard.
The dark bay filly stalked the early pace set by Proud and Fearless through splits of :24.28, :48.22, 1:11.87 and 1:37.16. The pair brushed in the lane, but It Tiz Well grabbed command soon after and stopped the clock in 1:43.55 for 1 1/16 miles over Delaware Park’s fast main track.
“She broke sharp and to be honest, she put us in a perfect spot, just off the lead,” Van Dyke said. “The two horse (Proud and Fearless) was going nice and easy with her ears pricked, so I did not want her to get to far away from me. But my horse was nice and relaxed the whole way and she kicked home very well.”
Proud and Fearless just kept her head in front of Actress to take second, while it was another 1 1/2 lengths back to fourth-placer You Know Too. Berned and Modacious completed the order under the wire.
It Tiz Well paid $3.60 for scoring her first victory since taking the Honeybee Stakes (G3) at Oaklawn Park on March 11. The three-year-old daughter of Arch broke her maiden by 10 lengths in her second try and followed that with a runner-up effort in the Santa Ynez Stakes (G2). She also captured an allowance/optional claimer at Santa Anita Park for trainer Jerry Hollendorfer before shipping to Oaklawn Park for the Honeybee.
It Tiz Well returned to California for a well-beaten third in the Santa Anita Oaks (G1) on April 8, and took a slight vacation before showing up to finish fifth, placed fourth via disqualification of another rival, in the June 17 Summertime Oaks (G2) last out. She now boasts an 8-4-1-2 career mark and $466,840 in lifetime earnings.
Bred in Kentucky by Allen and Susan Branch, It Tiz Well is out of the multiple stakes-winning Tiznow mare It Tiz, who is a half-sister to Canadian champion Solid Appeal.
