Unbeaten Champagne Stakes (G1) winner Tiz the Law heads a field of nine entered for Saturday’s $300,000 Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) at Churchill Downs. The 1 1/16-mile event serves as the co-feature on the “Stars of Tomorrow II” program, featuring 12 races exclusively for two-year-olds, and is part of the Road to the Kentucky Derby series.
RELATED: Brisnet guide for coverage of the Kentucky Derby
The top four finishers in the Kentucky Jockey Club will receive points on a 10-4-2-1 scale toward a berth in a 20-horse Kentucky Derby field next spring.
A New York-bred son of successful first-crop sire Constitution, Tiz the Law broke his maiden impressively the first time out over restricted rivals at Saratoga. He carried his form forward to the prestigious Champagne, winning by fourth lengths, and his BRIS Speed ratings (97-93) have been solid. Manny Franco retains the mount.
Tiz the Law is campaigned by Sackatoga Stables and trained by Barclay Tagg, the same connections of 2003 Kentucky Derby winner Funny Cide, and the bay colt bypassed an attempt at Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) in favor of the Kentucky Jockey Club. He gets a start over the track at Churchill Downs and remains in the running for champion two-year-old honors following a 45-1 upset in the Juvenile.
South Bend is the main rival. Unbeaten from three starts, the Stanley Hough-trained colt scored his first stakes victory when taking the October 27 Street Sense on the opening day of the fall meet at Churchill Downs. Julien Leparoux guides the late-running son of Algorithms.
The top four from the Street Sense are all back for the Kentucky Jockey Club. Grade 3 turf winner Fighting Seabee finished second by a length when trying dirt last time, and the Kenny McPeek trainee merits respect with Brian Hernandez Jr. The other Street Sense returnees are third-placer Silver Prospector, a sharp maiden winner two back at Keeneland; and fourth-placer Shotski, who easily broke his maiden at Laurel Park before trying stakes foes last time.
Enforceable is eligible to draw support off a third to Maxfield in the Breeders’ Futurity (G1) at Keeneland. The gray Tapit colt broke his maiden over 1 1/8 miles at Saratoga two starts previously and Florent Geroux has the mount for Mark Casse.
Rounding out the field is Finnick the Fierce, a rallying fourth versus Churchill Downs allowance rivals last out; Indiana-bred stakes victor Two Last Words; and last-out turf maiden winner New Eagle.
