Last updated: November 2, 2020
By: Emma Woodshut
US Horse Racing Preview
Breeders Cup 2020 Preview
Tiz the Law is one of the nation’s favorite horses in training, and after a great start to the year winning the Florida Derby and Belmont Stakes, all eyes were on the horse at the Kentucky Derby to see if he would win the 2nd part of the ‘Triple Crown’ this season. Unfortunately, down the final straight, Authentic managed to pip Tiz The Law to the post, which wasn’t meant to be.
Tiz The Law is ready to race
After a break from the track Tiz The Law is set to return with regular jockey Manual Franco on board at the Breeders Cup at Del Mar. The question for Barclay Tagg and the Owners is to decide which race to run the horse in. Jockey Franco will also likely share his opinions, so the right choice is made to aim to finish the season in style.
The Breeders’ Cup Classic is one of two possibilities for Tiz The Law, and the horse is currently 2nd favorite to win the race at 9/2 (5.50) +450, according to SBR. It would sign off a great season if Tiz the Law could win this flagship race, but naturally, the competition will be strong.
Improbable is red hot
Improbable is a horse in red hot form and the favorite at 4/1 (5.0) + 400. The form of the horse has been nothing but on the money, winning the last three races.
Looking into more details, Improbable featured in two group 1 wins at Santa Anita, followed by a win at Saratoga. As punters find out the hard way sometimes, horses can have their favorite tracks, so it is a positive for Improbable that is has won at Del Mar before, winning a race in 2019.
One further note for Tiz The Law fans is that Improbable is trained by Bob Baffert, who also trained Authentic, who beat Tiz The Law in the Kentucky Derby.
Authentic is also ready
The current Kentucky Derby Winner Authentic is also penciled in for the Breeders’ Cup Classic and will look to repeat victory over Tiz the Law again. Trainer Bob Baffert has two top horses scheduled to run in the race and will be confident of landing the Breeders Cup Classic and the big prize money which goes with it.
This race is sure to have a lot of attention if these three top horses do end up running in the race as it will be interesting to see where the money goes closer to race time. In the lead up to the day, the Breeders Cup Class odds will be provided by sportsbooks and sportsbookreviews.
Dirt Mile
Another race Tiz The Law could go far if he chooses to pass the Breeders Cup Classic is the Dirt Mile. Current odds for Tiz the Law to win this competitive race re 7/1 (8.0) + 700. The distance is slightly less than he has run over the past 5 races, but when running over a mile at Saratoga in October 2019 in the Champagne Stakes, Tiz The Law won well.
The Del Mar track could well be to Tiz The Law’s liking, but the Sportsbooks prices suggest that this race will be more difficult to win. Heading the Dirt Mile betting is a horse called Complexity. The 4-year-old horse has won 5 of 9 starts and is more suited to this trip.
Complexity won over a mile at Belmont Park earlier this month in a Grade 2 Handicap, and the other win this season includes another good performance at Belmont Park. The only consideration is that Complexity hasn’t come up against the type of horse such as Tiz The Law.
We’ve already mentioned Improbable and Authentic, and both these horses have an entry into this race as well. We will have to wait until closer to race day as to which races they are officially supplemented for, but whichever race it is, the showdown between these top horses should be one to watch.
Looking at other horses in the Dirt Mile who could be a danger for Tiz The Law include Vekoma. Trained by George Weaver, this horse brings pretty good form into the race.
The current Breeders Cup Dirt Mile odds for the Vekoma are 5/1 (6.0) + 500 and wins at Belmont Park in Grade 1 Handicap in June and July give the horse solid credentials of going well in this race. Vekoma comes into this race very fresh as having been off the track for a while.
Now looking back at Tiz The Law, the winning margin of his last 3 victories does give the horse outstanding credentials as the horse has shown a great turn of pace to leave rivals in his wake and the loss to Authentic in the Kentucky Derby was somewhat a surprise as both horses moved clear coming into the final straight.
The public backing in the past few races has made Tiz The Law favorite in each of its last 6 races, so we do suspect once the horse is officially supplemented into one of the two races detailed, that support will come, and odds will shorten.
The Breeders Cup is the pinnacle of racing in the US, and the positive for Tiz The Law is that as a 3-year-old, there is time to deliver more big race wins, but for trainer Barclay Tagg, a return to the winner’s enclosure in the Breeders Cup will end a great year.
Maybe the hype was too big heading into the Kentucky Derby, but the extra time off the track since that loss could be in the horse’s favor.
With Del Mar taking the central stage for the Breeders Cup this year, we await to know how many, if any, racegoers will be in attendance. Still, it will definitely not be full capacity, so racing fans will have to watch from away from the course, which is such shame as the quality of shown it of huge quality.