November 2000

In an effort to promote its meet as an international stage, officials of the Oak Tree Racing Association adopted England's Goodwood Race Course as its sister track. They named a stakes race for Goodwood, and Goodwood reciprocated with a race called the Oak Tree Stakes. In recent years, the Goodwood Handicap has jumped up in prestige to become a marquee event on Oak Tree's stakes calendar.

Ever since Ferdinand followed his Goodwood victory with a win over Alysheba in the 1987 Breeders' Cup Classic, the grade II event has become part of Breeders' Cup Ltd.'s national stakes program and a world stage all its own. Disqualified and placed third for a bumping mishap in the 1996 Goodwood Breeders' Cup Handicap, Georgia Ridder's Alphabet Soup proved his win out west was hardly a fluke when he carried jockey Chris McCarron to a stunning upset over defending champ Cigar in that year's Breeders' Cup Classic at Woodbine. Three other Goodwood winners have gone on to second-place finishes in the Breeders' Cup, including last year's game and gutsy California-bred, Budroyale.

Standing at the brink of international attention this year is a 3-year-old Cal-bred named Tiznow, Budroyale's little brother, and he's as game and gutsy in his own right.

Two weeks since his record-breaking performance over Belmont Stakes winner Commendable in the grade I Louisiana Derby, Tiznow teamed up with McCarron and went into battle once again. Not Breeders' Cup-eligible, Cecilia Straub-Rubens and business manager Michael Cooper said they would seriously consider supplementing the Cee's Tizzy colt to the Breeders' Cup Classic if he ran well in the Goodwood Handicap. To achieve that objective, Tiznow would also have to show he was good enough to beat Captain Steve. The Bob Baffert-trained runner dusted Tiznow the last time they had met in the Swaps Stakes at Hollywood, and had beaten older horses in the Kentucky Cup Handicap in his most recent start.

The stage was set. Just the day before, 3-year-old Albert the Great had captured the Jockey Club Gold Cup in New York as Lemon Drop Kid, the leading older horse in training, finished up the track and Kentucky Derby winner Fusaichi Pegasus didn't even start. Albert the Great had defeated Preakness winner Red Bullet in the Dwyer Stakes over the summer and was a good third to Pegasus in the Jerome Stakes. What was this saying about Tiznow's chances for national honors?

Tiznow's camp got its answer soon enough. No one wanted to lead out of the gate, so McCarron and Tiznow gladly took it. With his ears pricked eagerly, the 7-5 favorite led the pack through early fractions of :23 1/5 and :47. Captain Steve joined them on the backstretch, but he was being hustled to keep pace with Tiznow.

Captain Steve tried to pass the Cal-bred at the top of stretch, but Tiznow, under just a hand ride, seemed to hit a new gear. He crossed under the wire a half-length in front in the good time of 1:47 2/5 for 1 1/8 miles, as Euchere closed steadily to finish third, a further one and a quarter lengths behind Captain Steve. The stakes record of 1:46 3/5 is held by 1993 California-bred Horse of the Year Bertrando, so Tiznow stands in very good company indeed. 

"He absolutely loves this game," said trainer Jay Robbins of Tiznow. "He has a lot of heart and determination, just like his big brother."

Not only did Tiznow (#8 pictured to left) emulate Budroyale with a Goodwood win of his own, but he became the first 3-year-old to capture this major Oak Tree classic. His share of the $500,000 purse was $240,000, which pushed his career total to $965,550 for four wins and three seconds from eight starts. The only time he has ever finished worse than second was on the occasion of his racing debut. After turning the tables on Captain Steve, he is ready to move on to the next level and take on Fusaichi Pegasus and Albert the Great in the Breeders' Cup Classic at Churchill Downs on November 4.

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