Doing it "Tiz" Way
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His sire won one for America.
He won one for a grateful trainer.
H. James Bond - a fixture on the New York circuit - captured one of New York’s signature races, as his charge Tizway took the Metropolitan Handicap (G1) by 2¾ lengths over Rodman in front of a Memorial Day Belmont crowd of 9,144.
“Today was his day,” Bond said of Tizway. “Well deserving for this horse.”
Well deserving indeed. Tizway completed his Met Mile in an outstanding 1:32.90, the fastest time for the race since Honour and Glory’s remarkable 1:32.81 in 1996.
Tizway was involved from the opening bell, as jockey Rajiv Maragh put the six year-old son of Tiznow on a solid early pace. Tizway ran stride-for-stride with Tackleberry through opening fractions of&ampnbsp 23:0 and 45:2, never trailing by more than one half-length at any point. The testing opening splits didn’t concern Maragh in the least.
“He was always running for me,” a jubilant Maragh reported after the race. “I really didn’t have to do much. We went off decent going into the first quarter and then we started gradually picking up, and that’s running into my horse’s style.”
As they rounded the turn, Tackleberry couldn’t keep up with Tizway, who found another gear as they hit the top of the lane. Several pursuers - notably Rodman, 3rd place finisher Caixa Eletronica, and 4th place finisher Aikenite picked up the chase at that point - but Tizway just kept on going.
“He’ll kill you with a high cruising speed. That’s what his weapon is.”
Indeed, Lockheed Martin’s research and development team would’ve had to work around the clock to develop one more potent.
It’s a weapon that Bond has unleashed here before. Tizway’s last appearance at Belmont - in last October’s Kelso Stakes (G2) - was also a winning one.
“I wish they would have the Breeders’ Cup here,” Bond joked.
Bond praised his horse’s consistency after the race.
“He tries every time. He couldn’t stand up on that (slop) at Charles Town, and still ran a game third and just missed second. I’m just fortunate to have him in my barn.”
The road to Grade I success has been a tumultuous one for both horse and trainer. After last year’s Met Mile, Tizway suffered a fractured wingbone. It was a tough journey back to the races for Tizway, one that would have been impossible, according to Bond, without the help of an extraordinary veterinarian.
“Dr. Alan Nixon from Cornell, thank you, thank you, thank you. He helped&ampnbsp put him back. He had a fractured wingbone. We (digitally) nerved that&ampnbsp foot, which was the right thing to do at the time to get him back for the fall.”
As for Bond, Grade I success has eluded him for nearly the past decade. Prior to today’s Met Mile, Bond’s last Grade I win came in the 2002 Wood Memorial with Buddha.
“It’s been a while,” Bond confessed.
Bond is certainly hoping that he won’t have to wait nearly as long for the next one. In the moments immediately following the race, Bond off-handedly mentioned Saratoga as the destination for Tizway’s possible start.
“I’ll probably look at the Whitney. (Saratoga) is our home base. We’ll back up from the Breeders’ Cup and basically start looking backwards and try to find the best spots for him.”
As to which Breeders’ Cup race he might ultimately point to - the Dirt Mile (which Tizway qualified for with his win today as part of the Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” program) or the Classic - Bond was non-commital.
“I know this horse will run a mile-and-a-quarter. It depends on what kind of horses are there at the end of the year.
“You and I all know what can happen.”
He smiled slyly. A nine-year grade I drought didn't cause him to lose faith. It's highly unlikely anything else will.
He won one for a grateful trainer.
H. James Bond - a fixture on the New York circuit - captured one of New York’s signature races, as his charge Tizway took the Metropolitan Handicap (G1) by 2¾ lengths over Rodman in front of a Memorial Day Belmont crowd of 9,144.
“Today was his day,” Bond said of Tizway. “Well deserving for this horse.”
Well deserving indeed. Tizway completed his Met Mile in an outstanding 1:32.90, the fastest time for the race since Honour and Glory’s remarkable 1:32.81 in 1996.
Tizway was involved from the opening bell, as jockey Rajiv Maragh put the six year-old son of Tiznow on a solid early pace. Tizway ran stride-for-stride with Tackleberry through opening fractions of&ampnbsp 23:0 and 45:2, never trailing by more than one half-length at any point. The testing opening splits didn’t concern Maragh in the least.
“He was always running for me,” a jubilant Maragh reported after the race. “I really didn’t have to do much. We went off decent going into the first quarter and then we started gradually picking up, and that’s running into my horse’s style.”
As they rounded the turn, Tackleberry couldn’t keep up with Tizway, who found another gear as they hit the top of the lane. Several pursuers - notably Rodman, 3rd place finisher Caixa Eletronica, and 4th place finisher Aikenite picked up the chase at that point - but Tizway just kept on going.
“He’ll kill you with a high cruising speed. That’s what his weapon is.”
Indeed, Lockheed Martin’s research and development team would’ve had to work around the clock to develop one more potent.
It’s a weapon that Bond has unleashed here before. Tizway’s last appearance at Belmont - in last October’s Kelso Stakes (G2) - was also a winning one.
“I wish they would have the Breeders’ Cup here,” Bond joked.
Bond praised his horse’s consistency after the race.
“He tries every time. He couldn’t stand up on that (slop) at Charles Town, and still ran a game third and just missed second. I’m just fortunate to have him in my barn.”
The road to Grade I success has been a tumultuous one for both horse and trainer. After last year’s Met Mile, Tizway suffered a fractured wingbone. It was a tough journey back to the races for Tizway, one that would have been impossible, according to Bond, without the help of an extraordinary veterinarian.
“Dr. Alan Nixon from Cornell, thank you, thank you, thank you. He helped&ampnbsp put him back. He had a fractured wingbone. We (digitally) nerved that&ampnbsp foot, which was the right thing to do at the time to get him back for the fall.”
As for Bond, Grade I success has eluded him for nearly the past decade. Prior to today’s Met Mile, Bond’s last Grade I win came in the 2002 Wood Memorial with Buddha.
“It’s been a while,” Bond confessed.
Bond is certainly hoping that he won’t have to wait nearly as long for the next one. In the moments immediately following the race, Bond off-handedly mentioned Saratoga as the destination for Tizway’s possible start.
“I’ll probably look at the Whitney. (Saratoga) is our home base. We’ll back up from the Breeders’ Cup and basically start looking backwards and try to find the best spots for him.”
As to which Breeders’ Cup race he might ultimately point to - the Dirt Mile (which Tizway qualified for with his win today as part of the Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” program) or the Classic - Bond was non-commital.
“I know this horse will run a mile-and-a-quarter. It depends on what kind of horses are there at the end of the year.
“You and I all know what can happen.”
He smiled slyly. A nine-year grade I drought didn't cause him to lose faith. It's highly unlikely anything else will.
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