Kentucky Derby 2020: Sackatoga Stable's 5 keys to success

Sackatoga Stable managing partner Jack Knowlton is a man with an unwavering plan. And that has allowed the operation to succeed at a level its partners never dared to imagine.

Here are some of the unwritten rules that allowed Knowlton to hit paydirt with 2003 Kentucky Derby and Preakness champion Funny Cide and now with huge 2020 Kentucky Derby favorite Tiz the Law:

• Keep faith in trainer Barclay Tagg and assistant Robin Smullen from the moment a horse is targeted at auction. Knowlton is fond of telling partners and anyone else who will listen: “Barclay knows what to do with a good horse.”

• Limit purchases to New York-breds. Spend every dollar as if it is your own. Funny Cide was a $75,000 private purchase. Knowlton responded to a final nudge from Tagg to obtain Tiz the Law for $110,000 as a yearling at Fasig-Tipton’s 2018 Saratoga Sale.

• Keep the barn small to ensure hands-on contact with horses and partners. Sackatoga typically has four horses per year on its roster, although the emergence of Belmont and Travers victor Tiz the Law is allowing for some modest expansion.

• Operate with a long view. Although Tiz the Law secured an automatic berth in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Santa Anita by winning the Champagne Stakes at Belmont Park, the decision was made to spare the youngster the cross-country trek and the pressure that accompanies preparing for, and competing in, the Juvenile.

• When hard times arrive, as they did for a good number of years after Funny Cide, see the first unwritten rule.

Perhaps the most important thing to understand about Knowlton and the way he operates Sackatoga is to know that he never purchases a horse with Triple Crown glory in mind. He made that clear to all 35 of the investors who took their shot with Tiz the Law.

“When we buy a horse, we are looking for a horse that we think has a chance to run in a New York-bred stakes race,” Knowlton said. “You have no reason to expect a horse like Tiz the Law.”

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Many partnerships rely on bloodstock agents to scrutinize sales catalogues and procure racing prospects. With Sackatoga, everything begins and ends with Tagg and Smullen.

“They’ve got decades of experience with horses. They know horses inside and out, up and down,” Knowlton said. “They know what to look for. They know what they don’t want to end up with. As they tell me, they’ve got to live with the horse every day.”

Knowlton and his wife, Dorothy, live in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. Year after year before the pandemic, he was a regular at Saratoga Race Course’s summer meet, seeing first-hand how lucrative the program is for New York-breds.

Of more than 50 horses Knowlton has purchased in behalf of Sackatoga, only one was bred outside of New York. That runner was so forgettable he could not immediately recall the name during an interview.

Knowlton said of his allegiance to New York-breds: “The program is a great program if you are not looking to spend a million dollars. Historically, New York-breds have been reasonably priced. To some extent, that has changed. It may change even more after Tiz.”

Sackatoga has evolved into more of a national entity through the years. But the steady guidance at the top has not changed. Knowlton was class president when he attended high school in Sackets Harbor, N.Y. Leadership comes easily to him.

“He’s just one of those people who can get a group of people from all walks of life to walk in one line together,” said Jim “Spider” Webb, a thrilled investor in Tiz the Law.

It is easy to follow someone so knowledgeable and passionate about racing as Knowlton is. “He has a true love for the game. You can see it in his eyes,” Webb said. “You can see it on the backside in the morning.”

Knowlton seemingly connects easily with anyone and everyone. He understands that the surest bet needs to be a good time.

“He does a great job of making you feel as if you are a special person in this group,” Webb said. “He always finds time to have some one-on-one time with you. It’s been great.”

Knowlton arranged a Belmont Stakes viewing party at Pennell’s, a popular Italian-American restaurant in Saratoga. He created “The the Law Headquarters” by using an Embassy Suites ballroom for that purpose for the Travers.

Knowlton has one other unwritten rule and this is most important of all: Do the right thing. When investors buy into a horse, a significant donation toward aftercare is part of each package.