Tiz The Law Headlines 146th Kentucky Derby

Written By JR Duren on September 3, 2020 - Last Updated on June 17, 2024

Better late than never.

After enduring only the second multi-month delay in its illustrious 145-year history, the Kentucky Derby is set to happen at 7:01 p.m. EST on Saturday, Sept. 5, at the Churchill Downs in Louisville, KY.

Tiz the Law is the favorite as of the morning line odds. Thankfully for local horse racing fans, Florida horse race betting is legal and available throughout the state.

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Tiz the Law clear favorite in weak field

Per today’s morning line in The Sporting News, the top three favorites to win Saturday’s race are:

  • Tiz the Law: 3-5
  • Honor A.P.: 5-1
  • Authentic: 8-1

From there, the field takes a big leap into long odds. Thousand Words comes in at 15-1, then Ny Traffic and King Guillermo are next at 20-1. After that, four horses come in at 30-1 odds and the remaining eight horses are 50-1 long shots.

Tiz the Law

Of all the horses in the field, Tiz the Law likely makes the most convincing case to win the Derby. The New York colt comes from Sackatoga Stable and his trainer is Barclay Tagg. If the Sackatoga/Tagg combo sounds familiar, that’s because it is. The duo led Funny Cide to the 2003 title.

The colt’s pedigree is strong; he’s bred for stamina. His recent notable win came at the Champagne Stakes.

Honor A.P.

Whereas Tiz the Law has the signature owner and trainer, Honor A.P.‘s strength is his pedigree. Dam Hollywood Story was a mainstay at the Breeder’s Cup and amassed more than $1.1 million in earnings.

The Kentucky Derby’s profile of Honor A.P. notes the horse has performed well at prep races but has never shipped, leaving a big question mark.

Authentic

Perhaps all you need to know about this colt is his trainer: Bob Baffert. Baffert has trained five Derby winners:

  • Justify, 2018
  • American Pharoah, 2015
  • War Emblem, 2002
  • Real Quiet, 1998
  • Silver Charm, 1997

While his trainer is legendary, it remains to be seen if Authentic has the chops to become a legend himself. There’s no question the colt has speed but there are concerns that he’ll be able to hold up for all 10 furlongs.

Upset brewing? One-eyed, long shot sets sight on win

All puns aside, there’s one horse in the field who knows what it’s like to cross the finish line ahead of Tiz the Law: one-eyed gelding Finnick the Fierce.

Finnick the Fierce and Tiz the Law finished second and third, respectively, in a photo finish at Churchill in November.

Tiz the Law lingered in the lead group the entire race, while Finnick trailed the leader all the way until the home stretch. He overtook Tiz the Law at the last moment, as the announcer chirped:

“Tiz the Law has been beaten … Finnick the Fierce photoed with Tiz the Law, who was a tough-luck third.”

Other Churchill news: Miami’s Calder Casino is open

On Monday, Churchill Downs Incorporated (CDI) announced that it reopened its Calder Casino property in Miami Gardens.

Company CEO Bill Carstanjen said CDI has been working hard to ensure a safe reopening at the popular Miami casino. Carstanjen said:

“With the reopening of our Calder Casino, CDI will have all of our gaming properties back in operation across the country. We are grateful to our teams who have ensured smooth, safe and successful reopenings at our properties and to our returning guests who have enthusiastically adapted to new protocols.”

Calder requires that guests wear face masks. Casino staff will do temperature checks of everyone who enters the property, and there are numerous hand sanitizer dispensers and Plexiglas barriers on the gaming floor.

The casino is open seven days a week. Its hours are limited to comply with the local curfew: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

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Written by
JR Duren

J.R. Duren has covered the gambling beats for more than a dozen states for Catena Media since 2015. His past reporting experience includes two years at the Villages Daily Sun, and he is a first-place winner at the Florida Press Club Excellence in Journalism Contest.

View all posts by JR Duren