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Tiz Dashing set for stakes debut in Listed $150K Awad

by Keith McCalmont

Sackatoga Stable’s Tiz Dashing will make his stakes debut in Saturday’s Listed $150,000 Awad, a 1 1/16-mile outer turf test for juveniles, at Belmont at the Big A.

Trained by Barclay Tagg, the $215,000 weanling purchase at the 2022 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Mixed Sale is a son of Tiz the Law, who proudly represented these connections in a stellar 2020 campaign with Grade 1 wins in the Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park, Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets at Belmont Park and the Travers at historic Saratoga Race Course.

Tiz Dashing [post 5, John Velazquez] trained extensively over the Saratoga main track with weekly timed workouts from June 12 through August 2 before taking to the Oklahoma training turf and breezing five-eighths in 1:03 flat on August 12.

Three works later, on September 13, he covered five-eighths over the Oklahoma training turf in a bullet 1:00 flat and promptly won his debut on September 20 here by rallying to a neck score in a six-furlong maiden special weight under Hall of Famer John Velazquez. There, he tracked wide from fifth-of-7 before advancing four-wide on the turn and then gained rapidly from the eighth-pole home to best the favored Hit That Review in a final time of 1:09.69. The winning effort registered a 65 Beyer Speed Figure.

Sackatoga Stable’s Jack Knowlton said Velazquez will retain the mount for the Awad as Tiz Dashing stretches out in distance for the first time.

“We feel strongly that Tiz Dashing is going to relish going further,” Knowlton said. “His first race was very encouraging. Johnny Velazquez feels very positive about him and Barclay does, too.

“Jumping into a stakes race is a big jump up but we feel very good about him, and he's trained real well,” Knowlton added.

Tiz Dashing, bred in Kentucky by Camas Park Stud, is out of the winning Into Mischief mare Breaking Beauty, who is a half-sister to graded stakes-winner Osidy. His second dam is dual Group 2-winner Que Belle.

Stuart Janney, III’s Kentucky homebred Concord Green [post 1, Dylan Davis] will be out for redemption following a distant seventh last out in the local Grade 2 Pilgrim traveling 1 1/16-miles over yielding turf in the “Win and You’re In” event for the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf.

Trained by Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey, the War Front colt debuted in a 1 1/16-mile maiden special weight in August at the Spa, rallying from eighth-of-10 and 11 lengths off the pace to notch a three-quarter length victory over Davy Crockett, who graduated on Saturday here.

Concord Green, a half-brother to graded stakes-winner Scarlett Sky, is out of the winning Arch mare Mata Mua, who is a half-sister to graded stakes-winner My Impression.

Four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown will seek his third win in this event when he saddles maiden winner Aviator Gui [post 7, Manny Franco] and maiden Valuation Metric [post 4, Flavien Prat].

Three Chimneys Farm’s Kentucky homebred Aviator Gui, by Uncle Mo, is out of the Tapit mare Paulistinha, who is a half-sister to Hall of Famer Gun Runner. He landed third in his August debut on dirt at the Spa and overcame a troubled start last out to graduate in a local off-the-turf one-turn mile on September 28.

Klaravich Stables’ Valuation Metric, a $185,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase, landed fourth in Concord Green’s maiden score. The Munnings colt followed with a pacesetting runner-up effort when a neck back of Barricade and 2 3/4-lengths the better of the aforementioned Davy Crockett last out in a 1 1/16-mile turf route.

Rounding out a talented field are maiden winners Surfside Moon [post 2, Kendrick Carmouche] for trainer Chuck Lawrence, McDiesel [post 3, Ruben Silvera] for conditioner Rudy Rodriguez, the Michael Dini-trained Fully Authorized [post 6, Jose Lezcano] and Flamingproposition [post 8, Madison Olver] for trainer Derek Ryan.

The Awad is slated as Race 3 on Saturday’s 12-race card which also features the Listed $150,000 Athenia in Race 10. First post is 12:10 p.m. Eastern.

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