Tiz and The Iron Horse

re: Tiz and The Iron Horse

Larry Zap co-host Race and Sports Radio — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:21:40 GMT

nice piece...best kept secret in north american thoroughbred racing is a four year old son of Tiznow named Bullsbay...i picked him out for his current ownership group at the Keeneland yearling sale of 2005...Bullsbay will be heard from in 2009

re: Tiz and The Iron Horse

Michael Blowen — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 12:54:14 GMT

Steve, Great story...

re: Tiz and The Iron Horse

Bradgm — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 01:07:15 GMT

Steve, too much for this particular story, right? I was talking about a few blogs back when I was trying to convince you to write a book with all of your blogs and you said you didn't have enough blogs. I personally think you have enough stories to keep us reading for years. I'm sure a book is a huge amount of work so I'll just have to keep looking forward to the blogs on here, like you told me before.

Thanks for keeping us entertained and informed whatever form it takes.

re: Tiz and The Iron Horse

Steve Haskin — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 00:23:56 GMT

I never said I dont have enough. I said I have too much.

re: Tiz and The Iron Horse

Bradgm — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 21:55:21 GMT

And Steve, you're telling me you don't have enough for a blog compilation yet you're leaving things out? Don't sell yourself short. Oh well, maybe you can tell 'the rest of the story' at a later date.

re: Tiz and The Iron Horse

Bradgm — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 21:52:46 GMT

Helen, What I, at least, was talking about is the ease with which he has outdistanced his competition. He is doing it so easy and not struggling against lesser competition (if that's what we want to call these horses). BB, Curlin and Commentator are running against horses who supposedly aren't on their level, the others aren't putting them away in the same manner as Commentator..

re: Tiz and The Iron Horse

Helen — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 19:28:58 GMT

Yes Steve, I apparently read page 1 of 3 the way I calculate it. Didn't do me much good though, because I need the whole thing!

About Commentator, what difference does it make how many lengths he won by? Steve, your formula on how to beat Curlin taught me to look more at final times, 3/4 fractions, and splits (!). Big Brown (sorry, didn't mean to stir up the blob) won the Monmouth Stakes in a time 2 seconds faster than the Mass Cap. Yet no one at all even commented on his performance. Is Commentator's Mass Cap considered more impressive? To me his 14 length victory just means that his competition, for whatever reason, didn't show up.

re: Tiz and The Iron Horse

Steve Haskin — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 18:48:50 GMT

Helen, you've read part II in parts? Are you referring to the original magazine recap in 2001? Part II will have a good deal of that recap, plus other compilations and new stuff. I've tried to put it all together to tell the story in as much detail as I can get into 3,400 words. Perhaps those who can't plod through all those words can read it in installments. Believe it or not, there was still stuff I had to leave out.

re: Tiz and The Iron Horse

Helen — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 17:31:20 GMT

I couldn't wait to read partII of the Tiznow saga, so I cheated a bit and found it, or should I say part of it, on the internet. It must be a very long article... which is perfectly fine with me. Wouldn't want it any other way. One question I have been thinking about for a while is when did the thoroughbred become so fragile and delicate. Tiznow and GCauseway certainly weren't. So was it just within this decade? But partII kind of shows that even without a lot of work Tiznow was ready for a huge effort. Maybe he was just special. He's absolutely a gorgeous speciman, that's for sure.

re: Tiz and The Iron Horse

Bradgm — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 14:49:25 GMT

p.s. see you are doing the late night thing again, all those thoughts running thru your mind I guess.

re: Tiz and The Iron Horse

Bradgm — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 14:48:00 GMT

Right 14 lengths, I didn't read the final result, just watched the race and that was the guestimate by the announcer, but it sure looked easy. Here's an old guy I hope they can keep going til the BC Classic, the synthetic is a ? but he apparently trained on a version of it at Keeneland, right?

re: Tiz and The Iron Horse

Steve Haskin — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 06:57:40 GMT

Actually, it was 14 lengths :)

Do you realize that excluding his neck win in the Whitney, he's won won his other 12 races by an average margin of 10 1/4 lengths; unheard of. Even with the Whitney it's 9 1/2 lengths.

re: Tiz and The Iron Horse

Bradgm — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 00:40:07 GMT

Steve, Thanks, I'm kind of a weirdo I guess. I like to have it in writing on paper. Even if you aren't compiling your blogs, I am. I also copy the most interesting of the comments. Some for comic relief later on. 3400 words, that sounds like around a chapter in a smaller book, hey all your favorites and your travels. You need to get all of that out of your head so the rest of us can share it. We NEED another of your books. Like the one lady asked about poetry, now there's a part of horse writing that's ignored, you could fill the void. My favorite is the one about Landaluce. Not traditional but beautiful, I have it framed, my wife crys when she reads it. A poem about Lady's Secret, Eight Belles etc wow, go for it.

I started Dick Francis' new book, like Jerry Bailey said those jump jockeys are nuts.

I'm all over the place but did you see Commentator's 12 length victory? Wow, out for a stroll.

re: Tiz and The Iron Horse

Steve Haskin — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 00:20:32 GMT

No need to save it, Brad. They're all archived on the website. I'm hoping the two pieces together will provide a comprehensive history of Tiznow's two Classics.

re: Tiz and The Iron Horse

Bradgm — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 00:02:30 GMT

I'm lucky enough to be a speed reader Steve. But, even if I wasn't I'd read your story, looking forward to it. Only problem is it's a big file to save or print out, but I'll make the space. Interesting take on the KY Derby in England, saw my bud BHF asked about it.

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BIGHORSEFAN — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 23:51:17 GMT

Sounds like you think the same as I do. I think it's some kind of ploy to get more Euros over here. Not sure it's ever been the dream of the English to win the Derby, just the Darby (you get my meaning)

Look forward to Part 2.

re: Tiz and The Iron Horse

Steve Haskin — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 21:14:34 GMT

BHF, It should be interesting, but be prepared for an outcry when a real nice 3-year-old who deserves to be in the Derby gets left out for an all-weather English horse, who very well will be making his stakes debut in the Derby. and if an English horses does win and embarrass our crop of 3-year-olds, what's going to happen if he returns to England, leaving the Preakness and Belmont without the Derby winner, which is a possible scenario. Just looking at potential ramifications. but we'll see how it plays out.

I've just finished part 2 of Tiznow and will post Monday. Be warned however, it's 3,400 words. I couldnt tell the real story of the 2001 Classic and the lead-in to it in anything less. So, I hope you stick with it.

re: Tiz and The Iron Horse

BIGHORSEFAN — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 14:23:44 GMT

Steve, With your story it all comes back, just like I was watching it all over again. Someone recorded it for me, watched the tape but really didn't need to with your story. Was watching the Ryder cup in Louisville, can't wait to make a trip to Keeneland. Off subject a little but the Kentucky Derby thing in England should be interesting, what do you think? Hope your trip went well, sounds like you did all the things we'd all love to do.

re: Tiz and The Iron Horse

Kate — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 13:37:12 GMT

Real goose bump stuff. I went from ha-ha, to teary to oh wow,and finally to how grand.

re: Tiz and The Iron Horse

Steve Haskin — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 18:36:44 GMT

Rachel, I'm sending your hat and books out Fed Express tomorrow 2-day delivery, so you should get it by Tuesday.

re: Tiz and The Iron Horse

Steve Haskin — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 18:27:28 GMT

Davisondad, I'll start working on Part 2 in the next day or two. Gotta finish the story, right?

re: Tiz and The Iron Horse

joe — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 17:55:09 GMT

I attended several Cups in a row and the cold, back to back Tiznow triumphs are the standouts. The 2001 New York victory confirmed-put an "!"-on that gutsy- wouldn't be turned back- Churchill effort.

re: Tiz and The Iron Horse

Davisondad — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 17:17:22 GMT

Great Article! Going back and watching these races again, brings to mind one huge question...How in the world did all the breeders miss the fact that Tiznow was going to be a great stallion?? Look at the list of millionaires(20 of them) that he beat in just those two races!! Incredible!

How much did Colonel John look like his dad, in digging in and holding off the charging Mambo in Seattle, in the Travers?

I know that Da Tara has slipped a bit since the Belmont, but it is still possible we could see 3 Tiznow Colt's in the Breeders Cup Classic. Colonel John is in, Well Armed deserves to go after his game fight with Go Between, and Da Tara is still the winner of the most grueling of the Classics.

So here are my questions for Steve..

When will we see part Two?

Has any other horse ever beaten 20 future million dollar plus earners in just two races as Tiznow did in his BC Classic wins?

How often has a Sire had three offspring run in the same Grade I race, as happened in the Travers with Colonel John, Da Tara and Tizbig and could happen in the BC Classic?

Again, great article Steve!

re: Tiz and The Iron Horse

Steve Haskin — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 15:01:16 GMT

Pyro is running next in the $500,000 Indiana Derby on Oct. 4.

re: Tiz and The Iron Horse

josue555 — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 14:37:56 GMT

hi, steve i know this blog is about tiznow, but this is the only way i could ask you a question. seen that pyro is not runnning in either that mass cap or the super derby do you think that steve is going to make him a experiment and send him to the goodwood stakes in santa anita to see how he handle the track and base on that if he does well he will send curlin and pyro to the classi? or you think that the owners of pyro want him to run the jc gold cup and that why he not in this other races?