Tiz the Law staying on track to Derby

"It coulda been good

It coulda been something special

It may have had real potential

It never could show"

 

Why listen to "Following Through" by The Dismemberment Plan — a song of resignation, tinged with thoughts of what might have been — when the only Kentucky Derby (G1) prep of the week was the Florida Derby (G1)?

Didn't the Florida Derby happen exactly the way it should have, with Tiz the Law, the towering leader of the East Coast 3-year-olds, drawing clear to a dominant, 4 1/4-length victory?

"We may have been on the right track

Finding all the pieces we lack

But what can you do?

Now I see that these are cards we drew some time ago"

Any other year he would top most lists as likely Kentucky Derby favorite, but this isn't most years.

As 2019 faded into 2020, Tiz the Law, just like every other Derby prospect, had a campaign set to culminate in the Triple Crown. The goal was to be perfectly sharp on the first Saturday in May, and if he prevailed that day, his connections could then do their best to keep him in top shape through the most crucial five weeks of the season.

Now he must either stay good or rest and peak again. And he must keep pace with the later-blooming 3-year-olds — the Will Take Charge types, the Arrogate types, the ones with skill, stamina, but not the precocity of others in their class.

"I can do it anywhere with anyone at any time, don't you forget

This is my life and it's going to be good, don't you know?"

Though resignation soaks the verses of "Following Through," the chorus paints a ray of light, pointing five months in the future.

Tiz the Law has won at multiple tracks, progressed from age 2 to 3, and stayed the mile and an eighth of the Florida Derby with strength. Though a new challenger can emerge, Tiz the Law has given his team as much reason for confidence as any horse in his class.

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