Tiznow Is a Big Winner; Now It’s Up to Owners

Cee’s Tizzy, one of the fastest horses to ever race at Del Mar, finished third in the 1990 Super Derby, broke his knee and never ran again.

Ten years later, one of his sons, Tiznow, broke the Super Derby record, running 1 1/4 miles in 1:59 4/5, to win the $500,000 Louisiana Downs race by six lengths, the biggest winning margin in the stake since Sunday Silence’s six-length victory in 1989.

Saturday’s win at Bossier City, La., worth $300,000 to Tiznow’s owners, Cee Straub-Rubens and Mike Cooper, leaves them with a Breeders’ Cup decision to make. To run in the $4-million Classic, at Churchill Downs on Nov. 4, Tiznow would have to be supplemented into the race at a cost of $360,000.

“We’ll have to take a hard look,” Cooper said. “A performance like this shows that he has a lot of ability.”

Straub-Rubens, an octogenarian who lives in Irvine, raced Cee’s Tizzy and bred both Tiznow and his full brother, Budroyale. The Super Derby win should ease the sting for Straub-Rubens, who lost Budroyale on a $32,000 claim at Hollywood Park in 1995 and has seen the veteran gelding go on to almost $3 million in purses under different ownership.

“This is the best 3-year-old in the country right now,” said Chris McCarron, who didn’t need his whip as the Jay Robbins-trained Tiznow, on the lead early, put away Commendable at the quarter pole.

Commendable, still winless since his win in the Belmont Stakes, finished second, one length ahead of Mass Market.

Horse Racing Notes

Another fast horse from Southern California, Walkslikeaduck, won the $150,000 Bay Meadows Breeders’ Cup Derby Handicap. Walkslikeaduck, ridden by Eddie Delahoussaye for trainer Paddy Gallagher, covered 1 1/8 miles in 1:46 2/5, breaking the course record. . . . L’effaceur won the $100,000 Pomona Derby by 3 1/2 lengths as Spicy Stuff, the 4-5 favorite, ran last at Fairplex Park.