March 23, 2025
TORONTO — By Matthew Lomon
‘Tiz the Time
Tiztastic stunned his foes and Fair Grounds’ Saturday afternoon crowd with a brilliant 2 ¼-length victory in the $1 million Louisiana Derby (G1).
Closing as the field of 10’s fifth choice, Tiztastic, at 7-1, showed incredible patience before storming ahead in the late stages for the convincing score.
The breakthrough moment felt long overdue for the Steve Asmussen trainee, who had been held out of the winner’s circle in four starts leading up to the 1 3/16-mile contest (1-2-0).
With the confident triumph, Tiztastic also punched his ticket to May’s Kentucky Derby (G1) at the iconic Churchill Downs.
Astute bettors were rewarded with a $17 payout on a $2 win bet.
Count on Me
A slew of scratches ahead of the $500,000 New Orleans Classic (G2) – the undercard tilt on Fair Grounds’ scintillating Saturday card – opened the door for homegrown hero Touchuponstar to steal his first graded victory.
Leaving the condensed five-horse affair from post three, Touchuponstar rocketed to the front of the pack and stayed there throughout for the smooth 2 ¼-length tally.
With the win, the Timothy Thornton trainee has now come out on top in 15 of 21 career starts and landed in money every single time (15-4-2).
Touchuponstar’s understated dominance was fruitful for bettors yet again, paying an even $15 at 6-1.
High IQ Play
While everybody else in Saturday’s $776,364 Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3) was busy playing checkers, Final Gambit, at 15-1, was playing chess.
Under the steady hand of rider Luan Machado, the 3-year-old colt patiently weaved his way through the crowded field of 11 hopefuls en route to the upset victory.
In three starts prior to the Jeff Ruby, Final Gambit had only competed at the maiden level. In fact, it took until his third start to clinch that elusive first win.
Fortunately, that’s all in the past now as the Brad Cox charge is a graded stakes champion.
The sizzling effort on Saturday at Turfway Park paid $32.64.
No Panic
For journeyman Red Route One, Saturday’s $500,000 Essex (G3) at Oaklawn Park was just another day at office.
While it took a minute to get out of bed, the reliable 25-start veteran knew exactly what he needed to do to get across the finish line first.
A gradual climb towards the top of the group later became quite obvious, as Red Route One bolted ahead for the decisive 4 ½-length decision.
The fourth graded win of the 5-year-old’s excellent career also pushed him over the $2 million mark.
At 5-1, Red Route One paid $12.40.
I’ll Get There
A slow start to Saturday’s $101,500 San Luis Rey (G3T) didn’t deter Atitlan from delivering when it mattered most.
After being parked near the back of the 8-horse affair for what felt like forever, Atitlan pulled off a dazzling maneuver to slide outside and break away for the two-length triumph.
The impressive outing ended a brief three-race winless drought that started after his Twilight Derby (G2) tally, also at Santa Anita, on Oct. 26.
Atitlan kept up the theme of underdogs outperforming their billing, paying a cool $20.20 at 9-1.