Belmont Stakes winner Tiz the Law has been forced into an earlier-than-planned retirement from horse racing after an X-ray revealed bone bruising in the colt's front leg, according to Associated Press. The retirement comes on the suggestion of a veterinarian.
Sackatoga Stable, the ownership group behind Tiz the Law, was expecting the colt to race as a 4-year-old, but that will no longer be the case. The organization offered a statement on the retirement through Twitter.
We are saddened to say that Tiz the Law has been retired based on veterinary advice. We were very much looking forward to his 4yo campaign, but his longterm health is paramount. We are beyond grateful for the time we had with him. #tizthelaw https://t.co/4hP8EHMlRa
— Sackatoga Stable LLC (@sackatogastable) December 30, 2020
The stable added that the bone bruising found in the colt's leg was "severe" meaning that a trainer "can't continue to train and race a horse without a significant threat of a catastrophic breakdown." In other words, Tiz the Law was on the verge of a life-threatening injury had a medical professional not come in with the recommendation of retirement.
In his nine career starts, Tiz the Law had six wins and earned $2,735,300, according to Equibase. His retirement coincides with the birthday of his trainer, Barclay Tagg, who turned 83 years old. His last race was the $6 million Breeders' Cup Classic at Keeneland in November. He finished in sixth place there, and finished in second place, behind Authentic, in the Kentucky Derby on Sept. 5.
His big win of the year came at the Belmont Stakes, which was moved to be the first of the three Triple Crown races due to the order being shuffled because of the coronavirus pandemic.
