Tizway, one of the top contenders for the Breeders’ Cup Classic (gr. I), will miss the race with a ligament injury. Trainer Jim Bond confirmed the 6-year-old horse has been retired.
Bond said the injury was detected the morning of Oct. 25 after a routine training session at Belmont Park. After being brought back to the barn he noticed some heat on his left front leg and some swelling. An ultrasound confirmed a “small lesion” on his ligament.
“It’s devastating for everyone,” Bond said. “It’s just so tough to take. I really wanted to prove to the world that he was a 1 1/4-mile horse. He’s such a great horse; one of the best I’ve ever had. Hopefully I will get to train some of his children down the road.
“Normally, with an injury like this you would just give him a couple months off and he’d be back. But because of the special circumstances around him he’ll be retired.”
Bond said Tizway will remain at Belmont for about a week until being sent to Spendthrift Farm in Lexington. Spendthrift bought the breeding rights to Tizway from owner William Clifton Jr. in a deal that was announced in August. The BC Classic was going to be his final race, win or lose.
Tizway was expected to be one of the top betting choices in the Nov. 5 Classic based on his consecutive wins in the May 30 Metropolitan Handicap (gr. I) and Aug. 6 Whitney Invitational Handicap (gr. I). He missed the Oct. 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup (gr. I) with a fever. Bond was hopeful that his star could train up to the Classic, and had been doing very well in recent weeks including a sharp one-mile work Oct. 12.
The dark bay/brown horse won seven of 20 career starts for earnings of more than $1.3 million. He won the Kelso Handicap (gr. II) last year en route to the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (gr. I), where he placed fifth.
Tizway was bred in Kentucky by Whisper Hill Farm and is out of the Dayjur mare Bethany.
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