Pope McLean will stand grade II-winning miler Tizdejavu at his Crestwood Farm near Lexington in 2011. A 5-year-old son of Tiznow , Tizdejavu will enter stud for $5,000 live foal.
Tizdejavu raced as a homebred for Michael Cooper and Pamela Ziebarth and now is owned by the latter. Tiznow, the 2000 Horse of Year and winner of the 2000-01 Breeders’ Cup Classic (gr. I), raced for Cooper and Ziebarth and members of her family.
Tizdejavu broke his maiden in his second start at 3 in a mile maiden race at Turfway Park. Three starts later he began a three-race, graded stakes win streak. He captured the Crown Royal American Turf Stakes (gr. IIIT), the Jefferson Cup Stakes (gr. IIT), and the American Derby (gr. IIT), all in front-running fashion. He also placed in the Secretariat Stakes (gr. IT) as a 3-year-old.
"He is by a true classic sire in Tiznow,” McLean said. “Milers make the best sires, and Tizdejavu was a force at the one-mile distance.”
Tizdejavu ended his career in similar fashion, winning three straight races wire-to-wire, culminating with a triumph in the Firecracker Handicap (gr. IIT) at Churchill Downs. Trained by Greg Fox, Tizdejavu won eight of 16 starts, including four graded stakes, and earned $693,153.
A Kentucky-bred, Tizdejavu is out of the winning Dixie Brass mare Remember When, who is a full sister to stakes winner Polished Brass. Tizdejavu is from the female family of grade I winner Birdonthewire.