Tiznow Works Toward Strub; Stevens to Ride Tribunal

Regular rider Chris McCarron was up as Tiznow breezed six furlongs over a muddy Santa Anita track Saturday morning for trainer Jay Robbins. "By my watch, he clipped off 'twelves' all the way around," said McCarron, who times all his own works. "He really enjoys his work."

Officially Tiznow covered the six furlongs in 1:12.20 and, according to McCarron, and galloped out strong, completing one mile in 1:40.

"That's a good sign," said pleased trainer Jay Robbins. "That's one more stop."

There was a bit of an anxious moment coming off the track as a horse in front Tiznow reared up, spooking the Breeders' Cup Classic champ who also reared, brushing the rail.

"That's a scare we didn't need," said a relieved McCarron. "It's obvious the work didn't take anything out of him."

Robbins reported that Tiznow and his problematic feet came out of the work in good shape.

In other Strub Stakes developments:

--Gary Stevens picks up the mount on Bob and Beverly Lewis $1.8 million yearling Tribunal from trainer Bob Baffert. Stevens, Baffert and the Lewises teamed to win the 1998 Strub with Silver Charm, setting the stakes record of 1:47.27 in the process.

--Wooden Phone breezed four furlongs Tuesday in :47.40 and will probably breeze again Wednesday, according to Baffert assistant Jim Barnes. Wooden Phone finished a length and-a-half behind Dixie Union in the Malibu and two lengths back of Tiznow in the San Fernando.

--Nurdlinger breezed six furlongs Saturday in 1:14.80 for trainer John Sadler, who was only half-joking when he said, "We're running for second." "He worked satisfactorily for it being an off track," said Sadler. "He seems to like the mud."

--Trainer Paddy Gallagher reported that Walkslikeaduck is unlikely to enter the Strub.

--"He's had a slight setback," said Gallagher, unwilling to elaborate. "We'll probably pass this one and maybe put him back on the turf."

Probable to the grade II, $500,000 Strub Stakes, with jockeys: Tiznow, Chris McCarron; Tribunal, Gary Stevens; Wooden Phone, Corey Nakatani; Nurdlinger, Tyler Baze and Jimmy Z, Laffit Pincay Jr. Possibles include: Capo Di Capo, Alex Solis.