Nobiz Does Belmont by Jamaica Turf
Barclay Tagg Colt Switches Successfully to Turf; Wins Third In A Row
When trainer Barclay Tagg first laid eyes on Nobiz Like Shobiz, he told owner Elizabeth Valando that the colt was a potential Triple Crowner. Now he's a turf star.
Since his success with Funny Cide in 2003, trainer Barclay Tagg has been waiting for another special charge. This season he thought he'd found him in three-year-old Nobiz Like Shobiz, a homebred from the barn of Elizabeth Valando.
Indeed, Nobiz has turned into something special, but not in the way Tagg first envisioned. Tagg was convinced he had a Triple Crown prospect. Instead, he's found a grass horse.
Nobiz Like Shobiz creamed the competition in the Oct. 6 $300,000 Jamaica Handicap at Belmont Park. The Albert the Great colt out of Nightstorm, by Storm Cat did the distance of 1-1/8 miles in 1:46.80 on firm turf, surging past his eight rivals for a four length victory.
Thus far this season, Nobiz's best move on a dirt track came in the Wood Memorial, a Kentucky Derby prep race generally recognized as a Derby and Triple Crown influential run. Nobiz accomplished one of 2007's most powerful accelerations when he shot from the turn to the wire, winning the Wood going away. In the Derby he proved to be no factor.
Tagg had installed blinkers on the colt to cure his erratic lugging prior to the Wood. But the colt didn't pick up the pace after the Wood. His next best dirt effort came July 4th when he chased Any Given Saturday to a second place finish in the Dwyer Stakes, again at Belmont.
Two things happened after that race. One, Tagg decided to try the colt on turf, and, two, jockey JavierCastellano took Nobiz back in the Jamaica run.
Tagg said Nobiz is a very good horse, but it takes a lot out of a racer to have him on the "front end every single time." He further commented that he had wanted to run Nobiz back of the leaders, but he had been afraid to try that strategy with the unpredictable colt.
Castellano let it be in the Jamaica. Nobiz followed his jockey's lead to perfection. Castellano let War Monger take the lead without pressing Nobiz. Red Giant assumed a stalking position in second. Nobiz followed as far back as fifth, then sixth in the nine-horse field of three-year-olds.
A traffic jam temporarily held Nobiz and Castellano at midstretch. Castellano guided his mount through it, and once clear, Nobiz displayed the game his connections always believed he possessed. Red Giant finished a far back second. Pays to Dream got up for third.
The win was Nobiz's third straight on turf. Previously, he won the Kent Breeders' Cup Stakesat Delaware Park, Wilmington, Delaware Sept. 1, and the Aug. 6 National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame Stakesat Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York.
Tagg is pointing the colt to the November 25th Hollywood Derbyat Hollywood Park. Based on his Jamaica run, Tagg said, Nobiz should handle the 1-1/4 miles of the Hollywood Derby.
Nobiz improved his career earnings to $1,410,600 from seven wins in 11 starts.
