Close Inbreeding at Core of Tiztastic's LA Derby Win

Close inbreeding can be a hit-and-miss technique, but close inbreeding was an "in" factor for several horses who featured prominently in the two most valuable events at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots March 22. The New Orleans Classic Stakes (G2) was upset by a local hero, the Louisiana-bred Touchuponastar. The 6-year-old gelding is by another famed Louisiana-bred, Star Guitar, who in turn is the only significant son of Quiet American now standing in North America (although via his 1998 Kentucky Derby (G1) and Preakness Stakes (G1) winner, Real Quiet, he's also in the sire line of Midnight Lute). Quiet American, a son of Fappiano whose most significant victory came in the 1990 NYRA Mile Handicap (G1), now known as the Cigar Mile, was about as inbred as good horses get with Dr. Fager 3x2 and Cequillo 4x3, those strains coming through two closely related mares, Killaloe, dam of Fappiano, and Demure, the dam of Quiet American himself. Touchuponsastar is a Quiet American/Storm Cat cross, and a mare bred on the reverse of that cross, Quiet Giant, is the dam of Gun Runner, whose sons Hall of Fame and Sierra Leone (last season's champion 3-year-old male), finished second and third, respectively, in the New Orleans Classic. Coincidentally, Hall of Fame, has inbreeding 3x2 to Gun Runner's broodmare sire, Giant's Causeway, in the same positions that Dr. Fager appears in the pedigree of Quiet American. The Louisiana Derby (G2) was captured by another horse whose pedigree features close inbreeding, this being Tiztastic, who is 3x2 to Tapit, who features as grandsire of Tiztastic's own sire, Tiz the Law, and sire of Tiztastic's dam, Keesha. Rather surprisingly, the Louisiana Derby was Tiztastic's first victory on dirt, and also his first since last September. He did try dirt on his debut, but after an unplaced effort there, he switched to grass where he scored by 1 3/4 lengths over 6 1/2 furlongs in a Kentucky Downs maiden special weight, then followed up just 10 days later with a neck victory in the Sept. 8 Kentucky Downs Juvenile Mile Stakes at the same venue. Since then, Tiztastic had returned to the main track to the dirt for a series of solid, if not inspiring, performances in graded stakes events. A five-length second to one of the current leading Derby hopefuls, Sovereignty, in the Street Sense Stakes (G3), and a third in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (G2) completed his 2-year-old season. This term, he opened with a third in the Southwest Stakes (G3), behind Speed King and Sandman, and then a one-paced fifth in the Rebel Stakes (G2). In the Louisiana Derby, he came from well off a strong pace to hit the front a furlong out before staying on strongly to score by 2 1/4 lengths. Tiztastic is a member of the first crop of his sire, Tiz the Law, who was himself from the first crop of Constitution. Tiz the Law finished second to Authentic in the Kentucky Derby (G1), but that was a Run for the Roses contested in September in the COVID-hit year of 2020. Winner of the 2019 Champagne Stakes (G1) at 2, Tiz the Law had previously stamped himself as the dominant member of the crop through the spring and summer at 3, taking the Holy Bull Stakes (G3), Florida Derby (G1), Belmont Stakes (G1), and Travers Stakes (G1). He already has six first-crop stakes winners, including other grade 2 winners Scythian and Non Compliant. Tiztastic's dam, Keesha, was unraced, but is also dam of the Into Mischief filly, Interpolate, winner of the 2023 Ruthless Stakes, and runner-up in that year's Beaumont Stakes (G2). Keesha is half sister to the 2023 Appleton Stakes winner Steady On and to Shumoos (a daughter of Distorted Humor, the broodmare sire of Constitution) who was a group winner in England at 2, and who also took second in the 2011 Queen Mary Stakes (G2T) at Royal Ascot and Breeders' Cup Juvenile Sprint. Keesha's dam, Wile Cat, was another unraced mare, but is by Storm Cat out of Strategic Maneuver, one of the top 2-year-old fillies of her crop, and winner of four graded stakes as a juvenile, including the 1993 Spinaway Stakes (G1) and Matron Stakes (G1). That pedigree makes Wile Cat a full sister to the 2004 La Canada Stakes (G2) victress Cat Fighter, and half sister to Irish group winner Ishiguru and Danzig Withwolves, the third dam of Baby Max, winner this year of the Leonatus Stakes at Turfway Park. Tiztastic's sixth dam, Cold Reply, is closely related to the famous mare, Fanfreluche, as both are by Northern Dancer, and their dams both descend from the Teddy Wrack mare Reply. Tiztastic's next race is likely to be the Kentucky Derby, and if he were to prevail under the twin spires, he would be the second closely inbred individual in four years to do so. Rich Strike, whose pedigree has Smart Strike in identical positions to those where Tapit is found in Tiztastic, scored in 2022. The 3x2 cross of Tapit isn't the only notable feature to be found in Tiztastic's pedigree. In addition to two crosses of Fappiano through Tapit's broodmare sire, there is a third through Cryptoclearance, the sire of Strategic Maneuver, Tiztastic's third dam. Further, Tapit is a Seattle Slew-line horse and his third dam is Moon Glitter, where Tiz the Law's broodmare sire Tiznow is by a son of Relaunch, brother to Moon Glitter, both out of Foggy Note. There are a lot of similarities here with last week's Virginia Derby winner American Promise who is a reverse Storm Cat/Tapit cross to the dam of Tiztastic, out of a mare who is a Tapit/Distorted Humor cross (like Tiztastic's grandsire Constitution), and who is inbred to Tapit's sire, Pulpit, as well as having Relaunch/Moon Glitter.