Kentucky Derby Horse Profile: Tiztastic

Mar 26, 2025 John Mucciolo/TwinSpires.com

Tiztastic wins the Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds. (Photo by Hodges Photography)

Winchell Thoroughbreds, Derrick Smith, Michael Tabor, and Mrs. John Magnier’s Tiztastic earned 100 points on the 2025 Road to the Kentucky Derby challenge series following his 2 1/4-length score in the $1 million Louisiana Derby (G2) at Fair Grounds on March 22. The Steve Asmussen trainee clocked 1 3/16 miles over the fast main strip in 1:56.20 under the guidance of Joel Rosario.

'He's stepping forward when he needs to”, Asmussen stated. “The horse has got a great mind about him. He ran a solid race, but I think there's more in him.'

Chunk of Gold, Instant Replay, John Hancock, and Built rounded out the top five and picked up qualifying points on a 50-25-15-10 structure, respectively.

The son of sharp young sire Tiz the Law debuted on July 27 at Saratoga and checked in fifth in a 6 1/2-furlong dash on the dirt. He graduated second time out on the lawn at Kentucky Downs and followed up his maiden score with a triumph in the lucrative Juvenile Mile S. at the same venue.

Tiztastic closed out his fine two-year-old season with a runner-up performance in the Street Sense S. (G3) and a third-place result in the Kentucky Jockey Club S. (G2), both over the Churchill Downs surface. The dark bay colt kicked off his sophomore campaign with a third in the Southwest S. (G3) at Oaklawn Park, prior to registering a fifth-place result in the Rebel S. (G2) in advance of his Fair Grounds tally. His lifetime line now reads 8-3-1-2, $1,549,800.

The colt was bred in the Bluegrass State by Capital Bloodstock and went through the sales ring on a pair of occasions. He brought $80,000 at Keeneland in January of 2023, prior to going to his current connections for $335,000 at the 2023 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.  He is the second black-type winner produced from the unraced Tapit mare Keesha, who is also responsible for Grade-2 placed stakes heroine Interpolate.

Tiztastic has earned Brisnet Speed numbers of 90-90-100 from three performances in 2025, and it’s an encouraging sign that his best figure came at his longest voyage to date. He has a great foundation under him with eight lifetime runs, with six of those being route races, and the three-year-old also has positive experience beneath the Twin Spires, as well.