Tiznow missed his two-year-old season due to a leg fracture.
2000: three-year-old season At three years old, it took Tiznow three tries to break his maiden, finally winning for the first time on May 31 by lengths. In his next start, the Affirmed Handicap on July 1, he defeated grade 1 winner
Dixie Union by a neck. In his next start, the
Swaps Stakes on July 23, Tiznow finished second behind
Captain Steve after a troubled trip. In the Pacific Classic, Tiznow faced older horses for the first time and finished second when Skimming got an early lead and kicked clear of the field. This was the first time he was ridden by jockey Chris McCarron, who quickly learned that Tiznow disliked the whip and adjusted tactics accordingly. "From that point on, that’s the way I rode him. I didn’t hit him a whole lot. I just tried to encourage him to run by chirping to him and moving my hands, and if I felt it was necessary, to show him the stick and tap," McCarron said. For his next race, Tiznow shipped to Louisiana for the $500,000
Super Derby, then a
Grade One race. He won in gate to wire fashion by six lengths under a hand ride, breaking the track record for miles. Returning to California for the
Goodwood Breeders' Cup Handicap, Tiznow grabbed the early lead and then withstood a challenge down the stretch from Captain Steve to win by a length.
The 2000 Breeders' Cup Classic Tiznow's final start of 2000 was in the
Breeders' Cup Classic, held that year at Churchill Downs. Tiznow had to be supplemented to the field at a cost of $360,000 as he was not nominated as a foal. The field included Irish champion
Giant's Causeway,
Kentucky Derby winner
Fusaichi Pegasus,
Belmont Stakes winner
Lemon Drop Kid, and
Jockey Club Gold Cup winner Albert the Great. Tiznow and Albert the Great went to the early lead while being stalked by Giant's Causeway. As they entered the stretch, Albert the Great started to give way, but Giant's Causeway was closing fast on the outside. Giant's Causeway almost got even, but Tiznow rallied to win by a neck. The race was voted the
NTRA Moment of the Year. Days after the Breeders' Cup, Straub-Reubens died, leaving her share of the horse to her children. In January 2001, Tiznow received
Eclipse Awards for 2000
Horse of the Year and
Champion Three-Year-Old. He was the first California-bred to receive these honors since
Swaps in 1956.
2001: four-year-old season Tiznow started his 4-year-old campaign by winning the
San Fernando Breeders' Cup Stakes, then finishing second to Wooden Phone in the
Strub Stakes. At high weight in the
Santa Anita Handicap, Tiznow dueled with Wooden Phone for a mile before drawing away to win by 5 lengths. Tiznow then missed a good portion of the year due to back problems and came into the Classic off defeats in the
Woodward Stakes and the Goodwood Handicap.
The 2001 Breeders' Cup Classic The 2001 Breeders' Cup was held in October at
Belmont Park, twelve miles away from
Ground Zero and under heavy security. It was six weeks and four days after the terrorist attacks that took place just miles to the west in Lower Manhattan, but the 2001 Breeders' Cup went ahead as planned, with armed marksmen lining the rooftop at Belmont Park. The field for the Classic included European superstars
Galileo (
Epsom Derby and
Irish Derby winner), and
Sakhee (
Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner), who were both racing on dirt for the first time. Tiznow was the fourth betting choice in a field of thirteen. Tiznow tracked the leaders down the backstretch and made his move on the turn where he swung five wide. He dueled with Albert the Great but could not get by, and then both were overtaken mid-stretch by Sakhee. McCarron hit Tiznow once left-handed, and the horse responded with a final lunge to win by a nose as track announcer Tom Durkin called, "Tiznow wins it for America!" The race was again voted the NTRA Moment of the Year. Sakhee was a close second, and Albert the Great was two lengths back in third. Tiznow is the only racehorse to win the Breeders' Cup Classic twice. He was inducted into racing's Hall of Fame in 2009.
Race record ==Retirement and stud career==