Tacitus (TAPIT) made a statement yesterday, taking the Suburban S. (G2) by nearly nine lengths, earning a 100 Beyer Speed Figure, the third triple-digit Beyer of his career.
The Bill Mott trainee put blinkers back on after a slow start to his 2020 globe-trotting campaign, and Johnny Velasquez rode back from his last start at Oaklawn. Tacitus was explosive, passing rivals around the far turn and pouring on the class down the stretch, running away from a field that included Belmont Stakes (G1) winner Sir Winston. Tacitus completed the ten furlong circuit in 1:59.51.
Now a three-time graded stakes winner, Tacitus was runner up in last year’s Belmont (G1), Travers (G1) and Jim Dandy (G2) stakes, and also placed in the Kentucky Derby (G1) and Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1). The 4-year-old son of TAPIT has more than $2.8 million in earnings for owner/breeder Juddmonte Farms, surpassing his multiple Grade 1-winning champion dam Close Hatches.