Cigar Mile winner Tonalist to get break before gearing up for 2016

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Christophe Clement was a man on the move well before sunrise Sunday, checking in on his stable at Belmont Park and working a few horses before catching an 8:30 a.m. flight to Southern California, where he hoped to cap a terrific weekend with another Grade 1 victory in the Matriarch at Del Mar.

On a chilly morning, Clement still was basking in his 1-2 finish Saturday in the Grade 1 Cigar Mile at Aqueduct, where Tonalist kicked home strong in the final quarter-mile to outfinish Red Vine and win by a neck.

It was Tonalist’s fourth Grade 1 victory. He has won Grade 1 races from a mile to 1 1/2 miles, that one coming in the 2014 Belmont Stakes.

“All our Kentucky friends kept telling me all year long that he was not a miler, he was a mile-and-a-half, plodding horse,” said Clement. “I kept telling them the race in the Met Mile was a very good race. The Westchester was a very good race. He’s not a plodder. He’s just a top-class horse at a mile to a mile and a half.”

Tonalist, a son of Tapit owned by Robert Evans, overcame a slow pace by running a final quarter in 23.23 seconds – according to Trakus – to win. His final time of 1:37.14 was the slowest Cigar Mile ever run in 27 editions, a product of a half-mile run in 48.50. He earned a 104 Beyer Speed Figure.

Though many horses with resumes less accomplished than Tonalist are headed to the breeding shed in 2016, Tonalist will be headed to Payson Park Monday morning for a 30-day break before gearing up for a 5-year-old season.

Clement said there are two scenarios for how that campaign could look. One would consist of the same schedule he had this year, which began in the Grade 3 Westchester at Belmont in May and included the Met Mile, Suburban, Whitney, Jockey Club Gold Cup, and Breeders’ Cup Classic. Or if Tonalist shows eagerness to return, he could be pointed to the Grade 1 Donn Handicap on Feb. 6 as a stepping stone to the $10 million Dubai World Cup at Meydan on March 26.

“If he’s doing well and I can do it, we’ll do the Donn and the Dubai World Cup,” said Clement. “If I think he needs more time, I’ll come back here. I don’t want to even think about it. I just want to worry about his wellbeing at the moment.”

Clement said while the World Cup is great financially, he believes it does little to enhance the son of Tapit’s potential value as a stallion.

“It’s a great race; it’s a lot of money,” he said. “Stallion-wise, it does not change his value whatsoever. The program in the states changes your value. If you go to Dubai, maybe you pay for it at some stage. You got to give him time at some stage to bring him back.”

Meanwhile, Clement said Red Vine also will van to Payson Park on Monday and point for a 2016 campaign. Red Vine was forced to steady behind a tiring Private Zone in midstretch, was swung into the three path by Joel Rosario, rallied in between Matrooh and Mshawish, and just got outfooted by Tonalist.
Clement said the goal for Red Vine in 2016 is to get him a Grade 1 victory.

“He really deserves it,” said Clement. “Let’s keep him sound. He ran a superb race.”

Matrooh and Mshawish, the third- and fourth-place finishers out of the Cigar Mile, also are headed to south Florida. Chad Brown, the trainer of Matrooh, said his horse could target the Grade 2, $500,000 Gulfstream Park Handicap on March 5 at Gulfstream as a prep for the Grade 1 Carter at Aqueduct on April 9.

Mshawish, trained by Todd Pletcher, was beaten only 1 1/4 lengths in his dirt debut in the Cigar Mile. He is a Grade 1 winner on turf, so his options are plentiful.

Private Zone, who was ridden awkwardly by jockey Martin Pedroza, finished fifth, beaten 4 1/4 lengths as the 6-5 favorite. Though Private Zone’s weapon is his speed, Pedroza tried to slow him down on the front end, a tactic that didn’t work.

Trainer Brian Lynch said veterinarians went over Private Zone on Sunday, and the horse was “none the worse for wear.”

He was flown back to south Florida on Sunday afternoon and will be given a break before also possibly targeting the Gulfstream Park Handicap, a race in which he was beaten a half-length by Honor Code this year.

Lynch said the owners “are going to give me some time let him down and start fresh” next year.