Tonalist finally healthy for Peter Pan

ELMONT, N.Y. – Familiar combatants in turf stakes, trainers Christophe Clement and Jimmy Toner will square off in a graded stakes on dirt Saturday, when both send out runners in the Grade 2, $200,000 Peter Pan Stakes at Belmont Park.

Clement will send out the likely favorite, Tonalist, while Toner will saddle the main speed of the race in Fabulous Kid in the 1 1/8-mile Peter Pan, the local prep for the $1.5 million Belmont Stakes on June 7. Our Caravan, the winner of the April 5 Calder Derby, is the lone stakes winner in the field of seven for the Peter Pan, race 9 on a 10-race card.

A.P. Indy, in 1992, was the last horse to win both the Peter Pan and Belmont. Technically, Lemon Drop Kid, in 1999, is the last horse to have come out of the Peter Pan – he finished third – to win the Belmont. In 2010, the Peter Pan was replaced on the calendar by the Dwyer Stakes, from which runner-up Drosselmeyer emerged to win the Belmont.

Tonalist, fourth in his debut at Aqueduct, won a maiden race by four lengths at Gulfstream Park in January with Lasix and blinkers added.

Following his maiden win, Tonalist finished second to the front-running Constitution in a Feb. 22 allowance at Gulfstream. Tonalist was wide and fourth early before moving into second entering the far turn and chasing Constitution home.

Constitution came back to win the Florida Derby, while Wicked Strong, fourth in that allowance, came back to win the Wood Memorial before running fourth in the Kentucky Derby.

Tonalist was being pointed to the Wood Memorial before a lung infection following a March 27 work forced him to miss the race. Additionally, Tonalist had issues with his feet that prompted Clement to train him in bar shoes. The horse will run in regular shoes in the Peter Pan.

“We think the bar shoe protected him in his training,” Clement said. “My main concern is I’d prefer a fast track than a sloppy track.”

There does not appear to be much speed in this field, which could make Fabulous Kid dangerous. A son of Congrats, Fabulous Kid won his debut going six furlongs at Oaklawn Park on March 29, then came back two weeks later in the Northern Spur to finish third, beaten a length. He recently was transferred to Toner by owners Kalarikkal and Vilasini Jayaraman, the same owners of 2009 Belmont Stakes winner Summer Bird.

“He gives you a good impression,” Toner said. “He acts like a classy horse. He’s done everything right so far. We’ll see how deep he is.”

Trainer Todd Pletcher sends out the uncoupled entry of Matterhorn and Commissioner. Matterhorn, a son of Tapit, beat Tonalist last November in a one-turn mile at Aqueduct. But he finished last in the same allowance in which Tonalist was second before finishing third against older horses at Aqueduct.

Pletcher said following his maiden win that Matterhorn had a couple of issues, including a hind-leg infection and then an illness that delayed his return. Pletcher said he believes the third in his last start “was actually better than it looks on paper.”

Commissioner is coming off subpar efforts in a trio of graded stakes. Two starts back, in the Sunland Derby, he stumbled at the break and finished third behind Midnight Hawk and Chitu. In the April 12 Arkansas Derby, he lost his bridle in the paddock and was a handful thereafter.

“He got pretty fired up before the race,” Pletcher said. “He seemed to calm down going to the gate. I’m sure it didn’t have a positive impact on his performance.”

Our Caravan was close to a slow pace when he romped by nearly 10 lengths in the Calder Derby.

Tapicero, a winner of two straight races at Calder, and Irish You Well, a maiden who finished third in the Illinois Derby, complete the field.