Tonalist, Honor Code set to clash in BC Classic

ELMONT, N.Y. – Tonalist, who was sensational winning the $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup, and Honor Code, who was subpar running third in the $400,000 Kelso Handicap on Saturday at Belmont Park, remain on course for a meeting in the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Keeneland on Oct. 31, their connections said Sunday.

Tonalist “came back in good order” following his 4 3/4-length romp in the slop in the Jockey Club Gold Cup, trainer Christophe Clement said Sunday morning. Tonalist was assigned a 111 Beyer Speed Figure for the Gold Cup, equaling his career best earned winning the Grade 2 Westchester earlier this year.

Clement said he would keep Tonalist at Belmont Park as long as possible before shipping to Keeneland. Tonalist always has done well racing and training at Belmont.

“Since he came back from Saratoga, there’s no doubt in my mind that he’s trained the best that he’s trained all year long,” Clement said Sunday.

Entering the Gold Cup, Clement said he was thinking about putting blinkers on Tonalist for the Breeders’ Cup so the horse doesn’t get too far out of it at Keeneland, a track typically unkind to horses that come from far back. However, based on the way Tonalist raced Saturday, Clement said he may be less inclined to put blinkers on the colt.

“We don’t have to decide that today, but I’m going to think about it,” Clement said. “At Keeneland, I think it’s very important to have some kind of a position, and blinkers might just help me a little bit to get that position, but I’m not sure. As you saw yesterday, he was not that far back at any stage of the race. He might get more pace in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.”

More pace is what trainer Shug McGaughey is counting on for Honor Code in the BC Classic. Honor Code, who took advantage of hot paces to win the Metropolitan Handicap and Whitney Stakes, did not get much of a pace to close into when he finished third to Appealing Tale in Saturday’s Grade 2 Kelso Handicap.

Despite the loss, Honor Code remains on track for the BC Classic, according to McGaughey, who said his confidence has not waned.

“No,” McGaughey said. “I think we’re in good shape.”

McGaughey blames Honor Code’s Kelso performance on the “pace not being a little stronger, the condition of the track.”

McGaughey believes there’ll be more pace in the BC Classic.

“I think there’ll be one with what’s going to be in there,” McGaughey said. “They gun American Pharoah away from there, [and] there’ll be something to go with him.”

That something could be Liam’s Map, who won the Woodward after setting torrid fractions before being caught by Honor Code in the Whitney. Liam’s Map, who was expected to work out Monday at Keeneland, will likely be pre-entered in the BC Classic and BC Dirt Mile, trainer Todd Pletcher has said.

If Liam Map runs in the BC Classic, Clement said he would be inclined to run Kelso runner-up Red Vine in the BC Dirt Mile. Red Vine finished second, 1 3/4 lengths behind loose-on-the-lead winner Appealing Tale in the Kelso. Appealing Tale is expected to be pre-entered in the BC Dirt Mile and BC Sprint but more likely to run in the BC Dirt Mile.

Wicked Strong, second in the Gold Cup, could be pointed to the BC Dirt Mile. Effinex, third in the Gold Cup, will be under consideration for the BC Classic, according to Russell Cohen, the racing manager for his family’s Tri-Bone Stable.

Stephanie’s Kitten, who won the Grade 1 Flower Bowl Stakes for the second year, will try to improve upon her second-place finish in last year’s BC Filly and Mare Turf on Oct. 31 at Keeneland.

Stephanie’s Kitten, who relishes soft turf, ran down stablemate Danza Cavallo to win the Flower Bowl by 1 1/2 lengths, her 10th victory from 24 career starts. Stephanie’s Kitten, who pushed her career earnings to $3,192,904, earned a 100 Beyer Speed Figure for the effort.

“She was training straight and strong, and she’d given us a strong indication she was rounding back into form with her Beverly D. run, and then she improved even further off of that race,” trainer Chad Brown said Sunday. “She ran a flawless race yesterday.”

Brown said Danza Cavallo likely would not go to the Breeders’ Cup but instead point to the Long Island Handicap at Aqueduct, a race in which she was defeated a neck last year.

Brown plans to run Watsdachances, fourth in the Flower Bowl, and Dacita, whom he kept out of the Flower Bowl due to course condition, in the Breeders’ Cup.

Brown said he felt Watsdachances was compromised by a lack of pace in the Flower Bowl.

Greenpointcrusader came out of his 4 3/4-length victory in the Grade 1 Champagne in good order and will go on to the $2 million BC Juvenile “as long as he’s doing well,” trainer Dominick Schettino said Sunday.

Greenpointcrusader, who earned a 94 Beyer Speed Figure, gave Schettino his first Grade 1 win, and he would represent Schettino’s first Breeders’ Cup starter.

Schettino said it “absolutely” means something.

“You work all these years to try and get there,” he said.

Schettino said Greenpointcrusader would get to Keeneland in time to have his final workout over the track for the BC Juvenile.

Nickname came out of her victory in the Grade 1 Frizette in good order, said trainer Steve Asmussen, who sent out Inheritance to a 14 1/2-length maiden win Sunday for the same connections. Asmussen said he would discuss options for both fillies with the Alex Solis and Jason Litt, the stable managers for owners Larry, Nancy, and Jamie Roth.