Tonalist looms as a spoiler

ELMONT, N.Y. – Based on his powerful victory in the Peter Pan Stakes on May 10, Tonalist is regarded as one of the major threats to California Chrome and his bid to become Thoroughbred racing’s first Triple Crown winner in 36 years in the June 7 Belmont Stakes.

In April, foot issues prevented Tonalist from making the Wood Memorial, eliminating him from Kentucky Derby consideration. It is foot issues that have trainer Christophe Clement taking all precautions as he prepares the colt for the $1.5 million Belmont.

As he did in the weeks leading up to the Peter Pan, Clement has trained Tonalist in protective bar shoes. On Sunday, Tonalist wore those bar shoes during a five-furlong workout in 1:01.94 over Belmont’s main track. Tonalist will continue to train in bar shoes until the Belmont Stakes, in which he will race with regular Queen’s plate shoes.

“You just have to keep an eye on his feet,” Clement said. “He’s got a small weakness on his feet – he lacks a bit of wall – nothing bad. It’s not a major issue, it’s a small deal. We’re just trying to help him as much as we can.”

Clement noted that Tonalist did not wear bar shoes in the Peter Pan, which was run over a sloppy track. Clement said Tonalist shed the frogs, the bottom of a horse’s foot, in both front feet in the Peter Pan.

Though he noted that Sunday’s work was “a touch slow by design,” Clement said he was happy with the way Tonalist moved over the fast Belmont main track.

“He looked very happy, very comfortable,” Clement said.

Clement said he will give Tonalist a more serious work this weekend in company with Life in Shambles, who has been his workmate through the winter and early spring.

Back in 2010, trainer Bill Mott equipped Drosselmeyer with bar shoes for his preparation leading up to the Belmont Stakes. Drosselmeyer, who finished second in the Dwyer Stakes – which took the place of the Peter Pan on the calendar that year – won the Belmont at odds of 13-1.

“I think it’s important to go into the race with good feet, and you take your chance in the race,” Mott said. “I think it’s the constant pounding of the morning that seems to take its toll on them. To train them in [bar shoes] if they need it and to protect their feet is a good thing.”

Mott will be represented in this year’s Belmont by Matuszak, a son of Bernardini who won his first start at 2 and has lost seven straight since. On Monday, he breezed five furlongs in 1:01.56, being urged in the stretch to catch his workmate, Abraham, who started off two lengths in front of him.

“Interestingly enough, in his last two works, I put him in front of another horse, and he worked quite a bit faster,” Mott said. “But they went off a little slow; they came home quite nicely through the stretch. I thought it was okay.”

Matuszak was the only Belmont horse to work Monday. However, there was other news, as Candy Boy was taken out of consideration for the Belmont, while Matterhorn was placed into consideration for the race.

Trainer John Sadler said Candy Boy would skip the Belmont and point to the $500,000 Los Alamitos Derby on July 5, a race in which he won’t face California Chrome.

“If we ran our best race, we would have been second,” Sadler said.

Matterhorn, most recently fourth in the Peter Pan, was recently sold by Coolmore connections to a group headed by Eclipse Thoroughbreds. He will remain with trainer Todd Pletcher, who on Monday said the horse is being strongly considered for the Belmont, though a decision won’t be made until the horse works over the weekend.

“He’s a horse we always felt like would handle added distance,” Pletcher said. “I think we’re strongly considering it. It’s in the mix.”

Last week, Eclipse and Pletcher declared Danza, the Arkansas Derby winner and third in the Kentucky Derby, out of the Belmont, saying he needed more time. On Sunday, Pletcher had to declare Intense Holiday from the race after he suffered a condylar fracture to his right foreleg during a workout. He was scheduled to undergo surgery Monday at a clinic in New Jersey.

Intense Holiday worked in company with Commissioner, who will definitely represent Pletcher in the Belmont. Commissioner, a son of 1991 Belmont winner A.P. Indy, worked a half-mile in 48.36 seconds Sunday.

Also working Sunday were Wood Memorial winner Wicked Strong (a mile in 1:39.57) and Wood runner-up Samraat (a mile in 1:41.28).

Meanwhile, Derby and Preakness winner California Chrome had routine two-mile gallops both Sunday and Monday.

“The track was a little bit deeper today than yesterday, but he got over it fine,” Alan Sherman, the assistant trainer of California Chrome, said Monday.

– additional reporting by Steve Andersen and Jay Privman