Tonalist may shed blinkers for Jockey Club Gold Cup

ELMONT, N.Y. – Tonalist, the Belmont Stakes winner, likely will have a change of equipment when he makes his next start Sept. 27 in the $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park, trainer Christophe Clement said.

Clement is expected to remove the blinkers from the equipment Tonalist has worn in his last six starts. Last Sunday, in his first work since finishing third Aug. 23 in the $1.25 million Travers Stakes at Saratoga, Tonalist breezed five furlongs in 1:00.12 without blinkers over Belmont’s main track. In addition, Tonalist began the move sitting behind usual workmate Life in Shambles, not in front, as he had been doing most of the spring and summer.

“He had a very good work without the blinkers, so I may run him without the blinkers,” Clement said this week from Kentucky, where he was attending the yearling sales at Keeneland.

Clement planned to work Tonalist each of the next two weekends without blinkers as he prepares for the Jockey Club Gold Cup, in which he will meet older horses for the first time. While Clement said after the Travers that he likely would run in the Gold Cup, he confirmed those plans Wednesday. The other option for Tonalist would have been the $1 million Pennsylvania Derby at Parx, where he would have faced the Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner, California Chrome.

“He’s stabled there,” said Clement, who will have Joel Rosario back aboard. “He’s a New York horse. He won the Belmont Stakes. It makes a lot of sense to run in the Jockey Club.”

Tonalist is 2 for 2 at Belmont, winning the Peter Pan Stakes and the Belmont. This summer at Saratoga, Tonalist finished second to Wicked Strong in the Jim Dandy Stakes and third behind V. E. Day and Wicked Strong in the Travers.

Wicked Strong is considered a definite for the Jockey Club Gold Cup, while V. E. Day also is likely but not yet definite to run in that race.

Moreno, the Whitney winner and Woodward runner-up; Zivo, the Suburban winner; and Will Take Charge, third in the Whitney, are among the older horses expected to run in the Jockey Club.