Tonalist, V. E. Day drill for Jockey Club Gold Cup

ELMONT, N.Y. – The retirements of Palace Malice and Will Take Charge will leave the 3-year-olds as the strength of this year’s Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup field. On Monday, two members of the 3-year-old class put in their final workouts for Saturday’s Gold Cup at Belmont Park, where the winner’s share of $1 million and a fees-paid berth to the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic will be at stake. Working minutes apart were V. E. Day and Tonalist.

Over the Belmont Park training track, V. E. Day, the Travers winner, worked five furlongs in 1:00.69 and galloped out six furlongs in 1:14.28 and seven furlongs in 1:28.36.

As V. E. Day was headed off the track, Belmont Stakes winner Tonalist was about to get into his work, and he breezed five furlongs in 1:00.09, starting three lengths behind stablemate Bluegrass Flash and finishing a length in front of him while galloping out six furlongs in 1:14.94.

Both horses had been scheduled to work Sunday over the main track but their trainers postponed the moves to Monday due to heavy rain that made the main track sloppy. The main track was still wet on Monday, which prompted Jimmy Jerkens, trainer of V. E. Day, and Christophe Clement, trainer of Tonalist, to move the works to the training track.

Tonalist, who was beaten 2 1/2 lengths by V. E. Day in the Travers, worked without blinkers for the third consecutive week. Clement had regular rider Joel Rosario work Tonalist to give him a feel for how the horse moves without blinkers, equipment he has worn in his last six starts but will not wear in the Gold Cup.

“I thought it was nice to have him work the horse without the blinkers and to work him in behind another horse so he knows the horse can rate,” said Clement, who thought Rosario had Tonalist too close to the early pace in the Travers. “It was a fast work, not a crazy work, he’s moving well. ... He rated perfectly fine without the blinkers, he finished well without the blinkers, so we’re planning to run him without the blinkers.”

Said Rosario: “He was relaxed. He worked good. I was trying to follow the horse that was in front of me. He felt comfortable to me.”

Tonalist is 2 for 2 at Belmont Park, with wins in the Belmont Stakes and Grade 2 Peter Pan.

In the race immediately following the Peter Pan on May 10, V. E. Day won an off-the turf maiden race at Belmont. After an allowance win on turf, V. E. Day went 2 for 2 on dirt at Saratoga, winning the Curlin Stakes by a head over Charge Now and the Travers by a nose over stablemate Wicked Strong.

By the looks of his work on Monday, V. E. Day continues to hold his form. Breaking off at the five-furlong pole under exercise rider Kelvin Pahal, V. E. Day went in easy fractions of 13.23 seconds and 25.33. He picked up the pace around the turn and into the stretch and got his final three furlongs in 35.36 seconds and galloped out well.

“He’s been very willing for a long time now,” Jerkens said. “Both his works since the Travers have been very good.”

A field of nine is likely for the Jockey Club Gold Cup when entries are taken and post positions drawn on Wednesday. In addition to V. E. Day and Tonalist, the 3-year-old Wicked Strong, winner of the Jim Dandy and Wood Memorial, will be among the top choices.

The older-horse contingent will be led by Whitney winner Moreno and Suburban winner Zivo. Also expected to enter are Big Cazanova, who is a speedster from Southern California, Last Gunfighter, Prayer for Relief, and Stephanoatsee.