Tonalist won’t run in Dubai World Cup

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – A closely spaced series of workouts at Payson Park has ended for Tonalist, leading trainer Christophe Clement to say that he will not run his stable star at the ongoing Gulfstream Park meet or in the March 28 Dubai World Cup.

Clement said he decided against trying to make the Dubai race and therefore has eased off slightly in his training of Tonalist at Payson, the bucolic training center located nearly two hours north of Gulfstream.

“Physically, he is great,” Clement said this week. “We are excited about running him as a 4-year-old in New York. We have not decided on which races yet, but it is a long year.”

Tonalist, owned by Robert S. Evans, was one of the top 3-year-olds of 2014. His four victories from eight starts included the Belmont Stakes and Jockey Club Gold Cup, both at Belmont Park. His season ended with a fifth-place finish in the Nov. 1 Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita.

After getting a brief freshener, Tonalist was sent through seven recorded workouts at Payson starting Dec. 31, but the Tapit colt has not worked since breezing a half-mile in 49.40 seconds Feb. 10.

Clement said he has no specific work itinerary in mind for Tonalist because there is no pressure to make a targeted race. Besides the major events in New York, the Oct. 31 BC Classic at Keeneland is a long-range goal.