Tonalist works six furlongs toward Whitney

ELMONT, N.Y. – Tonalist, the runner-up in two graded stakes in his last two starts, worked six furlongs in 1:13.04 over the Belmont main track Friday in preparation for the Grade 1, $1.25 million Whitney Stakes at Saratoga on Aug. 8.

With regular rider John Velazquez in the irons, Tonalist worked in company with the maiden Arbitrator, starting a couple of lengths behind and finishing in front. Belmont clockers caught him in fractions of 24.20 seconds for the quarter and 47.75 for the half-mile. The move was completed a furlong past the wire.

“We put him behind another horse, and he was nice and settled in behind and finished willingly,” trainer Christophe Clement said. “Johnny Velazquez was happy. So was I.”

Clement said Tonalist, the 2014 Belmont Stakes and Jockey Club Gold Cup winner, will ship Sunday to Saratoga and will have time to work twice there before the Whitney.

Clement is hoping for a turnaround of sorts from last summer, when Tonalist won two stakes at Belmont but was beaten in two stakes at Saratoga, finishing second in the Jim Dandy and third in the Travers.

This year at Belmont, Tonalist won the Grade 3 Westchester, finished second to Honor Code in the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap, and was beaten a head by Effinex in the Grade 2 Suburban, after which Velazquez admitted that he rode a poor race, allowing Tonalist to make an early move.

V. E. Day, last year’s Travers winner, worked seven furlongs in 1:30.03 over the Belmont training track in preparation for the Whitney. He is coming off a neck loss in the Grade 2 Brooklyn.

Honor Code, the Met Mile winner, was expected to work Saturday at Belmont Park before shipping Sunday to Saratoga to continue preparations for the Whitney.