Tonalist's Shape using Hollywood Wildcat to get back on track

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Under normal circumstances, Tonalist’s Shape’s seventh-place finish as the favorite in the Grade 2 Gulfstream Oaks on March 28 may have derailed any chance she had of competing in the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks. But with this year’s renewal of the Kentucky Oaks postponed four months until Sept. 4 due to the coronavirus pandemic, there is plenty of time to regroup, which Tonalist’s Shape will do beginning Friday as the likely favorite here in the $75,000 Hollywood Wildcat Stakes.

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Tonalist’s Shape was rolling along, having launched her career with five straight victories, before her poor performance in the 1 1/16-mile Gulfstream Oaks, won in wire-to-wire fashion by Swiss Skydiver, who proved her effort was no fluke when she upset the Grade 3 Fantasy at Oaklawn Park earlier this month. Tonalist’s Shape was hung out well wide in the run around the clubhouse turn in the Florida Oaks and was beaten by 11 3/4 lengths.

“I couldn’t find any physical reason for her performance last time,” trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said. “The only reason I could find was the fact she got hung so wide around the first turn and ran 80 feet more than the winner, according to Trakus, which is about eight lengths right there.”

Joseph said that with nowhere to run, he backed off a little on Tonalist’s Shape before breezing her three times going into the Hollywood Wildcat, including an easy half-mile in 48.09 seconds in company with Disc Jockey on Sunday.

“She’s never a flashy worker, but that was as good as she can work on Sunday,” Joseph said. “The timing of this race is perfect, especially with all the unknowns out there, and a perfect spot to get her back started. Her last effort leaves some doubt about the mile and one-sixteenth, but pedigree-wise two turns should never be a problem. The Oaks is still the target, but she still has to go out and do it.”

Irad Ortiz Jr. will ride Tonalist’s Shape for the first time in the Hollywood Wildcat with her regular jockey, Tyler Gaffalione, at Churchill Downs.

A field of eight 3-year-old fillies was drawn for the Hollywood Wildcat and from the rail out consists of Wanderlust, Pleasant Orb, Tonalist’s Shape, Money Never Sleeps, the undefeated Up In Smoke, Vigilantes Way, Dream Marie, and Cheermeister.

Among the other prominent workers from Joseph’s barn on Sunday’s tab were Math Wizard, four furlongs in an easy 49.37; and Kentucky Derby hopeful Ny Traffic, five-eighths in a lively 59.84 in company with Merseyside.

Grade 1 winner Math Wizard has not started since an eighth-place finish in the Grade 3 Razorback on Feb. 17 at Oaklawn. Joseph said he might target an allowance race here for Math Wizard’s next start.

“Every time we’ve run him since right after we claimed him, it’s been out of town at a different track,” Joseph said. “It will be nice to run him out of his own stall for a change, in an easier race.”

Ny Traffic has been idle since finishing second in the Louisiana Derby in March and is tied with two others for 10th place on the Kentucky Derby qualifying list with 50 points.

“He’s still on the Derby trail,” Joseph said. “There were no races for him, so we backed off a bit and now he’s gradually winding up again. I’m shipping about 20 horses to Churchill Downs next week and the Matt Winn might come into play. I could give him one more work and possibly run him there.”

The Hollywood Wildcat is the first of five stakes to be decided here this week. Saturday’s card will include the $100,000 Musical Romance at six furlongs for Florida-bred fillies and mares, along with the $75,000 Roar for 3-year-olds going 6 1/2 furlongs and the $75,000 Powder Break for fillies and mares at a mile on the turf. Sunday’s main event will be the $75,000 Sunday Silence at 1 1/8 miles for older horses, which attracted just 10 nominations, topped by War Story, who finished third in the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup in his last start.