Tough-beat Tonalist poised for another good run in Gold Cup
ELMONT, N.Y. – For bettors who have made him the favorite in all four of his races this year, the fact that Tonalist has just one win could be described as disappointing. For trainer Christophe Clement, who has watched Tonalist run some of the best races of his career even in defeat, another word comes to mind.
“I think he’s been a touch unlucky,” Clement said. “But the horse has not been disappointing. Every time the horse has run, I think he’s run nice races.”
Whether you consider him disappointing or unlucky, Tonalist will get another chance to turn his season around when he heads a six-horse field set to run 1 1/4 miles in Saturday’s Grade 1, $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park.
The Gold Cup is one of six graded stakes on an 11-race card that begins at 12:20 p.m. Eastern, 30 minutes earlier than usual. The Gold Cup offers a fees-paid berth in the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic on Oct. 31 at Keeneland. The other Grade 1 races on the card – the $500,000 Flower Bowl, $500,000 Champagne, and $400,000 Frizette – also offer automatic berths in their respective Breeders’ Cup races. The Grade 2, $400,000 Kelso Handicap features top older male Honor Code, while the Grade 3, $500,000 Hill Prince for 3-year-old males on turf drew a full field of 12.
Tonalist, a 4-year-old son of Tapit owned by Robert Evans, won the Jockey Club Gold Cup last year. Ten other horses – including Kelso (1960-64), Nashua (1955-56), Skip Away (1996-97), Curlin (2007-08), and Flat Out (2011-12) – have won consecutive runnings of the Jockey Club Gold Cup.
Tonalist beat 10 horses in last year’s Gold Cup. This year, he meets only five horses, including Effinex, who beat Tonalist a head in the Grade 2 Suburban; Coach Inge, the winner of the Grade 2 Brooklyn; Constitution, a two-time Grade 1 winner; and Wicked Strong, last year’s Wood Memorial winner. Longshot Looks to Spare completes the field.
In addition to winning the Gold Cup last year, Tonalist won the Belmont Stakes and Peter Pan Stakes at Belmont. This year, he won the Westchester. He was beaten on the square by Honor Code in the Metropolitan Handicap and made a premature move when beaten a head by Effinex in the Suburban as the 2-5 favorite.
Most recently, Tonalist finished third, 1 3/4 lengths behind Honor Code and Liam’s Map, in the Grade 1 Whitney at Saratoga. Clement noted that Liam’s Map came back to win the Grade 1 Woodward.
“With the way the race was run, he had a lot to do, and he finished well,” Clement said of Tonalist’s race in the Whitney. “As I said right after the Whitney, I wouldn’t trade with anybody else, especially going a mile and a quarter.”
Effinex is 2 for 2 at 1 1/4 miles this year, having won the Grade 3 Excelsior at Aqueduct and the Suburban. Coach Inge won the Brooklyn by a head over V. E. Day, but he may have run even better in defeat when third in the Suburban and second in the Woodward.
Tonalist, Effinex, and Coach Inge all have won over a wet track. An ever-changing forecast calls for rain Friday into Saturday morning but dry and very windy conditions Saturday afternoon.
The Gold Cup will be shown live on NBC during a one-hour broadcast that also includes stakes action from Keeneland. Post time for the Gold Cup, the 10th race on the card, is 5:28.
KEY CONTENDERS
Tonalist (Last 3 Beyers: 110-107-105)
◗ He has been training at Belmont Park, where he is 4-2-0 from six starts and fired two bullet workouts for this year’s Gold Cup.
“He’s been training extremely well for the last two weeks, very willing, very forwardly, and I think we’re all very excited to see him run,” Clement said.
◗ His one win on an off track came here in last year’s Peter Pan Stakes.
Effinex (Last 3 Beyers: 103-107-107)
◗ Effinex comes off a fourth-place finish in the Grade 1 Woodward, where he acted up at the gate and broke slowly.
“He broke a step or two slow, and that certainly didn’t help him any,” trainer Jimmy Jerkens said. “But I thought he ran very well to continue on to be fourth, beaten only six lengths. But, you know, he’s not just a New York-bred. He’s a very good open horse, and I think people ought to be worried about him on Saturday.”
Coach Inge (Last 3 Beyers: 106-105-102)
◗ He has improved steadily since being gelded 13 months ago and having blinkers removed from his equipment in February.
“I think the key was he started to relax a little bit in the paddock and the post parade and became a little more professional,” said trainer Todd Pletcher, who is winless with 13 starters in 10 runnings of the Jockey Club Gold Cup.
◗ Ran a very respectable second to stablemate Liam’s Map in the Woodward after holding on for third in the Suburban when setting rapid fractions.
◗ Figures to sit second off stablemate Constitution early in this race.