Unholy Alliance makes first start for Joseph

Tonalist’s Shape remained undefeated with an impressive victory in a first-level allowance race for 2-year-olds fillies with a $75,000 claiming option on Sunday at Gulfstream Park West. The Kentucky-bred daughter of Tonalist was making her second start and first for trainer Saffie Joseph Jr.

With Edgard Zayas riding, she broke last in the 6 1/2-furlong dash, but after swinging to the outside at the top of the stretch she finished with a rush to win by 2 3/4 lengths.

“It was nice to get that out of the way,” Joseph said. “We had not done much with her and now we can make a plan for her. It was a nice race, and it showed her first start was no fluke.”

Tonalist’s Shape paid $3.60 for her impressive win. Part of the reason for her short price are the strong stats Joseph has with new faces. According to Daily Racing Form’s Formulator, the past couple of years Joseph has a 21 percent strike rate with horses making their first start for him following a trainer change.

Joseph is looking forward to seeing how Unholy Alliance runs for him for the first time in Thursday’s feature, a second-level allowance race for fillies and mares that drew nine horses.

Unholy Alliance won her first two starts, both at Churchill Downs for trainer Brad Cox, before finishing third after breaking poorly in the $75,000 Letellier Memorial on Dec. 22 at the Fair Grounds. The six-furlong dash was won by Belle’s the One, who won the Grade 2 Raven Run on Saturday at Keeneland. Unholy Alliance had no excuses when she finished third in her next and final start for Cox in the $100,000 Dixie Belle on Feb. 16 at Oaklawn. The runner-up, Lady T N T, won the Grade 3 Charles Town Oaks on Sept. 21.

Joseph isn’t sure what to expect from Unholy Alliance on Thursday.

“She hasn’t raced for eight months and she’s a slight filly, so we haven’t fully cranked her up,” he said.

He was very impressed with her bullet five-furlong work in 58.20 seconds on Sept. 29, though.

“She has a lot of class and ability and it was an eye-catching work,” he said. “You had to see it to know how easily she did it.”

She will break from post 8 with Zayas riding.

My Sarasota Star looks like the one they will have to run down.

Trained by David Braddy, the 3-year-old Florida-bred daughter of Adios Charlie is going for the hat trick following an an easy front-running win in a first-level allowance race with a $16,000 claiming option on Oct. 2 at Gulfstream Park West.

She could be tough to run down if she breaks on top leaving from post 2 with apprentice Cristian Torres up.

Flora Fantasy, trained by Efren Loza Jr., has yet to win at Gulfstream Park West, but she likes the surface with three runner-up finishes and a third from four starts there.

The 85 Beyer Speed Figure she received for her runner-up finish in a second-level allowance race with a $62,500 claiming option on Oct. 6 is the best last-race figure in the field.