Tonalist was a horse that captured my attention back in January with an impressive Maiden Victory at Gulfstream Park. His late move in a maiden race – capture my eye. Below is a quick compilation of Tonalist conversation since then:
Tonalist Maiden Win was written about here
Tonalist was included in my Pool 2 Future Wager Summary:
Tonalist an intriguing addition to Pool 1. His maiden victory was solid and he did so by covering extra ground and running wide down the backstretch. Down the lane it took him awhile to shift gears but pulled away late and looked in command late with a strong gallop out. Recent work confirms fitness and is scheduled to run again soon. Distance pedigree with Pleasant Colony mare and ran in quality race as juvenile running 4th to Matterhorn and Harpoon in career debut. 50/1 morning line will be the longest of the Tapits and may offer the most value.
Tonalist was part of my Peter Pan Preview:
Tonalist is the Tapit worth talking about in this race. Really fell for this guy in his maiden win back on January 18th. Liked the way he was the patient in the pocket which is unusual for a Tapit and was calm and went to the leader with a big move and really seemed to be striding away late. In his last race, he faced a loaded field. Constitution later won the Florida Derby and the 4th place finisher Wicked Strong won the Wood Memorial in his next start. So he exits a possible key race. He has the look of a leggy router and a body style that looks like it will take a lot of wind. Was pointed to the Wood Memorial and then missed a work-out with a cough. He had a sharp 5 furlong move last weekend. This is the horse with the most upside and the Pleasant Colony and female family make this a horse that could be a serious Belmont contender. Price will be short, but plenty to get excited about.
Out East Tonalist validated many handicappers and analysts opinion that he was ready for a big race. The trainer was confident and he was bet down hard to 6/5 favortism.
Tonalist did not disappoint, the track came up sloppy and Tapits seems to be taking to the mud positively this year. Joel Rosario took matters into his own hand and made an aggressive move down the backstretch to the lead. The most powerful and profitable handicapping angle in horse racing is the “class” horse on the lead. Tonalist opened up quickly and seemed fresh and fit off the layoff – putting the race away on the turn.
Big wins on sloppy sealed tracks are a dime a dozen – so as much as I liked Tonalist coming into the race. The enthusiasm is toned down a little with the big win in the slop. His next race most likely will be the Belmont Stakes. Last year Freedom Child won the Peter Pan by 9 lengths in the slop and was flat as a pancake in the Belmont Stakes. He went off form badly after that.
With that Tonalist is still very promising. The photos all spring have been positive. He has the looks of a router, big chest, his maiden win he galloped out strong with a strong move in midstretch. Class wise he made a move into a hot pace in the Allowance run won by Constitution and that has turned into a very key race. Wicked Strong and Constitution both won Grade 1′s in the next race and now Tonalist is a Grade 2 stakes winner.
Next up hopefully the Belmont Stakes. The Pleasant Colony pedigree suggests he should be able to run all day. He is fit and now has a nice bottom racing wise.
My Belmont Preview had the right pace analysis:
Tonalist is a horse I have been watching since his maiden win at Gulfstream Park. I liked the way he really lowered his head at the end of the race – after he was winning and really strided out at the finish line. Tapits seem to relish the slop so the Peter Pan was a handy win. The impressive effort in the Peter Pan was the way he went to the lead after starting slow. He rushed up on command and did not stop – at that point the jockey just let him run on his own ability. Trainer has the ability to win long distance races on the grass and the female side of this pedigree says 12 furlong should not be an issue. This is one of the few horses who have the talent to still be improving. Capable of improving off effort from 2 back and would like an off track. I do not expect him on the lead in this race, but expect him to be in the top flight of horses and is capable of making a quick move if that opens itself up at the half mile pole. Has the speed, has the distance capability. Not sure if he is ready to go head and head with Chrome for 4 furlongs and look him in the eye.
Tonalist is one of the reasons I watch races and study pedigrees. For every 100 horses I watch every now and then one comes down the pipeline that makes me a fan.