Tonalist was Classy, Consistent and of Grade 1 Quality
It goes without saying that Tonalist will be missed around the Christophe Clement barn. Here is what the top trainer had to say on Twitter about the finest dirt horse he ever trained, when the news broke that the son of Tapit was retired and off to stud duty at Lane’s End Farm.
For me, Tonalist was 20% enigma, and 80% top class racehorse. Sure there were times when I thought the strapping colt could have done a little better in some of his races, but part of that disappointment comes from his class and consistency. Truth is Tonalist was the real deal, and as honest as they come. After a rallying fourth-place finish in his career debut, which was his only race as a juvenile, Tonalist was solid.
At three, the Robert S. Evans owned runner won the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes, the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup, and the Grade 2 Peter Pan. At four, he won the Grade 1 Cigar Mile, the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup, and the Grade 3 Westchester. In between, he was running plenty of very good races. They may not have been all wins, but Tonalist was always a horse that needed to be respected.
With all this respect, there were times when more was expected from Tonalist. I bemoaned his agonizingly close loss as a heavy favorite in the Suburban, which cost me from cashing in on a sizable Pick 6 ticket, but in hindsight, the performance looks a whole lot better considering how good Effinex has become. It was also a defeat that Tonalist would avenge two starts later.
His second straight win in the Jockey Club Gold Cup once again proved that at Belmont, and at ten furlongs, Tonalist was a force. Oh, and by the way, among those left behind in that Grade 1 race, was none other than Effinex. By repeating in the Gold Cup, Tonalist joined the likes of Nashua, Kelso, Shuvee, Slew O’ Gold, Skip Away, and Curlin, among a handful of others, who were able to win one of America’s premier fall races in consecutive years. Not too shabby for a horse who had a disappointing season going to that point.
In fairness, his performances in the Breeders’ Cup Classics of the past two years were nothing to write home about. Nor should they be judged too harshly. He finished fifth both times, which, by the way, were the only two races in which Tonalist finished out of the top three since his career debut. At Santa Anita, he was way too far back early, and closed well to pass all but the top four. At Keeneland, he was up against American Pharoah, who had things his own way. He lacked late punch, and finished in a blanket finish with good horses like Keen Ice and Frosted. Perhaps these fifth-place finishes taught us that Tonalist was never the best horse in the country. Fair enough, but you know what? He wasn’t too far from being the best the last two years either.
As if he knew it would be his last career race, Tonalist stepped up in Aqueduct's Grade 1 Cigar Mile. At a distance likely a bit shorter than his absolute best, the race’s second choice never looked like a winner. Coming out of the ten furlong Classic four weeks earlier, he looked to be only running for a solid finish; that is until he came with a huge rush to run by Red Vine, Matrooh, and Mshawish to earn what turned out to be a career closing victory. It was a thriller, and it proved once and for all that he could win a big race away from Belmont Park. It was a very good way to go out.