Tonalist's Shape Returns in Hollywood Wildcat

Tonalist's Shape will be seeking redemption May 15 when she returns to the Gulfstream Park dirt for the $75,000 Hollywood Wildcat Stakes.  

After running an uncharacteristic seventh in the March 28 Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2), the Tonalist  filly—who had ranked high among the probable favorites for the Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1)—slipped a few spots down the leaderboard despite her previously unblemished track record. Despite any reservations the casual observer may have, trainer Saffie Jospeh Jr. said he's more than confident that his filly will be able to rebound without any problems. 

"Last time was a bit of a disappointment but I think we are going to throw that race out the door," said Joseph. "She was wide the whole way and it was a tough post. Gulfstream, going a mile and a sixteenth, there was a lot of speed and she couldn't cross going into the first turn. Since that race she's trained forwardly, her works have been good, and we're ready to get back on track on Friday. " 

Owned by Slam Dunk Racing, Doug Branham, and Legacy Ranch, Tonalist's Shape broke her maiden on debut at 2, won an allowance race next out, and then took the Hut Hut Stakes to close out her juvenile season. The chestnut filly won her first two starts of 2020, taking the Feb. 1 Forward Gal Stakes (G3) and Feb. 29 Davona Dale Stakes (G2)—both at Gulfstream Park. 

With COVID-19 forcing the Kentucky Oaks to be delayed to Sept. 4, Joseph said he's glad the Hollywood Wildcat falls on the calendar when it does so that his filly can keep fit through an uncertain summer. With her 60 qualifying points, Tonalist's Shape sits in sixth place on the Kentucky Oaks leaderboard. 

"This race was not in mind before they put it up there," said Joseph. "We really couldn't make a plan for her because there is no plan to make right now. When this race came up, our thought process behind it was we would use it as a building block. If we don't run here we don't know when we can run next. That would put us behind schedule. It fits nice now that if we get this race in and everything goes well that will give us seven to eight weeks to run one more time, hopefully, before the Kentucky Oaks." 

Tonalist's Shape will depart from post 3 under jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. 

Joining Tonalist's Shape in the field will be multiple graded stakes winner Cheermeister, who will be making her first stakes start on dirt. She enters off a second-place performance in the March 28 Sanibel Island Stakes Presented by US Foods on the turf at Gulfstream. 

Trained by Armando De La Cerda and owned by Teresa and David Palmer, the Bodemeister  filly scored back-to-back stakes wins on the grass in February at the South Florida track when she took the Feb. 1 Sweetest Chant Stakes (G3T) and the Feb. 29 Herecomesthebride Stakes (G3T). 

Cheermeister's only other stakes win also came on the grass at 2, when she won the Wait a While Stakes at Gulfstream. She will break from the outside post 8 with Emisael Jaramillo in the irons. 

Wanderlust, Pleasant Orb, Money Never Sleeps, Up in Smoke, Vigilantes Way, and Dream Marie complete the field. 

Entries: Hollywood Wildcat S.

Gulfstream Park, Friday, May 15, 2020, Race 10

• STK
• 1 1/16m
• Dirt
• $75,000
• 3 yo Fillies
• 5:49 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Wanderlust (KY)	Nik Juarez	118	Katherine Ritvo	20/1
2	2Pleasant Orb (KY)	Joe Bravo	118	Barclay Tagg	10/1
3	3Tonalist's Shape (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	124	Saffie A. Joseph, Jr.	8/5
4	4Money Never Sleeps (KY)	Miguel Angel Vasquez	118	Teresa M. Pompay	15/1
5	5Up in Smoke (FL)	Luis Saez	118	George Weaver	4/1
6	6Vigilantes Way (KY)	Edgard J. Zayas	118	Claude R. McGaughey III	8/1
7	7Dream Marie (KY)	Rajiv Maragh	120	Matthew J. Williams	5/1
8	8Cheermeister (KY)	Emisael Jaramillo	124	Armando De la cerda	7/2