Getting to Know Tonalist

Tonalist earned a spot in the Breeders' Cup Classic with his win in the Jockey Club Gold Cup. (Photos by Eclipse Sportswire)
Tonalist joined an exclusive club on Saturday when he became only the fourth horse since 1980 to win the Belmont Stakes and the Jockey Club Gold Cup in the same year.
The 3-year-old colt beat 10 other horses, including nine stakes winners, on his way to securing a spot in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita on Nov. 1. Let’s get to know Tonalist a little more as he prepares for his trip to California.
Race Résumé
Breaking his maiden in January of this year by four lengths at Gulfstream, Tonalist hasn’t been off the board since a fourth in his debut in November. Two starts later, he won his first graded stakes when he defeated Commissioner in the Peter Pan by 4 lengths in preparation for the Belmont Stakes.
While it was known that Tonalist was a good horse going into the Belmont, after the race he had put his name into the top 3-year-old discussions.
In the Belmont, Tonalist sat in the front pack throughout the race and as the field entered the turn, joined the leaders. While he fought the whole way down the stretch, he didn’t take the lead until the very end when he beat Commissioner by a head after lugging in.
2014 BELMONT STAKES

Tonalist had a bit of a hard summer on the winning front, finishing second by 2 ¼ lengths to Wicked Strong in the Jim Dandy before again losing to that rival and V. E. Day by 3 ½ lengths in the Travers.
But even with those losses, Tonalist went off as the 3.05-to-1 favorite in the Jockey Club Gold Cup. He was farther back than he has ever been in his career during the first three quarters of a mile, sitting in ninth. Tonalist started his journey through the pack in the turn and by the time they turned into stretch, was among the front runners. In the final sixteenth of the race, he took control and pulled away to win by 1 ¾ lengths.
2014 JOCKEY CLUB GOLD CUP

It should be noted that in this race, he was running without his customary blinkers.
"I probably should have removed the blinkers before the Travers,” said trainer Christophe Clement after the race. “He, obviously, was a bit too aggressive in the Travers. Even so, he didn't quit. I love the way that, even when he got beat in the Travers he went on to the wire."
Tonalist earned a 113 Equibase Speed Figure, his best figure to date and two points higher than the figure he received for his third in the Travers. To put that into perspective with the other 3-year-olds in the crop, Bayern currently has the top figure with a 124 scored in the Pennsylvania Derby and a 115 is needed to get into the Top 10 on the 3-year-old list. Bayern’s Pennsylvania Derby figure is near the bottom of the 3-year-old and older male figures with a 123 needed to get on that top 10 list.
On the running style front, before the Jockey Club Gold Cup I would have said that he is another one that needs to be close to the lead to get the win. But the removal of the blinkers seems to have relaxed him and allows him to escape what seems to be shaping into a battle up front in the Classic.
Right now the Breeders’ Cup Classic seems to be full of horses who either want to be up front or right off the leaders, which could set up favorably for Tonalist if he repeats this running style. However, if the Classic is a slower pace (a doubtful scenario), Tonalist has proven that he can also win from the front. He won from the lead in the Peter Pan and the Belmont Stakes from a length behind the leader so he is able to win when closer to the pace.
TONALIST AFTER WINNING THE BELMONT STAKES

My only concern about his versatility comes from the blinkers. His trainer believes that they made him much more aggressive, which makes me wonder if he cares to run in front without them. That shouldn’t be something that needs to be worried about in the Classic, but will be something that sits in the back of my mind if he comes back as a 4-year-old.
Pedigree
Tonalist is by the very hot sire Tapit, who has quite the produce record. From only seven crops to race, he already has 54 stakes winners and four champions. Tapit is currently the top stallion in the nation and in addition to Tonalist, this year he is also the sire of major 3-year-old graded stakes winners Untapable, Tapiture, and Constitution, among others.
While Tapit can obviously produce a horse that can win at distances over a mile, Tonalist answered the question about his ability to sire a horse who can win at 1 ¼ miles or more. Tonalist now has two wins at 1 ¼ miles or more in top races, proving that with the right mare, Tapit has no problem producing a longer distance horse.
On his female side, Tonalist definitely has some help in the stamina department. The only win of his dam, Settling Mist, came at a mile and an eighth but even more important in this case is her family. Settling Mist’s sire Pleasant Colony won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes and is known to pass stamina to his progeny.
Settling Mist is out of an influential broodmare named Toll Fee. Toll Fee was a stakes winner and was graded stakes placed in both sprint and route races, showing that she definitely wasn’t just a sprint specialist.  But even more important than Toll Fee’s race record is her produce record. While her best foal was only stakes placed, multiple foals went on to produce very good racehorses.
TONALIST GALLOPING BEFORE THE BELMONT

Perhaps the most notable of all Toll Fee’s daughters was Settling Mist’s half sister The Bink. The Bink is the dam of a multiple Grade 1 winner named Riskaverse, who was twice the winner of the 1 ¼ mile Flower Bowl Invitational. Riskaverse is also the dam of group 3 winner Say, who was also a stakes winner at 1 ½ miles, showing that stamina and speed runs deep in Tonalist’s family.
Toll Fee is also the granddam of 2011 Horse of the Year Havre de Grace. Havre de Grace was the top older female that year as well, beating males in the Woodward Stakes in addition to finishing fourth in that year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic.
While there are enough graded stakes performers in his first three dams to make an extremely leafy family tree, it is worth noting that Tonalist’s fourth dam is Missy Baba. Missy Baba is responsible for the families that produced Belmont Stakes winners A.P. Indy and Lemon Drop Kid among many others.
Tonalist has never traveled to Santa Anita before but if he takes to the track like he has taken to Belmont Park, he will be a force to be reckoned with at the Breeders’ Cup.