Tonalist knocked out of Wood by lung infection

Tonalist shown earlier this month at Payson Park (Courtesy of Christophe Clement via Twitter)

Promising three-year-old Tonalist will miss Saturday’s Grade 1 Wood Memorial
at Aqueduct after coming down with a lung infection, the Christophe Clement
stable

confirmed via Twitter on Monday.

“Unfortunately, Tonalist has a minor lung infection that we will take care
of,” Clement’s team tweeted. “Consequently, he will not be running in the Wood.”

Most recently second to subsequent Florida Derby winner Constitution in a
loaded allowance at Gulfstream Park on February 22, he had previously broken his
maiden by four impressive lengths at the same venue.

Like Constitution, Tonalist is by the fashionable sire Tapit, whose other
headliners at the moment include Southwest hero Tapiture, Tampa Bay Derby victor
Ring Weekend and Fair Grounds Oaks romper Untapable.

Tonalist’s dam, Settling Mist, is a daughter of 1981 Kentucky Derby and
Preakness-winning champion Pleasant Colony, from the superb family of Horse of
the Year Havre de Grace.

Social Inclusion’s in the house, while Kristo is due on Tuesday (Courtesy of Ron Sanchez via Twitter)

Social Inclusion, who is trained by Manuel Azpurua, settled in barn 4 at
Aqueduct and is expected to gallop up to the Wood Memorial, which will be his
first start away from Gulfstream and third overall. He won a six-furlong maiden
race by 7 1/2 lengths on February 22 and a 1 1/16-mile open allowance race by 10
lengths on March 12, defeating Honor Code in the latter while setting a track
record of 1:40.97.

Kristo, most recently third in the San Felipe, 13 1/2 lengths behind winner
California Chrome, is scheduled to arrive at Aqueduct Tuesday for the Wood
Memorial, his first start outside California. Trainer John Sadler said the bay
son of Distorted Humor worked well at Santa Anita on Sunday, covering six
furlongs in a bullet 1:12 2/5.

“In his last race, we changed his running style and took him back a
speed-favoring track and that probably was a mistake,” said Sadler of Kristo,
who is 1-3-1 from five career starts. “He ran much better in the Sham before
that (second to Midnight Hawk) and we think he deserves one more chance.”

Kristo is looking to emulate the Wood success of California invaders such as
I Want Revenge (2009), Bob and John (2006), Congaree (2001) and Fusaichi Pegasus
(2000).

Accompanying Kristo on the flight will be Grade 3 Bay Shore hopeful Kobe’s
Back, who won the San Vincente by 5 1/4 lengths but then was seventh of eight
after being rank early in the  Rebel at Oaklawn Park. The California-based
Sadler’s last graded stakes win in New York was the 1993 Bay Shore with Three
Peat.