February 11 -Tonalist and Constitution

These are two of the better sons of Tapit, best known for throwing gray babies, here are two bays.

Tonalist is owned by Shell Evans whose family has been in racing for generations, including Kentucky Derby winner Pleasant Colony who was raced by Shell's father. Shell's brother Ned Evans had a great racing stable of his own based out of his Virginia based operation, Spring Hill Farm, whose best horse quite possibly being Quality Road.

The painting of Tonalist was originally painted with the Lane's End stallion barn as a backdrop. Shell said he didn't want to promote their farm; he wanted to show his farm, so, a little face lift courtesy of some brush magic and viola, Tonalist is back home in Maryland.

I've painted Constitution twice, once racing at Gulfstream winning the G1 Donn Handicap. The other time, Constitution was part of a painting of stallions that raced for Twin Creeks. That is him, the brown horse in the middle being held by one of the owners of Twin Creeks, Randy Gullatt. His wife, Kim, is holding Graydar on the right. Randy was a trainer back when Kim was a jockey. That’s some more viola, right there!

Constitution came out the gate as a stallion at full speed with his first foal crop producing several good runners, including the G1 winning Tiz The Law.

Interesting, earlier this week before I even realized they shared a birthday, I was talking with a couple of thoroughbred breeders and the comparison of Tonalist and Constitution was the topic. While Constitution has already made a name for himself as a stallion, the consensus kind of surprised me when these breeders that I respect were adamant that Tonalist was going to be the one that leaves the biggest footprint on the breed in 20 years. Nothing negative on Constitution, but great expectations for Tonalist.

Time will tell but it makes me think of a quote from Mark Twain, "It is the difference of opinion that makes horse racing."

Side note - The painting of the Twin Creeks stallions was based upon a painting by Richard Stone Reeves of Claiborne Farm stallions back in the late ‘70s with Secretariat, Nijinksy II, and Spectacular Bid. I shared the concept with Randy and Kim, and they loved it. I think Reeve's painting was titled Three Kings and so we borrowed that title and then the game of alternative names started – from Three Kings, there came several variations that kept getting more ridiculous, until "Five Studs and a Nag." That one came from Randy . . . he slept in a sleeping bag in the barn for a month after that one.