Photo: Adam Coglianese
Most experts had tabbed Turtle Bird Stable’s four-year-old Haynesfield as an “exotics” candidate among the seven who started in the 124th running of the $300,000 Grade 2 Suburban Handicap on Saturday at Belmont Park. But New York’s reigning Horse of the Year and 2009 Champion Three-Year-Old had something to say about that, wresting the lead from speedy multiple Grade 1-winner winner Regal Ransom, facing down the presence of last year’s scratched Derby favorite I Want Revenge, and winning the 1 1/8-mile race decisively by 2 ¾ lengths.
Photo: Susie Rashier
In many minds the plan for the race was as follows: Pictural, I Want Revenge’s entry-mate, was to be a pacesetter or “rabbit,” intended to improve the chances of I Want Revenge by challenging the typically front running Regal Ransom. It did not play out this way. Breaking from post three, Pictural blew the break and remained in seventh place throughout, while Regal Ransom went to the front alone from post six. Haynesfield, who started just outside the frontrunner under Ramon Dominguez, took up the role of challenger instead. Setting up in the three-path, the New York-bred Speightstown colt started tracking the leader under a hold through fractions of 24.10 and 48.87. Haynesfield then advanced on the turn, gained the lead at the top of the stretch, and opened up under only moderate urging to get the win, showing little to no sign of effort. Regal Ransom faded to fourth, Convocation rallied to get the place, and I Want Revenge, racing for the first time in 15 months after surgery and rehabilitation from a torn ligament finished third. After six furlongs that went in 1:11.17, the race was over in (in the immortal words of track announcer Tom Durkin) “a New York minute 48 and two-fifths seconds” (1:48.52). The third choice in the field of seven, Haynesfield returned $9.90 for a $2 win bet.
Photo: Adam Coglianese
If the handicappers were taken by surprise by Haynesfield’s ease in handling the formidable field, jockey Ramon Dominguez also confessed to being somewhat unprepared for the first-class performance: “This is a horse who always felt like he had more potential there as a three-year-old, that he was going to develop into a nicer horse. But today, he really surprised me, especially the second quarter when we picked it up, he was just there for me. Around the three-eighths pole we made the lead, which seemed a little early, but he did everything in hand.” Toby Sheets, assistant to Haynesfield’s trainer Steve Asmussen said, “He did it the right way. He needed to step it up, and he did.” As to the future, “We’ll see how he comes out of it and go from there.”
Haynesfield is now a nearly perfect 4-1-0 from five starts at Belmont, and has a record of 8-1-1 in his career eleven starts, earning $629,481. This is his second graded stakes win, to add to his victory in the Grade 3 Discovery Handicap last November at Aqueduct. Although Haynesfield’s sophomore campaign – and Derby plans – were interrupted after a poor outing in the Grade 3 Gotham and nearly seven months on the bench, he finished 2009 in style, winning the $250,000 Empire Classic in October on New York-bred Showcase Day and the Discovery Handicap. Haynesfield started 2010 just where he left off, with a decisive victory in a $100,000 Optional Claiming race for state-breds at Belmont on June 13th.
Photo: Adam Coglianese
Bred by Barry Weisbord in partnership with Margaret Santulli and foaled at Marlene Brody’s Gallagher’s Stud, Haynesfield, is out of 2009 New York Champion Broodmare Nothing Special. He was sold to Maverick Racing for $100,000 at Keeneland’s 2007 September yearling sale and then purchased by Vision Racing, LLC at Keeneland’s April sale of two-year-olds for $20,000.
