NEWS

Haynesfield headlines Gotham

Posted: Thursday, March 05, 2009 11:04 AM

HAYNESFIELD

Adam Coglianese/NYRA photo

by Steve Bailey

Turtle Bird Stable’s Haynesfield will try to win his fifth consecutive start and take his next step on the Triple Crown trail in the $250,000 Gotham Stakes (G3) on Saturday at Aqueduct.

The Speightstown colt has been perfect following a third-place finish in his career debut in a 5½-furlong maiden special weight race on August 29 at Saratoga Race Course, winning his past four starts by a combined 19½ lengths.

Trained by Steve Asmussen, Haynesfield turned his early speed into a 3½-length victory in the Count Fleet Stakes on January 3 and a 6½-length win in the Whirlaway Stakes on February 7 in his two most recent starts, both at the Jamaica, New York, track.

Asmussen said he believes Haynesfield is ready for the 1 1/16-mile test in which he will take on a talented field that includes Grade 1-placed I Want Revenge, four-time stakes winner Russell Road and the highly regarded duo of Imperial Council and Mr. Fantasy, who will both be making their stakes debuts.

“He’s stepping up and it’s different competition, but that’s the name of the game,” Asmussen said. “More money means better horses. I think he fits at this point, and he hasn’t proven otherwise. I’m very happy about where I’m at with him.”

Haynesfield will break from post six under jockey Charles Lopez. His regular rider, Ramon Dominguez, has committed to ride Court Vision in the Santa Anita Handicap (G1) at Santa Anita Park.

Haynesfield will not have to look far to find the other early speed in the race as unbeaten Mr. Fantasy will start just to his inside under jockey Alan Garcia.

The E Dubai colt has won each of his first two starts by a combined 19 lengths for trainer Kiaran McLaughlin. He won his most recent start, a 1 1/16-mile allowance race, by 8½ lengths on February 1 at Aqueduct.

“He’s a very nice horse and very fast according to the sheets,” McLaughlin said. "But you don’t really know who he has beaten yet, what the level of competition has been.

“Having said that, he has done everything we’ve asked of him so far and done it easily. He even won from post ten last time out. The Gotham will be a big test for him because he is going to face tougher and even more seasoned horses.”

Sequoia Racing’s Imperial Council will stretch out for the first time after registering victories in a seven-furlong maiden special weight race on October 4 at Belmont Park and a 6-furlong allowance race in his 2009 debut on February 14 at Gulfstream Park.

“I look forward to running him two turns,” Racing Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey said of the Empire Maker colt. “I think what we’ve been doing with him, sprinting, isn’t what he wants to do naturally, so I don’t think the distance will be a problem.”

Russell Road also will be looking to stretch out after six consecutive victories at distances between six and seven furlongs.

The Wheaton gelding, trained by James Casey, won the six-furlong Dancing Count Stakes at Laurel Park in his most recent outing on January 31.

“We thought we’d try him against better competition to get a better line on him,” Casey said. “He looks like he wants to go farther. We know we’ll be meeting tougher horses here, but he’s beaten the ones we’ve had so far pretty easy and he’s running his best parts late.”

I Want Revenge will race on dirt for the first time after finishing second to Pioneerof the Nile in the 1 1/16-mile CashCall Futurity (G1) on the synthetic Cushion Track surface at Hollywood Park on December 20 and then finishing third in the Robert B. Lewis Stakes (G2) on the Pro-Ride surface on February 7 at Santa Anita Park for trainer Jeff Mullins.

“[Jockey] Joe [Talamo] thought he didn’t get a hold of the synthetic that well [at Santa Anita] and might do better on dirt,” owner David Lanzman said. “That’s been [Mullins’s] opinion all along. We might as well find out now, sooner rather than later.”

Steve Bailey is deputy news editor of THOROUGHBRED TIMES

Gotham S.