Hessonite returned from
her victory over the boys (and girl) in Thursday’s NYSS for 3-year-olds on the
turf in good order, and trainer David Donk has some big plans for the New
York-bred daughter of Freud in mind.
“Should I be crazy and
contemplate the [Grade 1] Garden City [September 17, Belmont Park] and running second behind Winter
Memories?” he asked. “Or maybe the John Hettinger against older [New York-bred]
fillies and mares a week later? I’ve got Paraiba for that race, but things could change.”
This year, Hessonite is 3-0-1
from four starts, with her only loss a third-place finish to Summer Soiree in
the Grade 3 Boiling Springs at Monmouth Park on June 25.
“She’s got Grade 3 placing
already; a Grade 1 placing wouldn’t be a bad thing,” said Donk, who trains
Hessonite for William Punk, Jr. and Philip DiLeo.
In the NYSS, Hessonite rallied
four-wide on the turn and posted a head victory over Freud’s Honor under a
confident ride by Ramon Dominguez.
“I’ve never ridden, and I never
had a desire to, but I’d like to get inside a jockey’s head and understand how
it feels to be so confident in a horse during a race,” Donk said. “He rode her
with a lot of confidence.”