Harvey Weinstein’s Turtle Bird Stable announced today that multiple
stakes-winning millionaire Haynesfield has been retired from racing. A stakes
winner each year he raced from age’s two to five; Haynesfield won 10 of
his 19 lifetime starts and retires with earnings of $1,319,481.
A
five-year-old son of Champion Sprinter Speightstown, out of the stakes winning
Tejabo mare Nothing Special, Haynesfield descends from the female family of
classic winner Touch Gold and champion With Approval.
Haynesfield
completed his juvenile season with a front running win in the Damon Runyon
stakes, his first effort around two turns. In his first two starts at
three, he reeled off back to back wins in the Count Fleet and Whirlaway stakes
before closing out that year with consecutive stakes wins in the Empire Classic
and the graded Discovery Handicap at Aqueduct. At 4, Haynesfield won three of his
six starts, including the Grade 2 Suburban and the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup
wire-to-wire over Blame. He completed his four-year-old season with a close
runner-up effort in the Grade 1 Cigar Mile earning a 111 Beyer figure.
Haynesfield final career victory was a repeat win in the Empire Classic in
October, before completing his racing career with another on-the-board effort
in the recent Grade 1 Cigar Mile.
“Haynesfield
gave us a lot of thrills and memories over the last four seasons but the race
that will always stand out was his decisive win in the Jockey Club Gold Cup
over Blame, handing him his only loss that year; beating him in a Grade 1 at
equal weights in his championship season was a tremendous accomplishment by a
gifted horse. We will miss having him around the barn,” said Toby Sheets,
assistant to trainer Steve Asmussen.
According
to Hidden Brook Farm representatives Dan Hall and Mike Recio, Haynesfield will
begin stud duties in 2012, arrangements have not been finalized at this time.
“Several farms have expressed an interest in Haynesfield, we are weighing
all of our options going forward,” commented Dan Hall.