Haynesfield enjoyed a perfect trip under Ramon Dominguez
Saturday afternoon at Belmont
Park to win the 124th
running of the Grade 2, $300,000 Suburban Handicap as favored I Want Revenge
settled for third in his comeback bid.
After stalking Regal Ransom through early fractions of 24.10
and 46.87, Haynesfield ranged up to challenge the pacesetter on the far turn
and took command at the three-eighths pole. Shrugging off a bid from I Want
Revenge as the field of seven straightened for home, the 4-year-old New
York-bred son of Speightstown opened up in the stretch and hit the wire 2 ¾
lengths in front of the fast-closing Convocation.
His time for the 1 1/8th miles was 1:48.52.
“This is a horse who always felt like there was more
potential there as a 3-year-old, that he was going to develop into a nice
horse,” said Dominguez of Haynesfield, who has won four straight dating back to
last fall’s Empire Classic at Belmont Park. “But today, he really surprised me,
especially the second quarter when we picked it up, he was just there for me.”
Owned by Turtle Bird Stable, Haynesfield ran his lifetime
record to 8-1-1 from 11 starts with his second graded stakes win, having won
the Grade 3 Discovery last fall at Aqueduct.
“He did it the right way,” said Toby Sheets, assistant to
winning trainer Steve Asmussen. “He needed to step it up, and he did.”
Competing in both state-bred and open company, Haynesfield’s
only disappointing performance came in last year’s Grade 3 Gotham Stakes, in
which he finished eighth behind I Want Revenge, who went on to win the Grade 1
Wood and become the morning-line favorite for the Kentucky Derby, only to be
scratched the day of the race with an ankle injury.
Owned by IEAH Stables, I Want Revenge underwent surgery to
repair ligament damage and returned to training in April, with the Suburban his
first start in nearly 15 months.
“Our horse ran well – it looked like he needed a race,” said
trainer Rick Dutrow, Jr. “[Joe Talamo] said he got a little tired. I thought he
ran big. We’ll see what happens next time.”
Haynesfield, the third choice in the field of seven,
returned $9.90 for a $2 win bet and earned $180,000 to boost his bankroll to
$629,481.
Convocation, who was fourth to Quality Road in the Grade 1 Met Mile in
his last start, rallied from sixth and hit the wire 1¼ lengths in front of I
Want Revenge. Completing the order of finish were Regal Ransom, Eldaafer,
Unbridled Danger, and Pictural, who had been expected to set the pace for his
entrymate I Want Revenge, but who instead trailed throughout after bobbling at
the start.