The Haynesfield ($135.000 Purse)
AQU- For Four Year Olds and Upward Foaled In NY
One Mile on the Dirt
March 29, 2026

On Sunday, a field of five older New York Breds will be taking part in the 11th running of the Haynesfield, which is held at a mile over the main track. To celebrate, the race gets a $10.000 purse increase to the present $135.000 level, which is a new high. Last year, Fox Final Time got the win while running for Invicta Group Llc. It would be his last career win, and he has since been deactivated. We’ll have a new “Fox” this time around, and we’ll get right to him as we look at the participants:

1- Kentucky Fox (Night Rider Stables, ridden by Ru Silvera)- No, a Kentucky bred did not sneak into this race for NY-Breds, and this six-year-old gelding will be making his 38th career start here. It’s been a long career in overnights for this one, and that continued after Night Rider claimed him for $14.000, but after winning a claimer at ALB then his career highlight, a CD allowance, he ran here in the Say Florida Sandy. He was not out of place whatsoever, running second to A Boy Named Kate. Night Rider remembered that one, as he claimed A Boy Named Kate a few days ago.

2- Classical (D J C Racing Stables, ridden by A Beschizza)- Fox may not be in his name, but he is by Fox News. This colt has not won a whole lot, just doing so three times in 16 starts, and he has only hit the board on other occasion. It’s been about a year since the last time he won a race, and it came here in $125.000 Gander, which is also for NY-breds. Ran, but was an afterthought, here in both the Wood Memorial and the Peter Pan last year. Did not run well last time out, either, in the Grade 3 Challenger at TAM. Sadly, he’s a bit of a morning glory.

3- Excitable Boy (South Shore Stables, ridden by R Santana Jr)- All but two of his 13 races have been on the turf, one being his debut race, and the other coming last time out here in an optional claimer. His effort there certainly convinced the trainer to keep him on the, wait, never mind, running here in a State Bred allowance, he ran six of six, while being beaten by six. The three turf runs right before that were mediocre, too. With a couple months going by since his last race, the trainer appears to be confident that whatever went wrong will not happen again. I wish I could see a more recent work, though.

4- Pretty Boy Floyd (Big Jd Racing, ridden by Jam Rodriguez)- Most of his starts have also come on the grass, but the dirt is where he has been for the last two. There was a period early last year where he was seen in KYD preps, but after a dud in the BG Stakes, the turf races came. The results were okay, but showed improvement in his last two, which were also sprints. What’s interesting is that this is his first race going long on the dirt since the BG Stakes, so it could be about redemption for him.

5- Barn Breath (Our Athletes, ridden by M Franco)- Barn Breath is tied with Excitable Boy for having made the fewest starts in this field, with 13, but there is no one in here that was won as many times as he has. Two of his five victories have come in his last three starts, including here back in October. The thing to watch with him is how he handles going long, because he’s been a sprinter for all but two of his races, and those two starts were not his best. It’s been a little while since his last chance, and while I wish I could see a recent mile work, the way he finishes off his public six-furlong works is encouraging.

Prediction: 1-5-4-2

— NS

Categories: STAKES ARTICLES, Ungraded