The Haynesfield ($100.000 Purse)
AQU- For Four Year Olds and Upward Foaled In NY
One Mile on the Dirt
February 22, 2020

In a race that will be contested for just the fifth time, a field of six will head to the starting for The Haynesfield. The race is restricted to NY-breds and has been won the last two years by Night Rider Stables. Last year, it was with Custer Of The West, a horse that sadly never won again, but is still active. The more well known Nice Distorted Laff was the 2018 winner, and he has gone on to bigger things. So, will the 2020 winner follow the path of Custer or of our Laffer? Let’s look at the field!

#1- Feathers Not Dots (Team 7 Illusions, ridden by M Franco)- About half of his career has been running with the NY-bred condition, and he has a lot of experience in running in stakes of varying levels. However, he is still winless in a stake, so it seems as though the trainer is looking to transition him from the grass to the main track to try and change that. Has a lot of experience on off tracks, but that will not be the case here on Saturday (as of now anyway).

#2- Hide The Lemon (Ace Racing Stable, ridden by E Cancel)- Claimed in October for $20.000, this gelding has run well in his new silks, placing second in the $200.000 Mohawk here before winning the CC Emerald in his following start. This will be his 2020 debut, and he will do it while carrying two more pounds then all but one in here.

#3- Trumpomatic (Night Rider Stables, ridden by D Davis)- Looking for his third consecutive win in the race, the trainer looks to a gelding who started off his 2019 running in some high caliber races, such as the Pegasus World Cup, but finished it off running in two claimers. He did win both of those races, at least, so if all is right about him, I don’t see why he could not jump back up and take this race.

#4- Dodger Blue (RNP Stables, ridden by J Lezcano)- This is one of the two horses in here carrying two more pounds then the other four. He had a busy campaign as a three year old, making thirteen starts, and getting wins in five of them. The later wins of that stretch were in similar races to what he is running here in terms of purse, though he’s made several turf starts, something we see on a lot of the horses here, actually.

#5- Z Stoned One (Gdp Inc, ridden by K Carmouche)- For the most part, this horse has run in overnights, but there have been a couple stake attempts mixed in, include one before he ever broke his maiden. Like usual, that didn’t work, but he did break his maiden conventionally in his following start. He’s otherwise a steady producer, but does not have something that really stands out at me. He’ll be happy a dry track is expected.

#6- American Ideal (Nakamura Stables, ridden by J Alvarado)- The seven year old will make the 35th start of his career, hoping it results in his ninth win. He took part in this race here last year, but finished in the middle of the field. Since then, he’s had three very close calls that with a little more luck all would have been wins, but they were not, and as such, he is still looking for his first win since May 2018.

Prediction: 3-6-1-5

— NS

Categories: STAKES ARTICLES, Ungraded