Haynesfield spoils the party

Adam Coglianese/NYRA

Haynesfield takes the lead outside Regal Ransom (right) in the upper stretch of the Gade 2 Suburban.

ELMONT, N.Y. - It was March 2009 when Haynesfield's Triple Crown dreams were dashed with a disappointing performance in the Grade 3 Gotham Stakes, a race won by a then unheralded 3-year-old named I Want Revenge.

Sixteen months later, it was Haynesfield, under Ramon Dominguez, ruining the return to the races of I Want Revenge with an impressive-looking 2 3/4-length victory in Saturday's at Belmont Park.

Convocation, under Kent Desormeaux, split horses in deep stretch to beat a tiring I Want Revenge by for second by 1 1/4 lengths. I Want Revenge, last year's Wood Memorial winner, was making his first start since a ligament tear to his right ankle knocked him out of the 2009 Kentucky Derby the morning of the race, for which he was the morning-line favorite.

It was a half-length back to Regal Ransom in fourth. He was followed by Eldaafer, Unbridled Danger and Pictural. Pictural was entered as a rabbit for I Want Revenge, but raced last throughout after stumbling at the start.

The victory was the eighth in 11 starts for Haynesfield, a New York-bred son of Speightstown owned by Harvey Weinstein's Turtle Bird Stable and trained by Steve Asmussen. He pushed his career earnings to $629,481.

"He ran super, he ran tremendous," said Toby Sheets, who oversees the training of Asmussen's Belmont Park division. "I loved where we were at. The post position helped us, I think, and Ramon did a great job."

Under Dominguez, Haynesfield stalked the early pace established by Regal Ransom -who ran a quarter in 24.10 seconds, the half-mile in 46.87 and six furlongs in 1:11.17 - took a clear lead approaching the five-sixteenths pole, and came home under a busy hand ride from Dominguez. Haynesfield covered the 1 1/8 miles in 1:48.52 and returned $9.90 to win as the third choice.

"I know it looked like I made the lead a little too early, but he was just taking me there," Dominguez said. "I stayed in the middle of the track, he switched leads, and just went on. Very nice."

Meanwhile, I Want Revenge bobbled a little at the start, but appeared to be racing comfortably in fifth position down the backstretch under Joe Talamo. He made a three-wide move around the turn and moved into third place at the five-sixteenths pole, but he had no punch in the stretch and was beaten four lengths.

"He had a great trip; just got a little tired the last part," said Talamo, who had been the regular rider of I Want Revenge since the end of his 2-year-old season. "That's acceptable coming off a long layoff, but he felt terrific. It was good to be back on him."

I Want Revenge was making his first start for trainer Richard Dutrow Jr., who felt the horse ran well in the Suburban.

"It looks like he needed the race," Dutrow said. "[Talamo] said he got a little tired. I thought he ran big. We'll see what happens next time."