Effinex's early 2016 target will be Stymie

After winning the Grade 1 Clark Handicap following a runner-up finish to American Pharoah in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, Effinex certainly earned a little break.

Effinex is at Belmont Park, where he gets hand-walked three times a day, beginning at 5:30 a.m., according to Steve Moyer, assistant to trainer Jimmy Jerkens.

Moyer said the plan is for Effinex to continue to walk before getting the tack put back on him around Jan. 8. Moyer said if all goes well, Effinex likely will be pointed to the $125,000 Stymie Stakes over Aqueduct’s inner track March 13. That would be used as a prep for the Grade 3, $200,000 Excelsior on April 9. Effinex won the Exclesior last year when it was run later in April.

“He’s a happy horse. He’s an easy horse to handle for a good horse,” Moyer said.

Moyer said it shouldn’t take very long to get Effinex ready to run. Last year, Effinex won a New York-bred allowance off three works and then went on to win the Excelsior.

◗ Effinex won the 2014 Empire Classic and ran fourth in the Alex M. Robb on New Year’s Eve. Empire Dreams won the 2015 Empire Classic. He will try to do better than fourth in this year’s Alex M. Robb, again scheduled for New Year’s Eve. On Thursday, Empire Dreams breezed four furlongs in 50.94 seconds over the Belmont Park training track in preparation for the $100,000 Robb.

In Thursday’s work, Empire Dreams got his last quarter in 24.80 seconds after breaking off in 26.14.