Hay Dakota staying home for now

It’s gotten to the point that 4-year-old Hay Dakota looks like a solid Grade 3 sort of turf-route horse, but trainer Joel Berndt still is leaning against shipping him to Arlington for either the Grade 3 Stars and Stripes over 1 1/2 miles or the Grade 3 Arlington Handicap over 1 1/4 miles on July 8.

Instead, he could bide his time and point Hay Dakota to the $50,000 Brooks Field Stakes on Aug. 26 at Canterbury, perhaps with some interim start as yet undetermined.

Hay Dakota upset the Grade 3 Commonwealth Stakes last fall at Churchill Downs as a 30-1 shot, and validated that performance with a win June 18 in the $100,000 Mystic Lake Mile, Canterbury’s richest race for older grass horses.

“He came out of the race real good,” Berndt said. “I usually walk him four days, but took him back to the track in three. I think he’s getting better all the time. He’s real mature-acting now and trains right.”

Berndt said the timing of the Arlington races was suitable, but wonders if Hay Dakota would be at his best over distances quite that long.

◗ Berndt is prominent in the nominally featured fourth race on the Friday night Canterbury card, a first-level two-turn turf allowance race in which he entered Handy Candy and Tranformative, who is designated for the main track only. Handy Candy has won just once in 14 starts but has hit a new peak during 2017 and gets just his second chance on turf, a surface he might well like.

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