Honor Up noses Syndergaard in Haynesfield

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Just a neck separated Honor Up and Syndergaard in last month’s Say Florida Sandy Stakes. In Sunday’s $100,000 Haynesfield Stakes, the margin was considerably smaller.

Honor Up overcame a terrible break and a middle move into a hot pace to hold off the late charge of Syndergaard and win the Haynesfield by a nose at Aqueduct. The two were 1 1/2 lengths clear of favored Twisted Tom in third.

The win was the third straight and sixth from 15 starts for Honor Up, a 4-year-old son of To Honor and Serve. For Syndergaard, the loss was reminiscent of the Grade 1 Champagne as a 2-year-old when he was beaten a nostril by Practical Joke.

Both Honor Up and Syndergaard were cross-entered in Monday’s $100,000 Hollie Hughes Stakes at six furlongs. But both their trainers - Michelle Nevin (Honor Up) and John Terranova (Syndergaard) - felt the one-mile Haynesfield was the better spot. They were both right.

Honor Up, breaking from the rail, had both his hind legs to one side when the gates opened, according to jockey Jose Lezcano, causing him to break inward and spotting the field two to three lengths.

Meanwhile, Stoney Bennett, under Manny Franco, set the pace, with Fiery Opal, under Edwin Rivera, just off his flank through a half-mile in 46.11 seconds.

Syndergaard, under Rajiv Maragh, was sitting a pocket trip inside while Lezcano had moved Honor Up into fourth, just outside Syndergaard.

After Fiery Opal gave way on the far turn, Honor Up made a three-wide move to Stoney Bennett while Syndergaard followed.

Honor Up struck the front just outside the eighth pole and looked home. But Syndergaard kept charging and came up just a nose short at the wire to Honor Up, who was taken out a path by Lezcano to make sure he saw the competition.

“I thought I was going to pass out,” said Nevin, who trains Honor Up for Saratoga Seven Racing Partners. “The other horse ran a hell of a race to keep coming. That was a close, close race. I thought that was a dead heat for a second.”

Honor Up covered the mile in 1:37.04 and returned $6.80 as the second choice.

Lezcano said that when Honor Up made the front he started to wait on horses.

“The longer you wait [to make the front] the better for him,” Lezcano said.

Maragh said he was getting the trip he wanted early and seemed stunned that he didn’t get there.

“I was really happy down the backstretch, he was in a nice rhythm just bouncing along and I always felt like I got horse,” Maragh said. “He run hard, but just that same damn horse again … I’m going to have nightmares about that horse.”

Twisted Tom finished third and was followed, in order, by Fiery Opal, Stoney Bennet, and Loki’s Vengeance.