Twisted Tom looks like old self ahead of Haynesfield Stakes

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – In 2017, Twisted Tom won six of seven starts, including five stakes, and was voted the New York-bred champion 3-year-old male.

Twisted Tom, then trained by Chad Brown, was the wise-guy horse of that year’s Belmont Stakes, and finished a well-beaten sixth as a 9-1 underlay.

Twisted Tom did not come back the same horse as a 4-year-old. He was well beaten as the favorite in two New York-bred stakes, and his career seemed in peril.

After switching trainers a few times, Twisted Tom, in his first start for Bill Mott, regained his prior solid form with a nose loss to Mr. Buff in the Alex M. Robb Stakes on Dec. 29.

On Sunday, Twisted Tom will try to validate that performance when he runs in the $100,000 Haynesfield Stakes at Aqueduct.

At a one-turn mile, the Haynesfield may be shorter than Twisted Tom’s best, though he did win the Empire Classic going 1 1/8 miles around one turn in 2017.

Twisted Tom drew post 4 and will be ridden by Junior Alvarado.

The Haynesfield, for New York-breds, drew a field of six, including Honor Up and Syndergaard, the 1-2 finishers in the Say Florida Sandy Stakes; the Linda Rice uncoupled entry of Stoney Bennett and Loki’s Vengeance; and Fiery Opal.