Hey Nay Nay says goodbye to his rivals in the Tyro (Grace Harney/EQUI-PHOTO)
Tom Luicci/Monmouth Park
OCEANPORT, N.J. – Trainer John Sadler has had so few hiccups along the way with Hey Nay Nay after two career starts that he’s already targeting the Breeders’ Cup for the 2-year-old colt.
Nothing that happened in Saturday’s $100,000 Tyro Stakes at Monmouth Park did anything to change those plans, with Hey Nay Nay crushing a reduced field of freshman turf sprinters to win by seven lengths.
The winning time for the five furlongs over a firm turf course was :56.87.
Shipped in from California after winning his career debut at Santa Anita in June 1, Hey Nay Nay ran like he had a plane to catch to the West Coast, bolting to the lead and never facing a threat. Win N Juice was second, one length better than Red Lad.
“This is a mature 2-year-old,” said the California-based Sadler. “I didn’t want to keep him in the barn and I thought he had the personality to ship cross country so we landed on this spot.
“Even winning as easily as he did I thought he got more experience out of this. He looked straighter and stronger in his second start compared to his first, so he showed improvement to me. It was a good race for him. This horse I’m hoping ends up in the Breeders’ Cup.”
The complexion of the race changed dramatically when the original field of 10 was reduced to five, including the late withdrawal of Monster, who looked to be the early speed after blazing fractions of :20.4 and :43.1 in his five-furlong turf win at Gulfstream Park on May 23.
So Paco Lopez took matters into his own hands, sending Hey Nay Nay, the 3-10 favorite, to the lead through fractions of :22.50 and:45.56.
“We originally talked about laying second (before Monster scratched) and then when that horse scratched I thought he would probably be in front the way he was,” said Sadler.
Lopez was effusive in his praise for Hey Nay Nay.
“This is s a very good horse,” said Lopez. “He won the first time in California while being pressed on the lead and then he shipped from in and did the same thing here. I think he is a very good horse.”
Sadler has ambitious plans for the Irish-bred son of No Nay Never, who is owned by Hronis Racing LLC and Iapetus Racing LLC.
He has listed the Grade 3 Del Mar Juvenile Turf on Sept. 7 or a pair of Kentucky Downs races – the $1 million Kentucky Downs Juvenile Mile on Sept. 7 or the $1 million Juvenile Sprint on Aug. 31 – for Hey Nay Nay’s next start. Sadler also said there might be a prep race at Santa Anita to consider.
“Once we get our turf schedule in California there isn’t as much of a need to ship,” said Sadler, who started a horse at Monmouth Park for the first time since the 2007 Breeders’ Cup. “He was a little of an outlier in that he won his first race. He’s obviously ready to run as he showed again.”
Lopez’ only disappointment seemed to be that Hey Nay Nay was never tested. He wanted to see the horse respond to competition.
“The scratches changed the race,” he said. “It’s less competitive. I wanted to see the competition and how he would run against that competition today. The pace was not all that fast for a horse of this caliber of horse. He won like a good one.”
