National Identity heads Gargan trio in $135K Haynesfield

Reeves Thoroughbred Racing’s National Identity is on a four-race win streak heading into Sunday’s $135,000 Haynesfield, a one-turn mile for older New York-breds, on Closing Day of the winter meet at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Trained by Danny Gargan, the 4-year-old Solomini colt was a distant third to returning rival Prince Valiant in the 6 1/2-furlong NYSSS Times Square last April here and returned in September off a more than five-month respite to begin his current win streak following a tie-back procedure on his throat.

National Identity’s current run of form features three local allowance-level scores, including by 4 1/4 lengths versus open company sprinting 6 1/2 furlongs in January. He exited that effort for a last-out pacesetting 1 3/4-length win in the seven-furlong state-bred Say Florida Sandy on Valentine’s Day here.

“He’s doing really well,” said Gargan. “He’s ready to run. He could be the favorite in this race. The mile is always a question, but he got seven-eighths pretty nice in his last race. He has run a mile once and he got beat a nose, and he’s doing really good.”

Last year, National Identity was a nose second to Soontobeking in the state-bred one-turn mile Gander in March to cap a stretch of three consecutive runner-up finishes by less than one length, notably in the $500,000 NYSSS Great White Way in December 2024.

“Obviously, he’s now won four-in-a-row. I’d like to win five-in-a-row. He’s really good right now. I think this is a good spot,” Gargan said.

National Identity [post 6, Kendrick Carmouche], bred by Hunter Valley Farm, is 10-5-3-2 overall with $433,800 in earnings, each of those 10 starts made at the Big A. The $150,000 purchase at the 2023 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Preferred New York-bred Yearling Sale is out of the Indian Charlie mare Cheyenne Autumn, who produced Grade 3-placed Firecrow.