Haynesfield Close to First Breeze

After spending a quiet winter at Belmont Park, Haynesfield and Rule by Night are starting to gear up for their 2011 campaigns.

“They just hung out,” said Toby Sheets, who oversees trainer Steve Asmussen’s string at Belmont Park. “They had the good life and slept a lot.”

Haynesfield, the 2010 Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup winner who was last seen finishing second by a head in the Grade 1 Hill ‘n’ Dale Cigar Mile Handicap on November 27 at Aqueduct, was originally scheduled to return to the worktab this morning but had his breeze pushed back to Tuesday.

“I thought there was going to be more rain today than there was, so I changed my schedule a little bit,” said Sheets. “He’s doing super.”

Sheets said the barn has no immediate plans for Haynesfield, who races for Harvey Weinstein’s Turtle Bird Stable.

“When he gets to his second or third five-eighths work, we’ll have an idea where he’ll make his next start,” said Sheets.

Plans are also undetermined for Gold Square’s Rule by Night, who closed his 3-year-old season with a smashing 9 ¼-length romp in the Groovy overnight stakes at Aqueduct on November 21. The son of Malibu Moon returned to the worktab yesterday with a 49.67 four-furlong breeze over Belmont’s training track.

“He’s doing very well, but we’re not pointing for anything,” said Sheets. “We have nothing picked out. It will be springtime, somewhere.”

Sheets also revealed the stable has recently acquired Goombada Guska, who was bought privately by Turtle Bird Stable after winning the Stymie on February 26 for trainer Scott Volk and owner Navesink Breeders.

“He’s been here for about three days,” said Sheets, who added that the 4-year-old might be under consideration for the Grade 3, 1 1/8 mile Excelsior at Aqueduct on April 2. “He’s nice. I like him.”