Greenwich Village, making his turf debut, surged from behind to defeat the favorite Heineney in the final stretch, capturing the $100,000 Baffle Stakes for 3-year-olds at Santa Anita in Arcadia, California, on Sunday. Piloted by jockey Juan Hernandez and trained by Bob Baffert, this was Greenwich Village’s third career start, competing in a six-and-a-half-furlong race on a hillside turf course — notably his first race without blinkers.
After the early break, Hernandez allowed Greenwich Village to settle behind the frontrunners, as 25-1 underdog Truck Tiger set a brisk pace, closely pursued by Hey Ney Ney and the 5-2 contender Late Zan Prand. The race’s opening splits were 22.41 and 44.25 seconds. As they crossed a dirt section, Truck Tiger and Later Than Pland battled stride-for-stride near the inside rail, while Hey Ney Ney made a move wide. Eventually, Hey Ney Ney took the lead inside the sixteenth pole but was swiftly overtaken by Greenwich Village, who finished just ahead with a winning time of 1:12.63.
Hernandez reflected on the race, saying, “After I eased up a bit, I decided to make my move. Crossing the dirt, he was gliding like a pro and passing horses effortlessly. I felt confident to go for the win. It was a significant effort given his large stature, but his footwork is excellent.”
Hey Ney Ney, ridden by Hector Berrios and trained by John Sadler, secured second place, finishing three-quarters of a length ahead of Later Than Pland.
Owned by a coalition including SF Racing, Starlight Racing, and Madaket Stables, Greenwich Village is by Quality Road out of the Australian mare Houtzen, a daughter of I Am Invincible. He was acquired for $350,000 at the 2024 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.
Prior to this race, Greenwich Village had a victorious debut at Los Alamitos over six and a half furlongs last December but finished last in a five-horse field in the Grade 2 San Vicente at Santa Anita on January 10. Hernandez shared, “Bob mentioned his dam was an Australian turf champion, so he wanted to try him on grass. The horse felt great, and removing the blinkers seemed to help since he was struggling. It paid off with the win.”
Greenwich Village’s winning payouts were $11.00, $3.80, and $2.60. Hey Ney Ney returned $2.40 and $2.10, while Later Than Pland, now ridden by Thiago Pereira under trainer Phil D’Amato, paid $2.40.
Live racing action will continue Friday with an eight-race card beginning at 12:30 p.m. PT.
This article was originally published by Paulick Report on January 26, 2026.
Fan Take: Greenwich Village’s impressive turf debut highlights the exciting potential of versatile young horses making transitions to new surfaces, which keeps fans on the edge of their seats. This victory not only underscores Bob Baffert’s skill in developing top contenders but also emphasizes the growing prominence of turf racing in the American racing landscape.
