A brilliant winner of the MM 2YO Classic in 2017, I Am Invincible filly Houtzen is beginning to make her mark at stud with her talented three year-old colt Greenwich Village landing his first stakes race at Santa Anita on Sunday.
Trained by Bob Baffert, Greenwich Village was having his third start following a debut win at Los Alamitos last year and then an unsuccessful attempt at stakes company when unplaced in the Group III San Vincente Stakes on January 10.
Switched to turf for the first time for the $100,000 Baffle Stakes (6 ½ f) and ridden quietly by Juan Hernandez with his blinkers removed, Greenwich Village settled at the tail of the field and unwound a brilliant finish.
The Quality Road colt hit the line hard to win by a neck and has two wins from three starts.
"After I broke a little slow, I said, 'Okay I'm going to stay here and make one move,'" said Juan Hernandez.
"Crossing the dirt, he crossed like a professional and he was passing horses. I was like, okay let's win this race.
“It was a really big effort for him because he is a really big horse, heavy, but he has a really good turn of foot."
Greenwich Village was a $350,000 Keeneland September Yearling purchase for SF Bloodstock/Starlight Racing/Madaket Stables and is the second foal to race and second winner for Houtzen.
A Group III winner in Australia, Houtzen was foaled and raised at Yarraman Park.
She had three runs in the UK and Ireland in 2019 with her best effort a second in the Group II King Goerge Stakes at Goodwood and was subsequently offered at the 2020 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale where she sold for $1.5million to Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings.
Houtzen has two year-old colt by Charlatan and yearling colt by boom sire Not This Time, so is not lacking for opportunity.
I Am Invincible mares have already produced Group I winners Asfoora and Kimochi as well as this season’s stakes-winners Incognito, Dance to the Boom and Grand Prairie.
