Aptly named Lovingheriseasy has Haynes on a high
Practical Joke filly a 10-length debut winner
Ted Black
February 13, 2026
In the weeks since watching his three-year-old filly Lovingheriseasy capture a one-turn maiden special weight dash for West Virginia-bred sophomore fillies, trainer Ernest Haynes has already been asked to make some tough comparisons.
Back in late 2016, Haynes claimed an Oklahoma-bred Afleet Express filly named Lake Ponchatrain for $25,000 out of a contest at Charles Town. That miss went on to earn more than $488,000 for her new owner-trainer, winning the 2017 and 2018 Misty Bennett Pink Ribbon Stakes, along with three other stakes, to become the best horse Haynes has trained.
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So it’s saying something if Lovingheriseasy conjures up thoughts of Lake Ponchatrain.
Thus far, Haynes has had two genuinely optimistic comparisons. For one thing, Lovingheriseasy is one step ahead of Lake Ponchatrain in terms of her breeding, which gives her owner-breeder-trainer plenty to look forward to in the months and years ahead. Lovingheriseasy is a sophomore daughter of Practical Joke – last year’s sixth leading sire nationally and currently fourth – and is out of the Jersey Town mare Two Turn Tammy, certainly flashier breeding than Lake Ponchatrain.
For another, Lovingheriseasy easily graduated at first asking, while it took Lake Ponchatrain four tries to find the winner’s circle.
Lovingheriseasy romped home 10 1/2 lengths clear on debut February 4 while stopping the timer in 53.58 for the 4 1/2 furlongs. In so doing, she spoiled the career debut of Creative Catch, who settled for a distant fourth as the even-money favorite for trainer Jeff Runco.
“One thing about this filly is she’s definitely better bred than Lake Ponchatrain,” Haynes said of the talented Oklahoma-bred distaffer who won 20 races, five of them stakes, and earned over $626,000 in 50 career outings. “She’s always acted like she could be a very nice filly. Both of them have a lot in common. They’re both very calm, almost like ponies in the paddock. Nothing ever seemed to bother Lake Ponchatrain, and this filly’s the same way. She’s just always calm and likes to go about her business.”
If everything had gone according to plan for Haynes and Lovingheriseasy, the state-bred daughter of Practical Joke would have made her career debut late in her two-year-old season last fall. But Haynes said she had a few minor ailments along the way and opted to take his time with her, noting that a lot of her genuine earnings potential will occur in the two-turn stakes races later this summer and fall and into the subsequent seasons. Overall, Haynes has saddled 735 winners with just over $10 million in career earnings, a milestone he eclipsed last fall.
“She’s had a few little aches and pains, a bout with sickness and some other minor things that you expect with young horses,” Haynes said. “But she never had anything seriously bother her. If she missed some training, I just backed off and waited for something else. She trained well over the break and I was glad to get her in that race last week. She probably won’t make her next start until March 7 in a two-turn allowance for state-bred three-year-old fillies up here. I like to give my young horses at least 30 days between their first and second race.”
In her career debut earlier this month, Lovingheriseasy ($6.80) forged a mild upset when she broke alertly under jockey Justin Lewis to vie for command leaving the chute, widened her advantage with every stride on the far turn, and romped home easily best. Favored Creative Catch missed the break, spotted her foes three lengths early and then rallied belatedly to get fourth but was still nearly 16 lengths back of Lovingheriseasy at the wire.
“She had been working well leading up to that race, so I was confident she would run well,” Haynes said. “When she broke the way she did, I knew she was going to be tough to beat. I’m looking forward to running her back going seven furlongs up here on March 7 in that state-bred allowance for three-year-old fillies. I think she is going to like the longer races better. I named her right after I looked at her the first time. She just looked so perfect standing there, I loved her right from the first moment I saw her.”
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