By J. Keeler Johnson (“Keelerman”) Twitter: @J_Keelerman
A spectacular race day awaits at Monmouth Park this Saturday. Half a dozen shares (five of which are classified) are on the agenda, led by Haskell S. (G1) $1 million for three-year-olds walking 1 1/8 mile.
Haskell often seems like the fourth leg of the Triple Crown, and this year was no exception. Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) “Win and You’re In” qualifying drew a strong team of eight horses, including Kentucky Derby (G1) winners #4 mage (3-1).
Mage has set a strong record since his debut on January 28. A runner-up finish behind champions Forte in the Florida Derby (G1) qualified him for the Kentucky Derby, where he rose from 16th at brisk pace to prevail over next-generation Ohio Derby (G3) winners Two Phil’s by some distance. Other defeated competitors include future winner Matt Winn S. (G3) Disarm, recent Los Alamitos Derby winner Reborn, and subsequent finishers Indiana Derby (G3) 1-2 Verify and Advanced Cain.
You could argue that Mage benefited from sizzling pace in the Kentucky Derby, considering how the horses rallied from the bottom third of the field that wiped out five of the top seven finishers. But Mage was far from disgraced in Preakness S. (G1) two weeks later, finishing third with 2 1/4 of the distance while trying to rally into an early/fast late race to benefit the National Treasure winner.
The mage is a reasonable victory threat in Haskell, but he is facing some formidable new opponents. Chief among them is the morning favorite line #8 Arab Knights (5-2), my top pick even though he started an unorthodox prep schedule.
Bought for $2.3 million as a two-year-old in training, the Arabian Knight looked like a star in the making when he pounded a special dumbbell for seven-haired maidens at Keeneland last fall. Uncle Mo’s son led the way all the way to beating future first-place winner and third-place finisher Gun Runner S. Determined by 7 1/4 the length in an excellent time of 1:21.98.
The Arabian Knights were even more impressive in the 1 1/16 mile Southwest S. (G3) race on January 28 at Oaklawn Park. After racing through fractions quickly on a sloppy track, the Arabian Knights crossed the lane to dominate with a length of 5 1/2 on a field that included future Kentucky Derby Sun Thunder and Jace’s Road alumni plus Preakness and Belmont S. (G1) Red Route One initiators.
Unfortunately, the Arabian Knight hasn’t been running since the Southwest, but he’s been training like a hurricane in Santa Anita (even posting a trio of seven-round workouts in recent weeks) and has been targeting Haskell for a while. Hall of Fame coach Bob Baffert has picked up nine winners and five runners-up out of 14 Haskell starts, so whenever Baffert is aiming for this race, you should sit up and pay attention.
Speed usually works well in Haskell (like it does in most US land races), so I’m optimistic the Arabian Knights will deliver victory over the long haul, take the lead, and maintain their edge in the last leg.
#5 Tapit Trice (3-1) was another poor contender after winning the Blue Grass S. (G1) and finishing seventh in the Kentucky Derby and third in Belmont. But I am concerned that this slow-start son of Tapit will find himself with too many opportunities to get close to more tactical opponents, so a spot in the trio could be the limit to his potential.
I really wonder if we can sneak a higher priced runner into the top three—perhaps #3 Hello stars (8-1), the trainer (Brad Cox) won the most recent two Haskell releases with Mandaloun and Cyberknife.
Salute the Stars was 2 to 2 on land and showed great promise in the 1 1/16 mile Pegasus S. at Monmouth last month, a local prep for Haskell. He was ranked while racing at pace from the start, and with time remaining, he overtook Louisiana Derby winner (G2) and Kentucky Derby alumnus Kingsbarns by 4 1/2 distances. But Salute the Stars hit another cog down the lane and boldly regrouped to win the margin. Candy Ride’s son still has the edge, and another move on Saturday could land him a good end in Haskell.
Select
First: Arabian Knights
Monday: Sorcerer
3rd time: Hello stars
Wednesday: Tapit Trice
Now it’s your turn! Who do you like in Haskell?
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J. Keeler Johnson (also known as “Keelerman”) is a writer, cinematographer, voice actor, disabled athlete, and all-around horse racing enthusiast. A huge fan of racing history, he considers Dr. Fager the greatest racehorse ever made in America, but considers Zenyatta his all-time favorite.
