Ruler On Ice and Pants On Fire, the two 3-year-old stars of
George and Lori Hall’s stable, might breeze in company on Sunday as their final
serious work for the $1 million Resorts Haskell Invitational (G1) on July 31.
“I’m thinking about breezing them together,” trainer Kelly
Breen said Thursday, “but I haven’t decided yet. I want to work them on Sunday,
but we’ll see how the weather is. Maybe it will be Monday. I want to get the
work in within a week of the race,” Breen said.
“I kept them separate last week when they breezed because I
didn’t want them to go too fast,” the trainer said. “It worked out well because
it put them on their toes without getting them too tired.”
Both horses drilled at Monmouth last Sunday, with Belmont
Stakes winner Ruler On Ice breezing five furlongs in 1:02.3 and Louisiana Derby
winner Pants on Fire getting a half-mile in :49.4.
“The last time I worked them together was in March,” Breen
said, “and Pants On Fire came out of that to win the Louisiana Derby.”
The mile and an eighth Haskell is the centerpiece of
Monmouth Park’s summer meeting. It is expected to draw a field of eight, and
features a showdown between two classic winners as Belmont Stakes champ Ruler On
Ice meets Preakness Stakes winner Shackleford.
Ruler On Ice has not raced since winning the mile and a half
Belmont on June 11, while Pants On Fire, who bled and finished ninth in the
Kentucky Derby, came back from that to win the Grade 3 Pegasus Stakes here on
June 18.
“They’re both doing fantastic,” Breen said. “We’re sitting
right where we want to be coming into the Haskell.”
In addition to Ruler On Ice, Pants On Fire and Shackleford,
this 44th running of the Resorts Haskell Invitational is expected to
draw Coil from Bob Baffert (who will be after his fifth Haskell win) and a
possible second Baffert entrant in Prayer for Relief; the Steve
Asmussen-trained Astrology; Pegasus Stakes second Concealed Identity; and J J’s
Lucky Train from Bill Anderson’s barn.