The field for Sunday’s $1 million Resorts Casino Hotel
Haskell Invitational (G1) is assembling on the grounds at Monmouth Park. With
the arrival late Thursday of Coil, all but two of the eight 3-year-olds in the
Haskell are now here. The field for the 44th running of the mile and
an eighth Haskell Invitational, in post position order, with jockey and morning
line odds, follows:
COIL (Post 1,
Martin Garcia, 3-1) – The son of 2001 Haskell winner Point Given arrived at
Monmouth on Thursday afternoon after a flight from California.
Coil, who will be making his debut on a dirt surface after
five career starts on synthetic tracks in California, got his first look at
Monmouth Friday morning as he galloped a mile around the main track, and
schooled in the paddock with the field for the day’s second race.
The colt will try to give trainer Bob Baffert his fifth
victory in the Haskell. The trainer scored a record fourth win in the race last
year with 3-year-old champion Lookin At Lucky, ridden by Garcia. Baffert won
his first Haskell with Point Given, and followed with War Emblem (2002) and
Roman Ruler (2005).
JOE VANN (Post 2,
Joe Bravo, 15-1) – The Todd Pletcher-trained colt, who won the Illinois Derby
in April, has been training at Saratoga for Todd Pletcher.
Joe Vann is scheduled to ship to Monmouth from the Spa early
on Sunday morning.
Pletcher will be after his third Haskell winner. He won
back-to-back runnings in 2006-2007 with Bluegrass Cat and Any Given Saturday.
Joe Bravo will be after a second Haskell win. He won the 2004 running aboard
Lion Heart.
PANTS ON FIRE
(Post 3, Elvis Trujillo, 4-1) – One of two Haskell entrants owned by George and
Lori Hall and trained by Kelly Breen, the homebred Jump Start colt was out on
the track at 5:45 Friday morning for gallop once around the main oval.
Pants On Fire, who won the Louisiana Derby (G2) in March,
captured the Pegasus Stakes (G3) here on June 18, and tuned up for the Haskell
with a sharp half-mile work in :47 3/5 here last Sunday.
Elvis Trujillo rides the colt for the first time, taking
over for the injured Rosie Napravnik.
CONCEALED IDENTITY
(Post 4, Chris DeCarlo, 12-1) – The son of Smarty Jones, who beat Haskell rival
Ruler On Ice in the Federico Tesio Stakes in May, continues to train at Eddie
Gaudet’s base in Bowie, Md. He will ship to Monmouth early Sunday morning from Maryland.
In his first start outside of Maryland, Concealed Identity
shipped to Monmouth in June and ran a game second to Pants On Fire in the
Pegasus.
Jockey Chris DeCarlo will be looking for a second Haskell
victory. He won the 1986 running aboard Wise Times, his first Haskell mount.
SHACKLEFORD (Post
5, Jesus Castanon, 5-2) – The Preakness winner and morning line favorite for
the Haskell galloped a mile and a half on the main track here this morning
under the watchful eye of trainer Dale Romans. He is scheduled to school in the
paddock during the races on Saturday, Romans said.
The son of Forestry (third in the 1999 Haskell) is the only
Haskell starter who competed in all three legs of the Triple Crown this spring.
Shackleford was fourth in the Kentucky Derby and fifth in the Belmont Stakes,
but won the Preakness by a half-length over Derby winner Animal Kingdom.
RULER ON ICE
(Post 6, Jose Valdivia Jr., 4-1) – The Kelly Breen-trained winner of the
Belmont Stakes was out on the track at 5:30 a.m. Friday for a one-mile gallop
around the oval.
The son of Haskell winner Roman Ruler has not started since
winning the final jewel in the Triple Crown on June 11, but has turned in
several solid works at Monmouth to get ready for the Haskell. He breezed in
company with Pants On Fire last Sunday, getting a half-mile in :47 3/5.
J J’S LUCKY TRAIN
(Post 7, Paco Lopez, 20-1) – The colt by Silver Train had a strong gallop around
the main track Friday morning and was asked for speed the last half-mile,
trainer Bill Anderson said. He was slated to school in the paddock with
Friday’s sixth race field.
That will complete preparations for J J’s Lucky Train, who
has won two of three starts at Monmouth and took the Bay Shore Stakes (G3) at
Aqueduct in April.
ASTROLOGY (Post
8, Julien Leparoux, 9-2) – The Steve Asmussen-trained colt, who finished third
in the Preakness, galloped a mile around the Monmouth main track Friday morning
and stood in the gate. He was scheduled to school in the paddock before
Friday’s sixth race.
Astrology arrived at Monmouth Monday after shipping from
Saratoga, where he drilled a half-mile in :51 1/5 on the training track.
Asmussen will be looking for his second Haskell victory. He
took his first score in the Grade 1 event in 2009, when Rachel Alexandra won
Monmouth’s main event en route to Horse of the Year honors.