Ready for Rye has been tabbed as the favorite in the wide-open field at odds of 5-2 on the morning line for trainer Tom Albertrani. A gelded son of City Zip, he has been on the board in all seven of his starts and won the Swale Stakes (G2) in March at Gulfstream Park. He was last seen earning his third career victory against optional claiming company at Belmont Park. Javier Castellano will be aboard and they will break from post position five.
Second choice at 7-2 is The Great War for trainer Wesley Ward. Purchased for $1 million as a yearling, the bay son of War Front has won four of his ten starts and was briefly on the Triple Crown trail before being sidelined with a minor injury following a tenth-place finish in the John Battaglia Memorial Stakes in February. He has been training steadily for his return to the races and will have Joel Rosario in the irons from post position three.
Also in the field at morning line odds of 10-1 is Element for trainer Todd Pletcher. A ridgling son of Unbridled’s Song, he will be making his stakes debut after winning his last two starts. He made a strong rally from off of the pace to win an allowance race on the turf at Belmont Park by 1 ½ lengths last time out. He will get a jockey change to Luis Saez and they are scheduled to break from the outside post as he goes for his third straight victory.
The field is set for the $1 million Haskell, where Nyquist will be trying to re-stake his claim as the top three-year-old in the country.
On Sunday at Monmouth Park, the featured race is the $300,000 United Nations Stakes. Scheduled to be run at a mile and three-eighths on the turf, the Grade 1 event has drawn a field of ten colts and geldings.
On Sunday at Monmouth Park, the featured race is the $150,000 Pegasus Stakes, a key prep race for the Haskell Invitational (G1). The Grade 3 event will be contested at a mile and a sixteenth and has drawn a field of seven three-year-olds.
With five grade 1 races and a grade 2, the undercard for the June 11 Belmont stakes could be the best single day of racing on the calendar outside of the Breeders’ Cup.
Haskell Invitational Picks for Monmouth Sunday
29 July 2016The field is set for the $1 million Haskell, where Nyquist will be trying to re-stake his claim as the top three-year-old in the country....
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