Heart’s Song is the 2/1 morning line favorite for trainer William Connelly after posting back to back wins at Indiana Grand, including a 2 1/4-length stakes tally July 15 in the Ellen’s Lucky Star Stakes. Jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. is scheduled to ride the daughter of Desert Party as the pair looks for their third consecutive win together. Heart’s Song finished third in the Grade 2 Golden Rod Stakes at Churchill Downs as a juvenile and is unbeaten in two starts this year.
Comforter (5/2) was no match for Heart’s Song in the Ellen’s Lucky Star, but finished second after setting honest fractions despite an awkward start while making the her first appearance around two turns. The Paul Holthus trainee will have to overcome a wide break from post 12, but could be much tighter with a clean beginning and route experience under her belt. In 11 career starts Comforter has finished off-the-board just once, and has finished first or second in each of her last five.
Hebe’s Victory (8/1) stretched out nicely while making her first start around two turns July 14 at Indiana Grand with a winning effort against allowance foes. The effort was a marked improvement over her two sprint tries, and the Stephen Lyster-trained filly posted a bullet workout in July 29 at Keeneland in preparation for her first try against stakes company.
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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