On Saturday at Santa Anita, the reigning Horse of the Year California Chrome will take on a field of eight rivals in the $500,000 San Antonio Invitational Stakes. The Grade 2 race will be contested at a mile and an eighth on the main track.
California Chrome has been installed as the morning line favorite at odds of 6-5 for trainer Art Sherman. In addition to being named Horse of the Year for 2014, the chestnut son of Lucky Pulpit also took home the Eclipse Award for champion three-year-old. After winning the Kentucky Derby (G1) and Preakness (G1), he fell short of the Triple Crown in the Belmont (G1) but closed out his sophomore year with a win on the turf in the Hollywood Derby (G1). Regular rider Victor Espinoza will be aboard from post eight.
Second choice at 7-5 on the morning line is Share Belief for trainer Jerry Hollendorfer. A dark bay son of Candy Ride (ARG), he entered the Breeders’ Cup Classic in November with a seven-race undefeated streak only to finish fourth after a troubled trip. He rebounded to win the Malibu Stakes (G1) last time out by a neck over a field of nine rivals. Mike Smith will be in the irons as he makes his four-year-old debut from post position five.
Also in the field at morning line odds of 4-1 is Hoppertunity for trainer Bob Baffert. A four-year-old son of Any Given Saturday, he returned to action in October off of a six-month freshening and comes into this race off of back to back graded stakes wins. He was last seen winning the San Pasqual in his first start of the year in a rail-skimming effort as the favorite. Martin Garcia will be back in the irons and they will break from the rail.
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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