The $300,000, Grade 1 Las Virgenes Stakes is the featured event January 31 at Santa Anita, with a field of ten three year-old fillies set to contest the one-mile event on the main track.
Maybellene is the 3/1 favorite for trainer Bob Baffert after finishing third to eventual two year-old Eclipse-Award winning filly Take Charge Brandi in her last start. Maybellene, a daughter of Lookin At Lucky, has posted two wins in seven career starts for earnings of $151,300. Leading jockey Rafael Bejarano has the mount breaking from post number two aboard the speedy filly who should stalk the early fractions.
Majestic Presence exits a fourth place finish in the Grade 1 Starlet, behind Maybellene. Trained by Jerry Hollendorfer, Majestic Presence has just a maiden victory to her credit in six career starts, but did run third in the Grade 3 Delta Princess Stakes behind Take Charge Brandi. Majestic Presence has posted two solid works at Santa Anita in preparation for the Las Virgenes and projects as a late-running type in a field loaded with speed. Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens has the mount on Majestic Presence breaking from post six.
Baffert also trains 4/1 shot Callback, who most recently placed second in the Grade 2 Santa Ynez January 3 at Santa Anita. Baffert removes the blinkers on Callback who has worn them in all three career starts. The daughter of 2007 Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense will race at two-turns for the first time in her career.
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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