2010 Haskell Invitiational Handicap Overview
Contributed By Post Time PetePosted on 7/30/10 6:17 PM
There's generally a lull in horse racing between the end of the Triple Crown in early June and the Breeder's Cup in early November. Don't get me wrong, some of the best races occur during this period of the summer. It's just that not many of these races have the exciting buildup that the Breeder's Cup and Triple Crown offer. If you're looking for that excitement again, the 2010 Haskell Stakes, part of the Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park, shouldn't disappoint.
The race will feature 8 horses, many of the names you've heard before. Super Saver, this year's Kentucky Derby winner, and Lookin at Lucky, this year's Preakness winner, are two of those names. Unfortunately, Drosselmeyer will be unable to compete due to an ankle injury that has sidelined the Belmont Stakes winner for the remainder of the year. Ice Box, First Dude and Uptowncharlybrown, all competitors in different Triple Crown races this year, will also make a run for the Haskell's $1 million dollar purse.
The names you may not have heard that will join this field are Afleet Again, Trappe Shot, and Our Dark Knight. Here is the field for the 2010 Haskell Stakes:
| Post Position | Horse | Jockey | Trainer | ML Odds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
 |
Lookin at Lucky | Martin Garcia | Bob Baffert | 5-2 |
| 2 |
 |
Afleet Again | Joe Bravo | Robert E. Reid Jr. | 12-1 |
| 3 |
 |
Ice Box | Jose Lezcano | Nick Zito | 9-2 |
| 4 |
 |
First Dude | Ramon Dominguez | Dale Romans | 6-1 |
| 5 |
 |
Our Dark Knight | Elvis Trujillo | Nick Zito | 15-1 |
| 6 |
 |
Super Saver | Calvin Borel | Todd Pletcher | 3-1 |
| 7 |
 |
Uptowncharlybrown | Rajiv Maragh | Kiaran McLaughlin | 15-1 |
| 8 |
 |
Trappe Shot | Alan Garcia | Kiaran McLaughlin | 3-1 |
Lookin at Lucky is the current favorite for this year's Haskell and, after watching him run in the Preakness, it's not hard to see why. Baffert's controversial decision to switch Garret Gomez off Lucky and replace him with Martin Garcia was absolutely the right one. Lucky had a rough trip on the sloppy Kentucky Derby track but turned it all around under Garcia in the Preakness with a win. Garcia appears to be a much better fit for Lucky and if track conditions are solid this Sunday I would expect Lucky to run a solid race.
Super Saver and Trappe Shot are currently sharing 3-1 morning line odds which, quite honestly, kind of surprises me. Trappe Shot, a Tapit colt, deserves the 3-1 odds; he ran great in the Long Branch Stakes at Monmouth Park earlier this month and also had a solid win in the Belmont Allowance in early June. He may be blossoming at just the right time for this race and can certainly hold his own with the other horses in the field. Super Saver, on the other hand, doesn't appear to be the stud you would invision a Kentucky Derby winner to be. Many enthusiasts, me included, believe Saver benefited from sloppy track conditions and a jockey who knows Churchill Downs better than Lindsay Lohan knows the MTV after-party bartenders.
First Dude was runner-up in this year's Preakness and finished third overall in the Belmont Stakes. He's a front-running horse and the shorter distance he'll be running on Sunday leads me to believe he has as much a shot at winning as any of his opponents. Any exacta bets I place will be sure to include Dude in the box.
Ice Box was runner-up to Saver Saver in this year's Kentucky Derby and many believe if track conditions had been cleaner Ice Box would have won. Surprisingly, he finished a disappointing 9th in the Belmont, a race many believed he was better suited for. Trainer Nick Zito chose the Haskell Stakes as Ice Box's next appearance carefully. "I feel that's the best way to go," Zito said Tuesday morning on the Saratoga backstretch. "Monmouth's track is playing [toward] closers, and Ice Box comes from behind. The turns are pretty sharp there..."
Uptowncharlybrown finished fifth in the Belmont but was later disqualified for dropping his weight. Uptown is trained by Kiaran McLaughlin who also trains Trappe Shot. Our Dark Knight is a Nick Zito horse who ran to a 3-length victory in an allowance Race at Monmouth Park on July 19th. However, the Haskell Stakes will be his first stakes race appearance. Afleet Again is a hard-closing, Robert Reid, Jr. trained colt.
Right now my Exacta box figures to include Lookin at Lucky, First Dude, Trappe Shot, and Ice Box. If track conditions are sloppy I may replace Ice Box with Super Saver, but for now this is where I sit. Don't forget to tell me who your picks are below and stay tuned this Saturday, August 1st at 5 PM EST with live broadcast coverage on ABC for the Haskell Invitational.
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