$1M Haskell Stakes A "Win and You're In" For Breeders' Cup Classic

The biggest event at Monmouth Park - the $1 million Haskell Stakes, is set to celebrate its 59th renewal on Saturday, July 18.

The Haskell is a part of the Breeders' Cup Challenge "Win and You're In" series, with the race winner receiving an automatic spot with fees paid for the $7 million Breeders' Cup Classic on Saturday, October 31 at Keeneland.

OffTrackBetting.com (OTB) members will be able to wager and watch all the action on a stacked 14-race Haskell card that features seven stakes races - five graded.

The Haskell has a scheduled post time of 5:47 p.m. EST

Multiple graded stakes-winning Further Ado (Spendthrift Farms) has been installed as the 2-1 morning line favorite for the $1 million, Grade 1 Haskell Stakes and trainer Brad Cox is hoping the colt takes him back to the Monmouth Park winner's circle for the second time in five runnings on Saturday, July 18.

The two-time Eclipse-Award winning trainer posed for photos with Gold Square's Cyberknife when he set the Haskell stakes and track record in 2022. That year Cyberknife captured the Matt Winn (Grade 3) at Churchill Downs in his previous outing, and Further Ado was a facile winner of the same prep race June 7 under Irad Ortiz, Jr.

Seven 3-year-olds have entered the nine-furlong Haskell, a "Win and You're In" race for the $7 million Breeders' Cup Classic on Oct. 31 at Keeneland.

"We're kind of taking the same path we did with Cyberknife," Cox said by phone following the post position draw on Tuesday. "He was able to win a (Kentucky) Derby prep in a Grade 1 (the Arkansas Derby) prior to the Derby. We came back in the Matt Winn with him as well, and ultimately ended up with him winning the Haskell."

Further Ado, a son of Gun Runner bred in Kentucky by John Oxley, was the victor in the April 4 Blue Grass (Grade 1) before finishing 11th after a compromised trip as the Kentucky Derby favorite on May 2. Now he looks to return to form and add to his impressive resume of 4-1-1 in 8 starts with $1,446958 in purse earnings.

"I thought (the Matt Winn) was a really good effort," Cox said. "The numbers he received out of it basically say he's the fastest two-turn 3-year-old colt in the country. I love what I've seen from him since. He's held his condition since. His weight looks great. He's always been a great workhorse, and he's continued to train well and breeze well leading up to this."

Further Ado will break from post 2 and Ortiz, Jr. gets the return call.

Lining up to challenge him with rider and odds from the rail out are: Star Sweeper, Luis Rivera, Jr., 30-1; Baby Vino, Jorge Vargas, Jr., 15-1; The Puma, Luis Saez, 7-2; Iron Honor, Flavien Prat, 3-1; Napoleon Solo, Paco Lopez, 5-2; and Ocelli, Tyler Gaffalione, 6-1.

Napoleon Solos a Grade 1 winner at ages 2 and 3, and the son of Liam's Map enters the Haskell fresh from his score in the Grade 1 Preakness Stakes on May 16. After the colt's Classic win he was sold by Gold Square to ESPOIR USA and will be running in new silks on Saturday.

"He's a naturally brilliant fast horse," said trainer Chad Summers, who arrived on the grounds with Napoleon Solo on Sunday. "Whether the races are six furlongs or a mile-and-three-sixteenths he's able to carry that speed out. He's a throwback to some of those great horses back in the day."

Despite being the Preakness winner, Summers understands the Haskell presents a stern test for Napoleon Solo. Iron Honor, the Chad Brown-trainee who finished second by 1¼ lengths behind him in the second jewel of the Triple Crown, will try to turn the tables and is among the capable challengers.

"He's still relatively a lightly-raced horse with only five starts," Summers said. "He's going to have to get better. Brad Cox said it: obviously, Further Ado is the best (3-year-old) two-turn horse in the country. Chad Brown has drawn inside of us now, so he'll be able to save the ground that he didn't in the Preakness. We're going to have to step up our game. We got a great post. We'll see what happens in front of us."

Brown, who won the 2018 Haskell with Good Magic, said Iron Honor has always displayed a lot of ability and the son of 2016 Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist is a standout among his considerable crop of talented sophomores.

"He's always been a horse that we liked. He's a good-looking, well-bred horse," said Brown, a five-time Eclipse Award winner. "His numbers were always good right from the start. He was right on the stakes trail right from the start."

The Preakness was the first time that Iron Honor ran without blinkers and he encountered trouble in a wide and taxing trip where he lost ground under Prat.

"I think Flavien did as good of a job as he could, based on the trip he was handed. But I thought it was a really good effort and he made more than one move in the race and kept coming forward," Brown said.

Trainer Gustavo Delgado, Sr., is making his second Haskell appearance since 2023 Kentucky Derby winner Mage was the runner-up that year.

The Puma, a son of 2021 Belmont Stakes winner Essential Quality, has been idle since a nose loss in the Grade 1 Florida Derby. Though qualified for the Kentucky Derby field, he was withdrawn due to an infection in his leg.

"As soon as we had to scratch from the (Kentucky) Derby we decided to forget about the Triple Crown races and take it easy (and point to the Haskell)," said Gustavo Delgado, Jr., his son and assistant. "We think that all of this (extra) time for him have helped him. There was no pressure. We decided to bring him here and, so far, he looks good.

"We think that he's ready. We want to get him back. Everything we wanted to see before coming here we did see."

Ocelli, who is trained by Whit Beckman, has earned more than $800,000 and his last six starts have been in stakes races, with the most recent four appearances in graded stakes. Nonetheless, he has never found the winner's circle. He would be the first maiden to win the Haskell.

The locally-based Baby Vino, who is trained by Lindsay Schultz, was a dazzling winner by 10 lengths in the Pegasus Stakes, which is the final Haskell prep, in his last start.

Star Sweeper ships in from trainer Louis Linder, Jr.'s Parx base and he finished second in the first local prep in the series, the Long Branch on May 10, but bounced when he returned for the Pegasus Stakes, winding up a badly beaten fifth. Linder said the colt deserves another chance after that disappointing run.

Besides the Haskell the other graded stakes are the $500,000, Grade 2 United Nations, for horses 3 and up going 1 3/8 miles on the grass; the $500,000, Grade 2 Molly Pitcher for fillies and mares 3 and up at 1 1/16 miles on the main track; the $350,000, Grade 3 Monmouth Cup at a nine furlongs on the dirt for horses 3 and up, and the $300,000, Grade 3 WinStar Matchmaker for fillies and mares, 3 and older, at nine furlongs on the grass.

The $100,000 Regret Stakes for filly and mare sprinters at six furlongs, moved from Sunday to Saturday, and the $100,000 Wolf Hill at 5½ furlongs on the turf round out the stakes offerings.

Napoleon Solo And Iron Honor Head 19 Nominations For 2026 Haskell Stakes

July 7 - The 1-2 finishers, respectively, in the Preakness Stakes, Napoleon Solo and Iron Honor, and three-time graded stakes winner Further Ado head a list of 19 nominations to the Grade 1 Haskell Stakes on Saturday, July 18, at Monmouth Park.

Napoleon Solo, a two-time Grade 1 winner trained by Chad Summers, will head into Monmouth Park's $1 million showcase for 3-year-olds off a nine-week layoff.

Iron Honor, trained by Chad Brown, finished 1¼ lengths behind Napoleon Solo in the May 16 Preakness Stakes. He won the Grade 3 Gotham Stakes on Feb. 28.

The Brad Cox-trained Further Ado bounced back from an 11th-place finish in the Kentucky Derby to win the Grade 3 Matt Winn Stakes at Churchill Downs on June 7. The son of Gun Runner also won the Grade 1 Blue Grass on April 4 and the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club as a 2-year-old.

Tampa Bay Derby winner The Puma, second by a nose in the Florida Derby, and Baby Vino, a 10 ¾-length winner of the Pegasus Stakes on Haskell Preview Day at Monmouth Park on June 13, were also among the list of nominations.

The 59th edition of the Haskell Stakes, at a mile and an eighth, offers the added bonus as a "Win and You're In" challenge race for the Oct. 31 Breeders' Cup Classic at Keenelend in Lexington, Ky.

Five stakes races will support the Haskell card: The Grade 2, $500,000 United Nations; the Grade 2, $500,000 Molly Pitcher; the Grade 3, $350,000 Monmouth Cup; the Grade 3, $300,000 WinStar Matchmaker and the $100,000 Wolf Hill Stakes.

NAPOLEON SOLO

Career Record: 5-3-0-0

Career Highlights: This year's Grade 1 Preakness champ for local connections was subsequently sold but still aims to headline this year's Haskell field. Perennial Monmouth Park leading rider Paco Lopez won his first Triple Crown race in that Preakness and now will look to add his first Haskell.

Owner: ESPOIR USA, Inc.

Trainer: Chad Summers

Jockey: Paco Lopez

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BABY VINO

Career Record: 6-2-2-1

Career Highlights: Won the Pegasus Stakes, the main, local Haskell prep, by 10 3/4 lengths. He's never faced Grade 1 competition, but he's improving with every start and certainly has the look of a horse ready for primetime.

Owner: Cosmo Stables

Trainer: Lindsay Schultz

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IRON HONOR

Career Record: 4-2-1-0

Career Highlights: Was on the Kentucky Derby trail after his win in the Grade 3 Gotham over the winter but decided to wait for the Grade 1 Preakness where he finished a solid second behind Napoleon Solo. Showed a bit of a new, rating tactic last time with the blinkers off, and that race proved he fits with the best of his division.

Owner: St. Elias Stable, William H. Lawrence & Cathi Glassman

Trainer: Chad Brown

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BIG CUDDLE

Career Record: 5-4-1-0

Career Highlights: Is a three-time stakes winner including the Sir Barton on the Preakness undercard and the Delaware Derby last out. Has never been worse than second in five lifetime starts. This will be his first attempt in a graded stakes, but he's done nothing wrong so far.

Owner: Pocket 3's Racing LLC

Trainer: Gary Capuano

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OCELLI

Career Record: 9-0-2-4

Career Highlights: Has yet to cross the wire first in a race but has amassed over $800,000 in career earnings by finished third in both the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby and Grade 2 Wood Memorial, fourth in the Grade 1 Preakness, and most-recently second in the Grade 3 Ohio Derby.

Owner: Durr, Ashley, Tate, Anthony and Front Page Equestrian, LLC

Trainer: D. Whitworth Beckman

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THE PUMA

Career Record: 4-1-2-1

Career Highlights: Was a "buzz" horse entering the Kentucky Derby until he was withdrawn. Spent his winter battling the best in South Florida with a Grade 3 Tampa Bay Derby winner and Grade 1 Florida Derby runner-up finish to his credit. Goes out for the same connections who ran second in the 2023 Haskell with Mage.

Owner: OGMA Investments LLC, JR Ranch and High Step Racing LLC

Trainer: Gustavo Delgado

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CRUDE VELOCITY

Career Record: 4-3-1-0

Career Highlights: He's a Grade 1 winner around one turn having taken the Pat Day Mile on the Kentucky Derby undercard. Lost the rematch with Englishman on Belmont Stakes Day and now appears prime to test two turns in a race his trainer has won a record nine times, including once with Bayern, a horse exiting the G1 Woody Stevens just like Crude Velocity is.

Owner: CSLR Racing Partners

Trainer: Bob Baffert

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FURTHER ADO

Career Record: 8-4-1-1

Career Highlights: He's a Grade 2 winner at age two, but really burst onto the scene with an 11-length romp in the Grade 1 Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland this spring. Was sent off the favorite when finishing 11th in the Kentucky Derby, but bounced back nicely with a two-length win at odds-on in the Grade 3 Matt Winn last out.

Owner: Spendthrift Farm LLC

Trainer: Brad Cox

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HEDGE RATIO

Career Record: 6-3-0-0

Career Highlights: Was a last-out winner of the Long Branch, a local prep for the Haskell Stakes, popping a 100 Beyer Speed Figure. That gives him two wins in a row for a trainer who certainly knows how to get his horses to perform on the biggest stage.

Owner: Klaravich Stables, Inc.

Trainer: Chad Brown

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SCHOOLYARDSUPERMAN

Career Record: 6-1-3-0

Career Highlights: Earned a free entry into the Haskell with his second-place finish in the Pegasus Stakes behind Baby Vino. Two back finished behind stablemate, and possible Haskell participant, Hedge Ratio at Aqueduct.

Owner: Hit the Bid Racing Stable and CMNWLTH

Trainer: Chad Brown

Baby Vino Wins Pegasus - Haskell Next?

June 13 - A rising star and an established one shared the spotlight Saturday on Monmouth Park's Haskell Preview Day, with Grade 1 winner East Avenue regaining his winning ways and Baby Vino possibly punching his ticket to the Grade 1 Haskell Stakes.

East Avenue, prominent on the Triple Crown trail a year ago but winless in his past four starts, showed his championship fiber by digging in to beat multiple graded stakes winner Bishops Bay by a nose in the Grade 3, $150,000 Salvator Mile.

Baby Vino, meanwhile, continued his upward arc by romping to a 10¾-length victory in the $125,000 Pegasus Stakes, earning his first stakes win after leaving the Maiden Special Weight ranks in his last start. The Pegasus serves as the final local prep for the $1 million Haskell Stakes on July 18.

Baby Vino, ridden by Lopez, hinted at a brighter future, covering the mile and a sixteenth in 1:44.36 wrapped up.

"Paco rode him like he was on the best horse and it worked out very well," said winning trainer Lindsay Schultz. "He showed us another gear today. He's maturing with each start. He had a lot of trouble in some of his previous starts but this was a nice trip. As long as he's training well, it makes sense to run him in the Haskell. He's already run well on this track."

With free entry and start fees as a bonus for the victory, Schultz said the Haskell was "the logical next spot if the horse is doing well."

Baby Vino paid $7.80 to win.

Crude Velocity to target Grade 1 Haskell Stakes

June 7 - Crude Velocity defeated Englishman by 3 3/4 lengths one race prior in the Grade 2 Pat Day Mile on May 2 at Churchill Downs. A stretch out in distance appears to be on tap for the now 3-for-4 son of Beau Liam in the Grade 1, $1 million Haskell at nine furlongs for sophomores, on July 18 at Monmouth Park.

"I'm going to run him in the Haskell," Baffert said. "We're going to stretch. I was going to run him in the Matt Winn today [Sunday at Churchill Downs], but I thought maybe, I was hoping that Englishman wouldn't show up there [at Saratoga], but then he showed up. We'll see."

Renegade Possible for Haskell per Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher

June 7 - Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher reported that Renegade and Powershift, respectively third and ninth in the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes, exited the race in "good order" and shared plans for both colts.

Renegade, the 8-5 favorite in the Belmont Stakes off his runner-up effort in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby, raced behind horses in seventh, angled outside to launch his bid under jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. turning for home before he was outkicked by top-two finishers Golden Tempo and Commandment, finishing 5 1/4-lengths behind the winner. Renegade, who is owned by Repole Stable and Robert and Lawana Low, won the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby by four lengths in April at Oaklawn Park.

"Renegade got the position we thought he would," said Pletcher. "He was always sort of surrounded by horses and covered up behind horses. He was absolutely caked in dirt. It wasn't a bad trip; it was just one of those trips that [he] never got into a cozy position. I thought he kicked turning for home, but he did not have that sustained drive he had in Arkansas and at Churchill. He ended up being a little bit flat and I think a little more time would have benefited him, in retrospect."

Pletcher said he is considering multiple options for Renegade, including the Grade 1 Haskell Stakes July 18 at Monmouth Park, the Grade 2 Jim Dandy presented by Mohegan Sun August 1 at Saratoga Race Course, or training up to Saratoga's Grade 1 Travers August 29.

The Puma's Next Race Will Be The Haskell Stakes at Monmouth

May 13 - Trainer Gustavo Delgado has announced that Grade 3 Tampa Bay Derby winner The Puma, co-owned by OGMA Investments, JR Ranch, High Step Racing, TCC Stables, and Bruce Zoldan, will next race in the G1 Haskell Stakes at Monmouth Park on July 18..

The son of Essential Quality was a race-day scratch from the 2026 Kentucky Derby on May 2 with a minor skin infection and was placed on the Kentucky vet's list. Delgado shared a video of The Puma departing Churchill Downs on May 13 for Gulfstream Park.

The chestnut colt debuted in January at Gulfstream, where he was beaten by eventual Kentucky Derby fourth-place finisher Chief Wallabee. He was then third to Kentucky Derby runner-up Renegade in the Sam F. Davis Stakes before capturing the G3 Tampa Bay Derby by three-quarters of a length. In his final prep for the first Saturday in May, The Puma was second by a nose in the G1 Florida Derby. Javier Castellano was aboard in all four starts.

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