Horse Racing News is the source of thoroughbred racing information with horse racing odds, betting tips, racing picks, race results, and handicapping. Latest news and articles on top horse racing contenders, jockeys, trainers, three-year-olds, race tracks, and major stakes races such as the Triple Crown races: the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes as well as the Breeders' Cup horse races.Big Brown Heavy Favorite In 2008 Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park Sunday, August 3
Posted on Friday, August 1st, 2008
Big Brown worked on the turf at Aqueduct Friday for Sunday’s $1-million Haskell Invitational (G1) and is scheduled to school in the Monmouth Park paddock Saturday afternoon. The Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner goes from Post 4 in the 1 1/8-mile Haskell and is the 1-2 morning line favorite.
The 2008 Haskell Invitational field of horses with jockeys, weight and morning line odds in post position order:
- Magical Forest under jockey Jorge Chavez carries 118 lbs. with morning line odds of 10-1
- Cool Coal Man under jockey Eddie Castro, 118 lbs., 4-1
- Alaazo under jockey Jose Lezcano, 118 lbs., 30-1
- Big Brown under jockey Kent Desormeaux, 122 lbs., 1-2
- Nistle’s Crunch under jockey Elvis Trujillo, 118 lbs., 15-1
- Coal Play under jockey Joe Bravo, 118 lbs., 8-1
- Atoned under jockey Edgar Prado, 118 lbs., 6-1
Big Brown
The dual classic winner, Big Brown, who starts from the middle of the field in Sunday’s $1-million Haskell Invitational, had his final breeze for the race Friday morning at Aqueduct when he blew out three furlongs in :38 3/5 over the Big A turf course.
Race horse trainer Rick Dutrow Jr. said the Boundary colt, Big Brown, will ship to Monmouth on Saturday morning for his date in the 1 1/8-mile Haskell. The colt is slated to school in the Monmouth paddock Saturday afternoon with the field for the first race.
Big Brown, owned by the IEAH Stables syndicate in partnership with three New Jersey residents - Paul Pompa Jr., Gary Tolchin and Andrew Cohen, has been installed the 1-2 morning line favorite by Monmouth Park oddsmaker Brad Thomas.
The colt won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness in rousing fashion, but was pulled up and did not finish in the Belmont Stakes, ending his Triple Crown bid. He has been working steadily at Aqueduct since the June 7 Belmont Stakes for his return.
Jockey Kent Desormeaux, who has been aboard in all Big Brown’s starts this year, has the mount in the Haskell. This is the 3rd Haskell mount for Desormeaux, who finished 4th aboard Private Terms in 1988, and 3rd on Free House in 1997.
Alaazo
The Bill Mott-trained colt Alaazo is expected to ship down early Sunday morning from Saratoga for the Haskell.
Alaazo broke his maiden at Monmouth Park as a 2-year-old last August, and then was out until February this year when he won an allowance race at Gulfstream Park. The Zayat Stables color bearer was fourth in his most recent start, an allowance at Belmont Park on June 27.
The son of A.P. Indy, Alaazo, has been working steadily at Saratoga for his return to action, most recently turning in a seven-furlong breeze in 1:28 4/5 on Tuesday.
Race horse trainer Bill Mott has given the mount on Alaazo to jockey Jose Lezcano, currently the leading rider at Monmouth Park. This is the 2nd Haskell ride for jockey Jose Lezcano, who finished 9th on Little Cliff in 2006.
The dark bay colt, Alaazo, has license to run well at Monmouth Park. His dam, the Deputy Minister mare Atelier, won the Molly Pitcher Breeders’ Cup Stakes (G2) for trainer Shug McGaughey here in 2002.
Atoned
Race horse trainer Todd Pletcher has added blinkers to Atoned’s equipment as he goes for an unprecedented 3rd straight Haskell victory with the Dogwood Stable color bearer, who is stabled at Monmouth Park in the care of assistant race horse trainer Anthony Sciametta Jr.
Atoned, who finished second in both his Monmouth preps for the 2008 Haskell - the Spend a Buck Stakes on June 14 and the Long Branch on July 12 - will race in blinkers for the first time Sunday.
The son of Repent, Atoned, who has two wins and seven seconds in 12 lifetime starts, wore the blinkers last Saturday when he breezed a half-mile in :50 flat at Monmouth.
“I don’t know whether he’s been unlucky or underachieving or overachieving,” race horse trainer Todd Pletcher said of the 5 photo finishes Atoned has lost. “We’re putting blinkers on him for this race to see if we can get him more focused.”
Jockey Edgar Prado, who was aboard 2003 Haskell winner Peace Rules, will take the mount on Atoned for the 1st time.
Todd Pletcher has won the past 2 Haskells with Bluegrass Cat in 2006 and Any Given Saturday last year.
Coal Play & Cool Coal Man
The two sons of Mineshaft, Coal Play and Cool Coal Man, both own victories at Monmouth Park for owner Robert V. LaPenta and trainer Nick Zito. The two colts have been working steadily at Saratoga for the Haskell, and are expected to ship to Monmouth early Sunday morning.
Coal Play made his first start at Monmouth memorable on May 25, when he led all the way at a mile and 70 yards, and then drew off late to win an allowance race by more than 9 lengths for his 2nd lifetime score. In his next start on July 4, Coal Play raced wide while pressing the pace and had to settle for 3rd.
Jockey Joe Bravo, who was aboard Atoned in both races at Monmouth, will have the mount on Sunday as he seeks a 2nd Haskell win. The 13-time champion Monmouth jockey won his 1st Haskell aboard 2004 Haskell winner Lion Heart.
Cool Coal Man won his only Monmouth start, beating Atoned by a neck in the Spend a Buck Stakes in June, his most recent outing.
Race horse trainer Nick Zito said he was happy the colt drew Post 2. “I like the inside post for him,” Nick Zito said. “I’m hoping he can save ground and run a nice race.”
The 3-year-old colt Cool Coal Man was one of Nick Zito’s main Kentucky Derby hopefuls this winter when he won the Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park. However, he turned in a poor effort over Keeneland’s Polytrack in the Blue Grass Stakes, and then finished 15th - nearly 32 lengths behind Big Brown - in the Kentucky Derby. The Spend a Buck was his comeback effort after the Kentucky Derby.
Jockey Eddie Castro, who rode Cool Coal Man in his stakes win at Monmouth, has the mount for the Haskell. Castro finished 4th aboard Victory Lake in 2006, his only other Haskell mount.
Magical Forest
The son of Forest Camp, Magical Forest, who has won his last 2 starts, including the Barbaro Stakes (G3) at Delaware Park, will ship to Monmouth on Sunday morning from Aqueduct, where he’s stabled with the other horses Joe DeMola trains for owner Ernie Paragallo’s Paraneck Stable.
Race horse trainer Joe DeMola said the rail post suits the colt just fine. “I’m ecstatic about the post,” DeMola said. “I was hoping for one, two or three, and got what I wanted. This colt has been getting better and better. He and Jorge (jockey Jorge Chavez) put it together in the Barbaro and I’m hoping they can do it again.”
Magical Forest has taken four of 11 starts this year, but was 5th in his only Monmouth appearance, the 6-furlong Rumson Stakes on May 31 when he appeared to dislike the muddy track.
However, when stretched out after the Rumson, Magical Forest won the Floor Show Stakes at Delaware in June, and followed with his Barbaro score on July 13.
This will be the 3rd Haskell Invitational mount for jockey Jorge Chavez, who was 9th aboard Halo Hansome in 1989, and 6th on Hero’s Tribute in 2001.
Nistle’s Crunch
The New Jersey-bred son of Van Nistelrooy, Nistle’s Crunch, who makes his first home state start Sunday, was able to gallop just 3/8 of a mile Friday morning before the track was closed for an hour because of an injured horse.
Peter Hutton, assistant to race horse trainer Ken McPeek, accompanied the colt on his van ride from Churchill Downs on Thursday, and has galloped Nistle’s Crunch here the past two days.
Hutton is a familiar figure at Monmouth because he has served as an assistant to both Bob Baffert and D. Wayne Lukas. The English-born former jockey was with champion filly Silverbulletday here when she won the Monmouth Oaks in 1999, and came with Haskell Invitational runner Captain Steve, who was 2nd to Dixie Union in 2000.
Hutton will not be staying for this Haskell, however. He leaves Saturday night for Russia with the McPeek-trained Racecar Rhapsody (4th in the Preakness), who is scheduled to run in the Russian Derby at the Moscow Hippodrome later this month.
Race horse Nistle’s Crunch, owned and bred by the Alien Farm of New Jersey residents Michael Harrison and Dr. Alan Furst, has made his last 3 starts on the grass. He is the only member of the Haskell field to have won on all three surfaces - dirt, turf and synthetic.
The 3-year-old colt Nistle’s Crunch breezed 5 furlongs in 1:00 3/5 at Churchill Downs last Saturday and gets a new rider Sunday in jockey Elvis Trujillo, who will be riding in his 1st Haskell.
The 2008 Haskell Invitational is race 13 of 14 in Monmouth Park’s August 3 race card. Haskell post time is 6:14 pm Eastern.
Horse racing news edited from www.monmouthpark.com.
Horse racing tags: Alaazo, Atoned, Big Brown, Coal Play, Cool Coal Man, Magical Forest, Nistle's Crunch
"Big Brown Heavy Favorite In 2008 Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park Sunday, August 3" was posted on Friday, August 1st, 2008 at 5:54 pm and is filed under Horse Racing Industry, Horses, Monmouth Park, Race Tracks News, Stakes Races, USA Horse Racing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
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