OCEANPORT – Haskell Day can go a long way towards making the Monmouth Park meet. And the betting numbers surrounding the $1 million NYRA Bets Haskell Stakes have been very strong in recent years, including a record $21.3 million total wagered on the track’s most important afternoon last year.
And with a host of equine stars and a little intrigue, there’s a chance Saturday’s 57th renewal of the Jersey Shore’s Grade 1 fixture will be another record-breaking day.
It all starts with Mindframe, the talented but lightly raced colt installed as the 9/5 morning line favorite while drawing the seven post in the field of eight Wednesday. Mindframe is trained by Todd Pletcher, who currently has three Haskell entrants.
More: Haskell Stakes 2024: Post positions, odds, analysis with Mindframe the 9/5 favorite
Speaking of stars, Dornoch comes in off a half-length victory over Mindframe in the Belmont Stakes, and is the co-second choice at 5-2. But like in the Kentucky Derby, where he finished 10th, Dornoch has drawn the rail, which could present some issues heading into the clubhouse turn.
“We’re not that happy with the one post, so we’re going to have to run from it,’ said trainer Danny Gargan. “We don’t have to be on the lead but we just don’t want to get stuck in traffic.
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“I think he’s training better going into the Haskell than he was going into the Belmont.
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Much of the intrigue surrounds Fierceness, with Pletcher entering the 2-year-old champion, also at 5/2 in the morning line, but indicating the winner of last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile might stay at Saratoga and run in the Jim Dandy Stakes on July 27.
If Fierceness does run, the addition of a multiple Grade 1 winner would greatly add to both the competitiveness of the race and the amount of money bet on it.
“As of right now we are considering both options,” Pletcher said. “We’ve been preparing as though he was going to run in the Haskell. There’s an ownership issue where Mike Repole owns 100 percent of Fierceness and 50 percent of Mindframe so that is part of the equation. Mike is going to have to decide if he wants to run Fierceness against Mindframe or split them up. The idea is to buy as much time as possible to make that decision.”
There’s highly regarded Timberlake, a Grade 1 winner coming off a 15-week layoff for trainer Brad Cox, looking to win the Haskell for the third time in four years. As well as the third Pletcher entrant, Tuscan Sky, coming off an impressive win in the Pegasus Stakes.
Add in a few local entrants, including Jersey-bred Sea Streak, winner of the Long Branch Stakes on opening day, and you have the makings of a very competitive race, with a field of eight drawn.
Big bucks at stake
The last four Haskell’s have produced three of the largest Haskell Day betting totals ever, including the 2020 Haskell, run in front of a mostly empty grandstand but at time when betting one horse racing was up everywhere during the COVID-19 pandemic.
One factor has been the Haskell Day Preview card the track has put together the last three years, featuring the final local prep races for four graded stakes races on the Haskell card. This year it resulted in a total handle of $10.7 million, a record for a non-Haskell or Breeders’ Cup Day at the track.
“I think Haskell Preview Day has been dramatic,” said Dennis Drazin, chairman and CEO of Darby Development, which operates Monmouth Park. “This year it was on Father’s Day weekend, and we had 29,000 people here on Father’s Day.
According to Drazin, Monmouth Park’s handle numbers are up 40 percent this year. And he feels the deal announced Tuesday that will have NYRS Bets take over the account wagering system in the state, opening the door to NYRA Bets and eventually other advance deposit wagering (ADW) platforms to enter the state, thus giving the state’s bettors more options when wagering on horse racing.
“I think with NYRA Bets coming in it’s going to attract a lot more wagering on the race. Not this year, but next year moving forward,” said Drazin. “I think you’re going to see bigger, better gambling numbers. This year has been an exciting year.”
Not just the Haskell, with five graded stakes races in all, including the Grade 2 $600,000 United Nations.
This year’s undercard will include champion mare Idiomatic prepping for the Grade 1 Personal Ensign at Saratoga on Aug. 23 in the $500,000 Grade 3 Molly Pitcher.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Talented Haskell field could equal big bucks for Monmouth Park
