By Christina Bossinakis
Todd Pletcher has taken multiple swings, 18 to be exact, at the GI Haskell S. in the past, and the Hall of Fame trainer once again returns to Monmouth Park loaded for this year's renewal. Pletcher's trio of entered runners is headed by Repole Stable and St. Elias Stables' Mindframe (Constitution). During Wednesday's draw luncheon at the Oceanport oval, the GI Belmont Stakes runner-up was installed the 9-5 morning line favorite shortly after drawing post seven in the eight-horse field. Irad Ortiz Jr., making his first appearance in the Haskell, gets the call.
Repole Stable is also represented by Fierceness (City of Light)–the 5-2 co-choice second favorite with GI Belmont Stakes winner Dornoch (Good Magic)–and 9-2 early pick Tuscan Sky (Vino Rosso), who rounds out the Pletcher trio. Fierceness breaks from post five, while Tuscan Sky exits the three hole.
The Haskell is a “Win and You're In” for the $7-million Breeders' Cup Classic at Del Mar Nov. 2.
The sole Classic winner in the field, Dornoch is trained by Danny Gargan and owned by the partnership of West Paces Racing, R.A. Hill Stables, Belmar Racing, Two Eight Racing, and Pine Stables Racing. The colt drew the rail for Saturday's race. His regular rider Luis Saez gets the return call.
“I think he's training better now going into the Haskell than he was going into the Belmont,” said Gargan. “He's gotten better with age.”
Dornoch, who is by 2018 Haskell winner Good Magic, is a full brother to 2023 Kentucky Derby winner, Mage, himself a Haskell runner up.
The colt was let go at a healthy 17-1 for the Belmont, largely due to his 10th-place finish, also from the one-hole, in the Kentucky Derby five weeks earlier.
“In the Derby he got eliminated early. Other than that, he's been flawless,” said Gargan.
Regarding his game plan in the Haskell, Gargan said, “We're not really happy with the one-hole, so we're going to have to make a decision if we're definitely going to run from it [or take back]. If you're in the one hole, obviously, you have to show speed. We don't have to be on the lead. We don't want to get stuck inside and checked.”
Of the Pletcher team, a final decision as to whether both Mindframe and Fierceness will run in New Jersey versus detouring one of them to next weekend's GII Jim Dandy Stakes at Saratoga is pending.
“The idea at this time is to buy as much time as possible to make that decision,” Pletcher explained. “We've been preparing as though Fierceness is going to run in the Haskell. With common ownership and Mike Repole owning 100% of Fierceness and 50% of Mindframe, I suppose that's going to play into the equation.”
“Mike's going to have to look at it and decide and decide if he wants to run them against each other or split them up,” he said. “We've been preparing with both options in mind.”
As for Mindframe's lastest start in the Belmont, Pletcher admitted, “On one side, I was elated with his effort in the Belmont and on the other I was a little disappointed he didn't win.”
Following an eye-catching 13 3/4-length TDN Rising Star-earning victory at Gulfstream Park in March, Mindframe posted another impressive win, this time at Churchill Downs, on the Derby undercard.
“At the eighth pole he had a big chance,” Pletcher said of the Belmont. “One of our concerns going into the Belmont was he was running against horses with a lot more experience. We hoped that his lack of experience wouldn't compromise his chances. I think that little bit of greenness he showed in the mid-stretch when he veered out may have cost him the win. I couldn't be disappointed in his effort but I was disappointed we couldn't get the job done.”
Pletcher previously won the Haskell with Bluegrass Cat (2006), Any Given Saturday (2007) and most recently with Verrazano (2013).
Named the 2023 champion juvenile colt, Fierceness, also named a TDN Rising Star after a breakout win at Saratoga last summer, was a sparkling 13 1/2-length winner of the GI Curlin Florida Derby at Gulfstream earlier in the season before fading to 15th in his latest trip to the post in the May 4 GI Kentucky Derby.
“He's been breezing really, really well,” Pletcher confirmed. “Right after the Derby, the first thought was that we were going to take a look at the Belmont but it seemed like it took him a couple of weeks to get over the Derby and get back to himself.”
He continued, “I'm glad that we passed the Belmont and gave him the extra time,” he said. “It's paid dividends in terms of him putting on some good quality weight and training like he does when he's at his very best.”
Rounding out the Pletcher trio, Spendthrift Farm's Tuscan Sky was a winner of his first two starts, including a 5 1/4-length debut win in the mud at the Big A in January. The grey ran an uncharacteristically flat seventh in the nine-furlong GII Wood Memorial Apr. 6, but rebounded to annex Monmouth's Haskell prep–the Pegasus Stakes–by 6 3/4-lengths June 15. Javier Castellano, aboard for the colt's latest win, returns for the Haskell.
“His only career loss was in the Wood Memorial. We were scratching our heads after the Wood because he'd been so impressive in his first two races,” said Pletcher. “Being a Vino Rosso, we thought stretching out to a mile-and-a-half was going to be to his benefit. He never fired at any stage of the race. We regrouped and decided to breeze him with blinkers, which seemed to really focus him. He made his first start with blinkers [in the Pegasus] and that made a difference.”
Making his fourth consecutive appearance in the Haskell, Brad Cox rolls into town ready to play with last year's GI Champagne Stakes winner Timberlake (Into Mischief). Victorious in the GII Rebel Stakes in February, the Siena Farm and WinStar Farm representative finished fourth most recently in the Mar. 30 GI Arkansas Derby. Given an 8-1 chance on the morning line, the colt will exit post four.
“He came out of [the Arkansas Derby] with a little bit of a setback. It kind of maybe explained a little bit why he ran the way that he did,” said Cox, who saddled Cyberknife and Mandaloun to Haskell wins in 2022 and 2021, respectively. “We gave him the time he needed and here we are. He's training straightforward with the freshening. We zeroed in on this race once he started back working because he's doing so well. We know he's a Grade I horse. He proved that last year when he won the Champagne [at Belmont Oct. 7].
Cox added, “I would say he's pretty cranked right now. I think he's good enough to get the job done. I really do. It's going to be a tough task off the layoff, but I think he's a very, very good horse. I'm looking forward to the challenge on Saturday.”
Rounding out the Haskell field: Jasper's Pride (Il Postino, post 2, 30-1); Just Step On It (Accelerate, post 6, 30-1) and Sea Streak (Sea Wizard, post 8, 20-1).
The Haskell will be the 12th of 14 races on the card and post time is approximately 5:45 p.m. NBC Sports will televise the race and the GII United Nations Stakes from 5 to 6 p.m. First race post time is noon.
The draw is as follows:
#1 – Dornoch – Luis Saez (5-2)
#2 – Jasper's Pride (Il Postino) – Jomar Torres (30-1)
#3 – Tuscan Sky – Javier Castellano (9-2)
#4 – Timberlake (Into Mischief) – Flavien Prat (8-1)
#5 – Fierceness – John Velázquez (5-2)
#6 – Just Step On It (Accelerate) – Florent Geroux (30-1)
#7 – Mindframe – Irad Ortiz Jr (9-5)
#8 – Sea Streak (Sea Wizard) – Jairo Rendon (20-1)
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
