GI Haskell Stakes

If you didn't know the sophisticated people behind the mating, you might imagine that Puca went to Good Magic on no better premise than to double down on the alchemy implicit in both names. Because a puca (or pooka) in folklore is a shape-changing sprite, capable of bringing good or bad fortune. Shakespeare named Puck accordingly in A Midsummer Night's Dream, but my favourite example is Elwood P. Dowd's invisible drinking buddy Harvey, a rabbit standing just under six feet four inches. Perhaps you've noticed his silhouette at Harvey's Bar...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.--Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher promised that he would enter three of his horses for Saturday's $1 million NYRA Bets GI Haskell Stakes at Monmouth Park. And that he did on Wednesday as a pair of 'TDN Rising Stars' in Fierceness (City of Light) and Mindframe (Constitution), plus Tuscan Sky (Vino Rosso) were three of the eight 3-year-olds signed on to run in the signature race at the Monmouth. It remains to be seen how many of them actually take the trip from the Spa City to...

Carlos Morales of Agentes 305, whose horse racing videos have garnered more than six million views over three social media platforms, was named the recipient of the 2024 Bill Handleman Award for outstanding coverage of last year's TVG.com Haskell Stakes, Monmouth Park said in a Wednesday release. Morales, who started Agentes 305 in 2019 to highlight horse racing through video interviews with owners, trainers, jockeys and backstretch workers, produces videos in both Spanish and English on YouTube, X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram. "I started this with the idea of highlighting...

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,...