Gearing up for Haskell 2015

by Laura Pugh

The 2015 Haskell Invitational began with a promise of speed, as Tell Tale Friend sped through a six furlong sprint, at a torrid pace. First quart 22, half in 44, five furlongs in a sizzling 56, and still the son of Harlan’s Holiday drew away with authority. He finished in the six furlongs in a snappy 1.09, not bad for an allowance optional claimer.

The first Stakes on the card will be the ungraded Lady’s Secret…..the same race that Rachel Alexandra dominated, in one of her two victories, in 2010. This year it features Stakes winners Got Lucky, Blue Violet, and the local hero Stiffed.

If this race plays anything like the first, the horse who gets the lead should win the race, but the factors of this race being two turns, and a race with plenty of speed, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the fields evened just a little.

The next two turn stakes race, on the card, is the Grade two Monmouth Cup. That race will feature a similar cast to last year’s, including last year’s top three finishers, Valid, Bradester, and Pants on Fire. The horse to keep an eye on though, may be, Protonico.

The son of Giant’s Causeway has won his last two starts, one by five lengths, the other by a gritty head. He has a good bit of speed, and should be well placed, which would seem to be a key today. Another thing to like is the fact that this race could easily be considered a class drop. In his last couple starts, he’s been facing the likes of proven stakes quality like Consitution, Noble Bird, and Hoppertunity. Should he take to the track, Protonico has the best chance to upset the locals.

Now keep an eye on these two stakes, for they will be very telling as to how the Haskell could play out, later this evening. Both races feature plenty of speed, like the Haskell, and both races are run around two turns and at similar distances to that of the Haskell. We already know Pharoah will be close or on the lead, but the track condition could determine whether or not there is any horse brave enough to go with the Triple Crown Champion early.

Should the track keep playing to speed, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Competitive Edge, a horse that is one loss from being unbeaten and unchallenged, try and push the envelope with American Pharoah. If that happens, what will ensue? Past Performances tell us that American Pharoah will put his challenger away…..but what if the unbeaten, Grade one winning version of Competitive Edge Shows up? He might just give the champion all he can handle coming down the lane…and wouldn’t that be a sight to see. Untapped potential duking it out with the first Triple Crown winner in nearly four decades….