The $1 million Haskell Stakes (G1) on Saturday (July 20) at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, New Jersey, is the first major race for 3-year-olds following the Triple Crown. usracing.com is publishing profiles on the contenders.
What’s a sprinting New Jersey-bred who has never run in a stakes race doing in the Haskell?
Everyone can dream, of course, and the owners are going for theirs, ponying up a $25,000 supplemental entry fee for Jasper’s Pride to take on some of the top 3-year-olds in the country.
The gelding with a maiden win at fourth asking, followed by a win and a third in allowance optional claimers – all at Monmouth Park – is listed at 30-1, a number likely to go much higher by post time.
The Haskell is a 1 1/8 miles; Jasper’s Pride has never raced more than 6 furlongs. He was entered from Friday’s Jersey Shore Stakes, but the supplemental fee payment allows him to run instead against the top two finishers in the Belmont Stakes, Dornoch and Mindframe, as well as Pegasus Stakes winner Tuscan Sky. Fierceness, the champion 2-year-old and Florida Derby winner could also be in the field (a decision doesn’t have to be made until the morning of the race).
There is not much chance Jasper’s Pride can pull off a stunning upset, but with a likely field of seven, he could pass a few tiring horses to run fourth of fifth.
For those who bet horse racing, take a pass.
Post position: 2
Odds: 30-1
Jockey: Jomar Torres
Trainer: Chuck Spina
Owners: Prancing Home Farm (Joseph Ioia)
Career record: 6-2-0-2
Career earnings: $94,639
Last race: Allowance optional claimer, July 6 (3rd)
Top Equibase speed figure: 93
Pedigree: Ill Postino-Cherokee Champion, by Max’s Pal
Color: Chestnut
Running style: Stalker/closer
Notes: The last Jersey-bred to win the Haskell was 44 years ago ... Spina has been a Jersey-based trainer for nearly 50 years, with more than 500 wins from more than 4,300 starters. His top-earning horse is Mia’s Crusade, who has won eight of 19 career starts with earnings of $454,481 – her most recent race a victory in the Jersey Girl Handicap on July 6.
| 1 | Dornoch | 5-2 | Luis Saez | Danny Gargan |
| 2 | Jasper's Pride | 30-1 | Chuck Spina | Robert Reid, Jr. |
| 3 | Tuscan Sky | 9-2 | Javier J. Castellano | Todd A. Pletcher |
| 4 | Timberlake | 8-1 | Brad H. Cox | Flavien Prat |
| 5 | Fierceness | 5-2 | John R. Velazquez | Todd A. Pletcher |
| 6 | Just Step On It | 30-1 | Florent Geroux | Louis C. Linder Jr. |
| 7 | Mindframe | 15-1 | Joel Rosario | D.Wayne Lukas |
| 8 | Sea Streak | 20-1 | Jairo A. Rendon. | Eddie Owens Jr. |
The writing team at US Racing is comprised of both full-time and part-time contributors with expertise in various aspects of the Sport of Kings.
