Handicapper's Corner: 2026 Haskell Stakes (G1)

 

Is Further Ado Really the Haskell Horse to Beat?

By: Robert Marks, (@theyreinthegate)

We have a Grade 1 race for 3-year-olds at Beautiful Monmouth Park this Saturday, 1 1/8 miles on the Dirt with a $1,000,000 purse. The Haskell features a short but competitive field featuring 4 horses of the 7 runners who ran in a Triple Crown race this year.  The event is carded as race 12 of 14 with a 5:45 PM ET post time. 

Here is who we like:

Further Ado at 2-1 is your morning line favorite. With this short price, let’s look elsewhere for better gambling choices. 

Iron Honor (3-1) Trained by Chad Brown with Flavien Prat as the Jockey, this horse is our best value win bet.  If you have been playing Saratoga this summer, you already know that Flavien Prat is hot with a bunch of multi-win days up at the spa.  Iron Honor looked great placing second in the Preakness, and his tactical running style fits Monmouth perfectly. He has been resting for 2 months with a nice 4-furlong workout last week. Seems primed for this race, he will be tracking the leaders before making a sustained move

   The Puma (7-2) trained by Delgado Gustavo, with Luis Saez aboard, he has the highest last-race speed figure in the field. He also has a win over Further Ado, the favorite, in the Tampa Bay Derby.

   As always, pace makes the race, but if the early leaders collapse, his closing kick could put him in the winner’s circle. He is coming off a long 112-day layoff, so he might need a race, but certainly worth a look if his odds stay or creep higher come post time. Will be coming late regardless.

    Ocelli (6-1). This Whit Beckman-trained colt with Tyler Gaffalione on board is still a Maiden. It’s not for lack of trying, as he has 9 starts, with 2 place finishes and 4 show finishes. He’s run in the Kentucky Derby, finishing third, then fourth in the Preakness after getting bumped at the start and second in June at the Ohio Derby after leading in the stretch. He is a stalker type and always finds a way to be in the mix; he just can’t figure out how to win. He has Curlin as his grandfather, so he’s bred for these types of races.  Once again, I don’t see him winning, but he can get in the Trifecta.  He is all class and always competes.

This will be an interesting race.  We look for a moderate to fast pace with Iron Honor making a move at the final turn, tracking the pace setter Napoleon Solo. Further Ado will be there too, but for value purposes, we are tossing him and hoping for a big score. The Puma and Ocelli should both be coming down the stretch late.  As always, watch the horses in the paddock and the odds as Post time approaches and then make final selections accordingly.

Bets: $100 dollar Budget

$5 Trifecta Box: Iron Honor, The Puma, Ocelli (total bet $30)

$10 Exacta Box:  Iron Honor, The Puma, Ocelli (total bet $60)

$10 Win Bet: Iron Honor (Total bet: $10)