Timberlake, who takes on a talented field of sophomores on Saturday in the $1 million, Grade 1 NYRA Bets Haskell Stakes at Monmouth Park, may share his name with the world famous “Prince of Pop” Justin Timberlake. But Idiomatic, set to go in the Grade 3 Molly Pitcher Stakes on the Haskell undercard, is the headliner in the Brad Cox barn these days.

“She is a superstar,” assistant trainer Katie Tolbert said of the reigning champion Older Dirt Female and one of the top three finalists for 2023 Horse of the Year. “She is awesome. We love her.”

There’s a lot to love about Juddmonte’s homebred 5-year-old daughter of Curlin. An earner of $3,176,840 and the winner of 10 of 14 outings (with two seconds and two thirds), she is a four-time Grade 1 winner. Last year she won eight of nine starts, including three straight top-level races, and capped her season with a Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Distaff crown and the Eclipse Award.

This year she picked up right where she left off, taking the Grade 1 La Troienne at Churchill Downs on the Kentucky Derby undercard in her comeback from a break, and then missing by a head in the Grade 1 Ogden Phipps at 1 1/8 miles on the Belmont Stakes undercard.

On Saturday, Idiomatic takes on six other fillies and mares in the $500,000 Molly Pitcher Stakes at 1 1/16 miles.

“The decision to run in this race was that I wanted a race between the Ogden Phipps and the Personal Ensign (a Grade 1 at Saratoga on Aug. 23), and if the right race presented itself we’d go for it,” said Cox, a two-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer. “I wanted to bring her back home to Churchill Downs and train her.

“I love the way she’s trained. She’s had three really nice works since the Ogden Phipps and I thought this would be the perfect race. This is something I thought of the morning after the Ogden Phipps. Everything’s moved well so far.”

The plan has worked to perfection before. In 2019 Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen brought Midnight Bisou here after her victory in the Ogden Phipps and she won the Molly Pitcher before going forward to win the Personal Ensign. The three graded stakes scores catapulted her to an Eclipse Award as the top Older Dirt Female that year.

“It did work out for Midnight Bisou,” said Tolbert. “Hopefully, it will for us, too. “

Idiomatic and Timberlake arrived at Monmouth on Thursday morning with the rest of the Cox contingent and quickly settled into their new surroundings.

Timberlake, owned by WinStar Farm and Siena Farm, has been idle since his fourth-place finish in the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby on March 30. Nonetheless, his connections are convinced the Grade 1 winner is ready to take on the tough field that includes the Belmont Stakes’ top two finishers, Dornoch and Mindframe, respectively.

Fierceness, winner of the Grade 1 Florida Derby and the 2023 champion 2-Year-Old Male, is also entered.

“As a 2-year-old he was rowdy and rambunctious. He wasn’t difficult but he was on his toes all the time,” Tolbert said of Timberlake, who won the Grade 1 Champagne at Belmont last year. “He had a little time off over the winter and spring and since he’s come back, he’s really grown up a lot.

“I still see the same fire and desire in him. He’s been breezing great. He seems like he’s come back really well, maybe better than he was before. We’re really happy with what we’re seeing and we’re looking forward to a great day.”

Timberlake, a son of Into Mischief, will break from Post 4 under regular rider Flavien Prat. The jockey and trainer are looking to extend their Monmouth Park luck with the maternal grandson of 2010 Haskell and Preakness winner Lookin at Lucky.

In three previous attempts Prat and Cox have won the Haskell twice, with Mandaloun in 2021 and track and stakes record setter Cyberknife in 2022.

The Haskell is a “Win and You’re In” for the $7 million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Del Mar on Nov. 2. At this point in the season the race for the 3-Year-Old Male divisional championship honors is wide open.

“This is a big race. There’s a lot of extra emphasis this year. This is an important race to win,” said Tolbert. “We’ve had a lot of good races here in the Haskell and hopefully we’ll have another one.”

GOLDEN OLDIE GOLDEN BROWN SET FOR MONMOUTH RETURN

Golden Brown is a Golden Oldie.

The 9-year-old New Jersey-bred gelding was last seen competing on Haskell Day in 2018, when he finished fifth for trainer Pat McBurney and owners ABL Stable, Dominic Bossone, and Nadine Schnoor.

Six years later, the Grade 3 winner and victor of multiple stakes will make his 41^st start Saturday for the same connections on the undercard in the Wolf Hill Stakes to be contested at 5½ furlongs on the turf.

Golden Brown last broke out of the starting gate 15 months ago at Tampa Bay Downs, when he was eighth in an optional claiming race at 6½ furlongs on the main track. That was the old warrior’s first race back in six months.

“He had a prep race at Tampa last year to get ready for the season and ran terrible but came out of the race okay,” McBurney explained. “We came up here and in his second breeze he injured his left foreleg so we kept him here all summer. Our vet was checking him and scanning him the whole time. After four months the vet said not for nothing, the leg looks fantastic.

“We sent him to the farm. It’s not that he hated it but he wasn’t as happy as when he’s at the track. We brought him to Ocala and let him start training, and the leg has looked fantastic. We thought we’d give him a try this year and if he’s not what he was we’ll find something for him that he likes to do.”

Golden Brown has 10 wins on his resume, the majority of which are in state-bred stakes. Even at his advanced age he’s showing all the same signs as when he was a callow competitor.

“With the way he’s been training and acting the signs are there, but obviously, he’s nine years old now,” said McBurney. “He’s always been a high-strung horse for the paddock and everything. We walked him around in the paddock and took him to the gate today and he was nice and calm.

“You never know what’s going to happen on race day, especially a busy day like Haskell Day, but he’s been nice and calm and as happy as ever to be back here.”

The trainer said that when purchased as a yearling Golden Brown was perfectly correct and until last year had been perfectly sound. Originally a $22,000 purchase, Golden Brown has earned $821,350 in his career. He’ll have the chance to add to his bankroll in the Wolf Hill when the meets nine others, all younger, in the field.

“One of his favorite things is shorter on the grass. I thought that would be a good starting spot,” said McBurney.

Over the years the elder equine statesman has developed quite a following and he even has a fan club.

“People talk about him and ask about him all the time,” said McBurney. “When we had the event where the jockeys were the bartenders at the Blue Grotto (a PDJF benefit) after the races one evening there were a lot of questions about him. He’s a tough old horse. He’s still feisty like he’s always been and a handful to train. He’s happiest when he’s on the racetrack.

“This is our home track and it’s always nice to run on Haskell Day, so fingers crossed.”

PLETCHER HOLDING OFF ON DECISION WITH FIERCENESS

On Thursday afternoon there was still no word on whether both Fierceness and Mindframe will line up in the Haskell starting gate Saturday

Fierceness is owned solely by Mike Repole’s Repole Stable and Mindframe is co-owned by Repole Stable and Vinnie Viola’s St. Elias Stables. Running the two against one another may not be the ideal scenario.

“Nothing yet,” trainer Todd Pletcher tweeted about his two charges.

The Hall of Fame conditioner will have two entries in the Haskell field nevertheless. Tuscan Sky, the lights out winner of the Pegasus Stakes, the last local Haskell prep race, will be on the van from Pletcher’s Saratoga base with at least one of his stablemates.

Dornoch, who finished a half-length in front of Mindframe in the Belmont Stakes, is scheduled to arrive on the grounds Friday morning to get acclimated to the surroundings.

Jasper’s Pride and Sea Streak, both New Jersey-breds, are stabled on the grounds and the New York-bred Just Step On It will van from Parx to run for trainer Louis Lindner, Jr.

By Lynne Snierson

Monmouth Park Publicity Staff