With no shortage of certainty in his Belmont Stakes-winning horse Dornoch and in his rider Luis Saez, trainer Danny Gargan is confidently anticipating Saturday’s $1 million, Grade 1 NYRA Bets Haskell Stakes at Monmouth Park for top class sophomores.

The Haskell, which will be contested at 1 1/8 miles, is a “Win and You’re In” for the $7 million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Del Mar on Nov. 2, and the outcome should help clarify what is currently a cloudy picture in the 3-year-old chase for divisional honors.

“He looks better now than he did going into the Belmont,” said Gargan. “We were fighting a skin disease going into the Belmont to the point where we had to walk for a couple of days. He’s coming into the race as good as we can have him.

“He’s training really well. We love how he’s doing. He just keeps doing more and keeps improving.”

Dornoch is owned by West Paces Racing, R.A. Hill Stable, Bel Mar Racing and Breeding, MLB All-Star Jason Werth’s Two Eight Racing, and Pine Racing Stables.

The son of 2018 Haskell winner Good Magic comes into this test after beating fellow competitor Mindframe by a half-length in the Belmont.

In his previous effort in the Kentucky Derby, he drew the disadvantageous inside post position and endured a trip so terrible that it compromised any chance he might have had.

“He wants to win. It’s not his fault (he has just the one Grade 1 on his resume),” said Gargan. “In the Derby he was eliminated early. You’ve got to shake it off. We never lost faith in him”.

Neither did Saez, who has been aboard Dornoch for his last six races following a runner-up finish in the Sapling Stakes on Aug. 23. The jockey also proved prophetic.

“The person who thought he’d win more than anybody was our jock. Luis got off him in the Derby and said, ‘Don’t worry. We’re going to win the Belmont. He was the best horse today. I never got to let him run. You didn’t get beat far. If he’d had any trip he would have won today,’ ” Gargan said. “Luis got off him with nothing but confidence and he had the same confidence going into the Belmont. Luis is a really good rider. He’s unbelievable and he fits this horse perfect.”

It’s not just the trainer and ownership group who are happy to have Saez, who won the 2019 Haskell with Maximum Security and has a record of 1-1-1 in four prior attempts, on the team. Additional tribute comes from an unimpeachable source.

“Last winter Ramon Dominguez told me that you don’t see often a rider who fits a horse like this,” said Gargan when mentioning the Hall of Fame jockey who won just shy of 5,000 races before injury forced him into premature retirement. “Ramon said ‘You have the best rider for your horse’. That meant a lot. For him to go out of his way and say that this jock fits your horse better than any jock could fit him. Ramon said he fits this horse better than he would have and I think he’s one of the top five riders who ever lived.

“That’s the ultimate compliment.”

Dornoch did not get the optimum draw in the Haskell. He and Saez will have to break from the disadvantageous rail again, this time in what will possibly be an eight-horse field.

“We were hoping to get an outside draw,” said Gargan. “We’re just hoping to get a nice clean break and everyone rides safe and nobody does anything stupid. If no one does anything stupid coming over and if he can break and get up in the race we’ll see a big performance from him.

“We have the same confidence here (as before the Belmont). The other day (in the Belmont) Mindframe got a little wandering around and ran a little green. He got past us turning for home. He got about a half-length in front of us. But when horses come to my horse, he re-rallied. Dornoch likes to fight. Luis thinks he if he gets up there, he’s hard to get by.”

In addition to the pair from the barn of Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher in Midframe and Pegasus winner Tuscan Sky, the field includes Grade 1 Champagne Stakes winner Timberlake, Long Branch Stakes winner Sea Streak, the locally-based Jasper’s Pride and Parx invader Just Step On It.

Pletcher also entered Grade 1 winner and reigning Juvenile Male champion Fierceness but it remains a race day decision if he will be in the starting gate.

“Mindframe is a seriously good horse. Fierceness is a champion. Timberlake is a really good horse, too,” said Gargan. “There are three Grade 1 winners in there and Mindframe is just waiting to win a Grade 1. It’s a big-time race if everybody shows up. Hopefully, everybody gets to run their race and the best horse wins.”

Dornoch, out of the Big Brown mare Puca, is a full brother to 2023 Kentucky Derby winner Mage, the runner-up in last year’s Haskell. His Belmont win flattered his pedigree.

“This horse has been hyped all year. He’s been highly regarded. Earlier in the year there was a lot going on,” said Gargan. “Now that’s he won the Grade 1 it’s more relaxed. We know he’s going to be a stallion now and he’s already got the Grade 1. Winning the Belmont was a dream come true. We’ve got the cake. We’d just like a little more icing before he goes to stud.

“We’re really proud of this horse. We’d love for him to be the 3-Year-Old champion. If he wins this race he’ll be leading the division. He might be leading it now. This race here could put him in a pretty good spot (at this point in the season).”

TWO JERSEY-BREDS TAKING A SHOT IN NYRA BETS HASKELL STAKES

The Garden State will be well represented, and the New Jersey Thoroughbred breeding program will have a strong rooting interest, in this year’s Haskell Stakes with Jasper’s Pride and Sea Streak part of the top-class field. The two Jersey-breds stand on the precipice of becoming the first state-bred to win the Haskell in 44 years, since Thanks to Tony accomplished the feat in 1980.

This also presents a unique opportunity for Monmouth Park mainstays Eddie Owens, Jr. and Chuck Spina. Not only are the trainers competing in their initial Haskell, they will each be a running a horse in a Grade 1 affair for the first time in their long careers.

“It will be a normal day for me. I feel like it’ll be just another race. The emotions are the same until they gate and then I get a little nervous. Other than that, I keep a pretty low and even keel,” said Owens, Jr., 63, who grew up in the shadow of the track and honed his trade working here under Ben Perkins, Sr., Joe Orseno, and John Mazza.

Spina, 76, has been based at Monmouth Park since 1972. Not only is this his first Grade 1 appearance, it’s his first graded stakes race start.

“It’s exciting to be part of the big race on the big day,” said Spina, who trains Jasper’s Pride for Gayle and Joe Ioia’s Prancing Horse Stable, which is among Monmouth’s perennial leading owners.

“I come every year and sit in my box because I usually have one in the Jersey-bred first level allowance race, but this will be different. I’m just happy to still be here doing this at my age and still getting up at 4 o’clock every day and enjoying what I do at Monmouth Park,” said Spina. “It’s my home and my favorite track.”

Owens, Jr. conditions Sea Streak for owner/breeder Holly Crest Stable. After the gelding won the Long Branch Stakes here in May he said, “Don’t let that Jersey-bred (origin) fool you,” because his horse can really run.

“Everybody thinks that we Jersey-breds don’t belong sometimes, but none of (the horses) know where they’re from,” said Owens Jr. “If I worry about him running against these Kentucky-breds and Florida-breds and any other breds, we’ll have a long, long day.

“If you want to be in these big races you have to run against these horses. We don’t listen to other people’s opinions. They aren’t mine.”

Like the old-time horseman he is, Owens tightened the screws on Sea Streak by blowing him out three-eighths of a mile on Thursday.

“I had to take him out there and blow him out three-eighths of a mile because he was just feeling too good. I didn’t want him to be over cranked coming out of there. I want him to be settled. He was in there jumping around in his stall. I’ve been around a while. I’ve seen it done before. He’s pretty sharp right now,” he said. “I don’t know what to expect but I know if he runs the way he’s feeling we’re going to be okay.

“I’m looking forward to it. I think he’ll run a very big race. If he runs really bad it will be disappointing because this horse is training so good right now I’ll be surprised if he doesn’t run good. If he runs to his training we’ll be okay.”

Owens has known Spina since he first came on the track when he was a kid.

“I was planning for us to be here in this race together,” he laughed. “It’s kind of cool for us Jersey trainers. We’ve got long shots on the board but somebody’s got to win. I wish him the best of luck. If I don’t win I hope he does.”

Nonetheless, Owens has full intentions of raising the Haskell trophy by himself. Sea Streak will break from the outside post under Jairo Rendon.

“We’re going to come out there with the same intentions (as in the Long Branch). But if they want to go, we’re going to drop in behind them,” he said. “We’re coming out of the gate with the intentions of being forwardly placed. We’ve got a longer run into the turn so I’m going to leave it up to the jock. If he doesn’t think he can make it he’s going to have to get over and save some ground.”

Meanwhile, he hasn’t been engaging in any creative visualization practices.

“Oh I plan on being in the winner’s circle. I’m not envisioning it. I plan on being there,” he said. “I’m not going over there to just be a part of this field. I’m going over with the intentions of winning. That’s what we plan on doing.”

COX SCHOOLS TRIO OF HORSES IN THE PADDOCK FRIDAY;

MINDFRAME AND TUSCAN SKY ARRIVE AT MONMOUTH PARK

Two-time Eclipse Award winner and two-time Haskell winning trainer (Cyberknife, 2022; Mandaloun, 2021) Brad Cox was in the paddock on Friday afternoon to supervise the schooling session of Champion mare Idiomatic, Haskell runner Timberlake, and Highland Falls.

Four-time Grade 1 winner Idiomatic headlines the Grade 3 Molly Pitcher and Highland Falls competes in the Grade 3 Monmouth Cup on the undercard.

“All good. Everyone’s doing great,” said Cox.

Mindframe and Tuscan Sky, Haskell contenders from the barn of Todd Pletcher, arrived on Friday morning after their van ride from Saratoga and were settled into the Hall of Fame trainer’s barn here on the backside. Fierceness, his third entry, may possibly arrive Saturday morning before the race.

Trainer Louis Linder, Jr. will ship Just Step On It from his base at Parx on the morning of the Haskell.

By Lynne Snierson

Monmouth Park Publicity Staff