Three-Year-Olds in the Weekend Spotlight
July 29th, 2011By ROBERT KIECKHEFER
UPI Racing Writer
This weekend’s $1 million Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park and $500,000 Jim Dandy at Saratoga could help crown this year’s 3-year-old champion.
There’s a lot of racing still to come, including the $1 million Travers Stakes – the “Midsummer Derby” – a month down the road at the Spa and, of course, the Breeders’ Cup Classic, often a showcase for the best 3-year-olds.
With a little luck, those races will sweep together the best of the contenders, including last year’s 2-year-old champ, Uncle Mo, who is back in training after a long illness that kept him out of the Triple Crown races.
In the meantime, Monmouth has attracted Preakness winner Shackleford and Belmont Stakes winner Ruler on Ice for the Grade I Haskell, sponsored by Resorts International. The race also gets the promising but so-far unfulfilled Astrology, who finished third in the Preakness but most recently was sixth in the Iowa Derby.
Others in the eight-horse field for the 1 1/8-mile Haskell are Louisiana Derby winner Pants On Fire; the lightly raced California invader Coil, Illinois Derby winner Joe Vann, Federico Tessio winner Concealed Identity and J J’s Lucky Train, who has been off the board only once in nine career starts in top company.
Kelly Breen, who trains both Ruler on Ice and Pants on Fire, said Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom, who is out for the year, “is a great horse. I think Shackleford’s a great horse. I just hope that my horses show up. These next two races are pivotal in people’s voting on who’s going to be top 3-year-old of the year.”
Dale Romans, who saddles Shackleford, agreed the three Triple Crown winners are “even” in the race for year-end honors. But, he added, “I think Animal Kingdom’s up against it if one of us goes on and wins another Grade I, especially here at the Haskell or Travers. And I think if Ruler on Ice or our horse wins this race, then they have to be considered in the lead.”
Saturday’s Grade II Jim Dandy at Saratoga drew seven 3-year-olds, including Uncle Mo’s stablemate, Stay Thirsty, who finished second in the Belmont Stakes. “He’s been taking a back seat to Uncle Mo,” said trainer Todd Pletcher. “But he can do a lot for himself by stepping up in the Jim Dandy and the Travers.”
Also entered for the Jim Dandy is the third-place finisher from the Belmont, Brilliant Speed, who stepped into the big time earlier in the spring by winning the Blue Grass over Keeneland’s all-weather track. Three other starters come into the Saratoga race off graded stakes wins: Dominus from the Grade II Dwyer at Belmont Park, Alternation from the Grade II Peter Pan at Belmont and Scotus off the Grade III Matt Winn at Churchill Downs.
