Monmouth | Horse Racing Free Tips

Hollendorfer To Enter Antigravity In Saturday’s Haskell

Antigravity, a perfect two-for-two at Monmouth Park, became a late addition to Saturday's TVG.com Haskell Stakes when Hall of Fame trainer Jerry Hollendorfer announced he will enter the son of First Samurai in the $1 million Grade 1 race.

Hollendorfer was initially considering Antigravity for the Haskell before deciding to opt instead for the $75,000 Tale of the Cat Stakes on July 25 at Monmouth Park. Those plans changed back on Monday, according to Dan Ward, who oversees Hollendorfer's division at Monmouth Park.

With the late addition of Antigravity, the Haskell field has grown to seven with the three Triple Crown runners-up (Mandaloun, Midnight Bourbon and Hot Rod Charlie), Following Sea, Pickin' Time and Basso all expected to start.

Antigravity is owned by Dennis January and Hollendorfer LLC.

“The owner (January) wants to enter,” said Ward. “He thinks running third or fourth in the Haskell is better than winning the stakes we were considering. He wants to take a shot because who knows when you will get another chance like this?”

Antigravity broke through in his 11th career start – and first ever at Monmouth Park – when he won a Maiden Special Weight race on June 6. He followed that by winning an allowance optional claimer on June 26, a race in which Haskell contender Basso finished sixth.

Those have been his only two tries at Monmouth Park after racing at Del Mar, Keeneland, Churchill Downs and Oaklawn Park.

David Cohen has been enlisted to ride.

“The horse is doing great,” said Ward. “He's doing super. You can see he has gotten more confidence with the two wins. And we know he likes the track.”

Antigravity worked 1:04 breezing for five furlongs on Sunday, with Ward saying “it was just a maintenance work. We weren't looking for too much.”

Antigravity sports a 2-2-2 line from seven starts this year and is 2-3-3 overall from his 12 career starts.

The post position draw for the 54th edition of the Haskell is 1 p.m. on Wednesday at Monmouth Park.

The post Hollendorfer To Enter Antigravity In Saturday’s Haskell appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

BetMakers To Offer $1 Million Bonus To Winner Of Haskell, Travers, And Breeders’ Cup Classic

BetMakers Technology Group, in partnership with Monmouth Park, will sponsor the $1 million “BetMakers Bonanza” bonus for the second straight year for the connections of any horse that sweeps a series of three designated races starting with Saturday's TVG.com Haskell Stakes.

To earn the seven-figure bonus this year, a horse has to win the Haskell Stakes, the Travers Stakes and the Breeders' Cup Classic.

Authentic collected the $1 million bonus a year ago in a revamped racing schedule due to COVID-19, with the eventual Horse of the Year doing so by winning the Haskell Stakes, the Kentucky Derby and the Breeders' Cup Classic. The 2020 Kentucky Derby was rescheduled to Sept. 5 from its traditional spot the first Saturday in May, creating the unique sweep opportunity for Authentic.

The Grade 1 Haskell Stakes, the centerpiece of the Monmouth Park meet, will be contested for the 54th time on Saturday. The $1 million race will offer the added inducement as a “Win and You're In Classic Division” reward for the Breeders' Cup Classic.

“We're thrilled to sponsor the BetMakers Bonanza again after the enormous effort by Authentic last year,” said Dallas Baker, BetMakers' New Jersey-based Head of International Operations. “We're fully committed to supporting the U.S. racing industry and we see the Bonanza as a fantastic initiative from Dennis Drazin (CEO and Chairman of Darby Development, LLC, operator of Monmouth Park) and the Monmouth Park team. We are fully behind this.”

The Travers Stakes, which carries a purse of $1,250,000, is scheduled for Aug. 28 at Saratoga. The $6 million Breeders' Cup Classic is Nov. 6 at Del Mar.

The post BetMakers To Offer $1 Million Bonus To Winner Of Haskell, Travers, And Breeders’ Cup Classic appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Monmouth Presents 2021 Handleman Award To Matt Shifman

Matt Shifman, senior writer and assistant editor at Horse Racing Nation, has been named the winner of the 2021 Bill Handleman Award for outstanding coverage of last year's TVG.Com Haskell Stakes, Monmouth Park announced today.

First presented in 2012, the Handleman Award honors distinguished media coverage of the $1 million, Grade 1 Haskell, Monmouth Park's showcase race. It is presented annually prior to the Haskell.

Shifman, a retired teacher, joined Horse Racing Nation in 2011, using Monmouth Park as his home base and serving as the web site's correspondent for the track. The Metuchen, N.J., resident, a graduate of Case Western Reserve who holds a Master's degree in education from Rutgers, also co-hosts the popular weekly video show HorseCenter.

“We're pleased to formally recognize Matt's long-running association with Monmouth Park and his continued exemplary coverage of the Haskell Stakes with this year's Handleman Award,” said John. F. Heims, Monmouth Park's Director of Racing and Racing Secretary.

The award honors the late Bill Handleman, one of New Jersey's preeminent sportswriters for nearly three decades for the Asbury Park Press. Handleman, a fixture at Monmouth Park and a passionate chronicler of the sport, died in June of 2010 at the age of 62.

The first recipient of the Handleman Award was Tom Luicci of The Star-Ledger, followed by Steve Edelson of The Asbury Park Press in 2013, Dave Johnson of Sirius XM in 2014, Ed McNamara of Newsday in 2015, Bob Ehalt of ESPN.com and Bloodhorse in 2016, Tom Cassidy of TVG.com in 2017, Jim Dunleavy of Daily Racing Form in 2018, Mike Farrell of The Associated Press in 2019 and Steve Byk of the daily “At The Races With Steve Byk” radio show last year.

The post Monmouth Presents 2021 Handleman Award To Matt Shifman appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Sacco Believes Longshot Basso Will ‘Step Up’ In Haskell

Gregg Sacco knows exactly what he's up against in the $1 million TVG.com Haskell Stakes on July 17: Three, maybe four, of the top 3-year-olds in training, all of them sharp, while he sends out a horse that tired in the slop in an allowance optional claimer on June 26 in his first start of the year.

But the veteran trainer, whose family traces its roots to the earliest days of the modern Monmouth Park, isn't deterred and will take a big swing in the Grade 1 Haskell with Basso, who quite possibly will be the longest shot in the field.

In fact, Sacco seems genuinely enthused about the opportunity, especially since this will mark his first Haskell starter in a training career that began in 1989.

“We know he is going to have to step up,” said Sacco, whose father William was Monmouth Park's leading trainer in 1962. “We're anticipating he will in his second start as a 3-year-old. We're in our backyard. We're confident he will run a respectable race.

“We'll be walking out of our barn onto the track and we'll see what happens.”

A son of Cairo Prince, Basso has just one win from five career starts, four of them at Monmouth. He broke his maiden first asking by eight lengths last Aug. 23 but has yet to produce a signature moment.

That's something many of the other expected contenders for the Haskell have had already. Mandaloun was the Kentucky Derby runner-up; Midnight Bourbon was the Preakness Stakes runner-up and Hot Rod Charlie was the Belmont Stakes runner-up. Still on the fence about the Haskell is Preakness winner Rombauer.

“All of them popped up at some point to be where they are now,” said Sacco. “They can pop up any time as a 3-year-old. We're looking for a big improvement off his first race back. He was only 70 percent that day (when he finished sixth). We knew that going in.

“He made a bold move up to the lead at the quarter pole and he just got tired. It was nasty that day with the rain and the heat, he was in post nine, and we knew going in he was in desperate need of a race. So we're taking a shot. We'll see how it goes. But we feel he will run a respectable race.”

Owned by Michael Fazio and Monmouth Stud (which is Sacco), Basso's appearance in the starting gate will make up for some of the disappointment for both men from 2019, when Joevia was scratched the day of the Haskell due to a foot injury.

Sacco said Basso will work five-eighths of a mile either Saturday or Sunday at Monmouth Park, depending on the condition of the track following heavy rain Thursday.

The post Sacco Believes Longshot Basso Will ‘Step Up’ In Haskell appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post