HASKELL FIELD FINISH PREPARATIONS FOR 50TH HASKELL
By John Heims —-
FIELD OF 7 GO FOR $1 MILLION PURSE SUNDAY
With just hours until the 50th edition of the Grade 1 betfair.com Haskell Invitational, the seven competitors finished up their training earlier today to get ready for their run for the $1 million purse on Sunday.
• Irish War Cry- Isabelle de Tomaso’s New Jersey-bred galloped a mile and a half this morning at Fair Hill Training Center over their synthetic training track.
• Battle of Midway- “He jogged over to the paddock and then galloped a mile and a half,” said trainer Jerry Hollendorfer. He schooled in the paddock with the horses in Saturday’s fifth race.
• Timeline- Woodford Racing LLC’s colt galloped a mile and three eighths at Monmouth at 6 a.m. this morning for Chad Brown.
• Practical Joke- William H. Lawrence and Klaravich Stable Inc.’s colt galloped a mile and three-eighths at 6:30 a.m. over the Monmouth main track.
• McCraken- Whitham Thoroughbreds LLC’s colt by Ghostzapper galloped a mile and a quarter early this morning in Oceanport.
• Hence- Calumet Farms’ son of Street Boss tack walked this morning. He schooled in the paddock yesterday.
• Girvin- “He galloped over the track this morning about a mile and a quarter and did it very well,” said trainer Joe Sharp, who was aboard Brad Grady’s colt today. Girvin schooled in the paddock prior to the Saturday’s first race.
The Haskell Invitational will air live on NBC from 5 to 6 p.m. Admission that day is $8 Grandstand ($4 seniors) and $10 Clubhouse ($5 seniors). All paid admissions will receive the commemorative Haskell hat, while supplies last.
The betfair.com Haskell Invitational is a Breeders’ Cup Win & You’re In event, which covers the $150,000 fee to race in the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Del Mar on Nov. 4.
Gates open Sunday at 10 a.m., with first post slated for 12 noon. The Haskell goes as race 12 of 14, with a post of 5:47 p.m.