The Lead:
The first of the summer "majors" for the Triple Crown alumni comes up with the Grade 1 Haskell. That will be followed by the Travers in August and the Pennsylvania Derby in September among the Grade 1 dirt routes. Kentucky Derby and Belmont winner Golden Tempo awaits a date at the Spa, while several of the prime Preakness players are back to match up in the Haskell.

The 1-1/8 miles race will be part of the $5,000 Hit & Split promotion for Saturday's card at Monmouth. Bet the late pick 4 or pick 5 with 1/ST BET and Xpressbet and earn your share of bonus cash.

​​Field Depth:
Grade 1 winners include NAPOLEON SOLO and FURTHER ADO. Both THE PUMA and IRON HONOR are Grade 3 winners and Grade 1-placed. OCELLI also is Grade 1-placed. Those 5 all match up pretty evenly in terms of strength of schedule, perhaps FURTHER ADO was an edge, albeit not wide.
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Pace:
NAPOLEON SOLO under Paco Lopez likely will be the aggressor and set the tempo. Horses like FURTHER ADO could line up next along with longshots BABY VINO and STAR SWEEPER. The tempo does not look to overcook on paper. Closers could need some help on a historically fast strip.​

Our Eyes:
Here are my horse-by-horse notes.

1-STAR SWEEPER: Longshot looks to be in a no-lead, no-pass situation and overmatched against superior talent. He’s 0-7 in stakes and both wins in 9 starts came at 6-1/2 furlongs.

2-FURTHER ADO: Decent bounce-back win in the Matt Winn Stakes for the Kentucky Derby beaten favorite. But it was a far cry from his impressive Keeneland performances. Trainer Brad Cox continued sharpening the knife with fast works in early July at home at Churchill. Monmouth surface may benefit him the faster and tighter they make it, which can often be the case on Haskell Day. Hard to argue with 5: 4-1-0 record when Irad Ortiz Jr. rides. Obvious contender, but likely an underlay price at below 2-1, which are my fair odds.

3-BABY VINO: Progressive sort has improved in every start and exits a career-best victory in the Pegasus over this track. Wildcard needs another big leap forward against this level of competition and not sure the damside pedigree gives him enough punch to win over 1-1/8 miles against this bunch.

4-THE PUMA: The field’s best finisher hasn’t raced since the Florida Derby in late March, but was in training through the Kentucky Derby when an eleventh-hour scratch. Missed a month on workout tab thereafter but has 6, perfectly spaced drills with this target in mind all summer. Gustavo Delgado trainee got stronger deeper into his form cycle this winter/spring and loses regular rider Javier Castellano to injury. Replacement pilot Luis Saez may not be the perfect style fit for a finisher like this. Still, probably the one to fear late and wouldn’t surprise me to win.

5-IRON HONOR: Preakness runner-up already has seen the middle jewel’s third-place finisher Chip Honcho return to win the Ohio Derby. That he remained at Belmont and didn’t go with the A-team to the Spa in recent months indicates that’ve had their eye on this Jersey Shore prize for some time. Some concern over 9F that if he stays closer to the pace – like he did in the Wood vs. the Preakness – that he won’t have enough late firepower. Monmouth isn’t the kind of track on Haskell Day where patience is rewarded. Mixed vibes.

6-NAPOLEON SOLO: The horse to beat exits a Preakness score that re-wrote his future forecast. He wiped away tiring losses in the Fountain of Youth and Wood Memorial and carried his winning stamina around 2 turns for the first time. The Haskell long has looked like his best chance at a major in the sophomore ranks – and he, frankly, got there sooner at Laurel. Jockey Paco Lopez for all his glaring flaws has been winning at an unfathomable 46% rate this meeting and he’s a speed jockey on a clear speed horse – vs. a field largely made up of horses who’d rather chase from second or third. Catch him to win.

7-OCELLI: Deep closer remains a maiden through 9 starts and does enough most times to tease you along for another chance. The Haskell typically doesn’t fall apart to a horse from the clouds like this amd the quality runners in this field all have a major tactical edge on him. This surface might play closer to Colonial from his Viriginia Derby effort, which was not one of his best. Not for me today.

Most Likely Exotics Contender:
Lopez is nearly 75% in the money at the meet and his style and pace situation fit NAPOLEON SOLO quite well, despite the horse's up-and-down campaign in 2026.

Best Longshot Contender:
None projected. Top-4 wagering choices look dialed into the exacta, and likely trifecta.
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Sending it in ($100 bankroll):
$90 win NAPOLEON SOLO. $10 exacta NAPOLEON SOLO over THE PUMA.