2026 Haskell Stakes Preview at Monmouth Park

Key Takeaways:

• The Haskell reunites top three-year-olds after the Triple Crown. Kentucky Derby and Preakness contenders clash in the summer's first major showdown with a Breeders' Cup Classic berth on the line.
• Tactical speed should be a major advantage at Monmouth. Several contenders have versatile running styles, while deep closers may have more to do over this speed-friendly track.
• Further Ado looks poised to build on his Matt Winn rebound. His preferred distance, tactical style, and proven class make him a deserving favorite despite the short price.
• The Puma is an intriguing fresh face off the layoff. If he returns sharp and stays closer early under Luis Saez, he has the talent to contend.
• Napoleon Solo brings proven Grade 1 form into an ideal setup. His Preakness win, tactical speed, and Paco Lopez's outstanding Monmouth form make him a major threat.

The Grade 1 Haskell Stakes is the first of the major three-year-old long-distance dirt races after the Belmont Stakes. The $1 million, 1 ⅛-mile race happens Saturday, July 18 at Monmouth, and it features the first big showdown of Kentucky Derby and Preakness horses after the Triple Crown season. The spoils are rich: in addition to the seven-figure purse, it is the only race solely for sophomores that offers an automatic bid to the Breeders’ Cup Classic!

This race began as the Monmouth Invitational Handicap in 1968 and was renamed the Haskell Invitational Handicap in 1981. In 2006, the event became the Haskell Invitational Stakes, and has been run under regular stakes (and not invitational) conditions since 2020. The winners’ list from the Haskell reads like a who’s who of some of the best dirt three-year-olds across recent decades of horse racing history. Superstars like Forty Niner, Holy Bull, Point Given, Big Brown, Rachel Alexandra, and American Pharoah have all won Monmouth Park’s showcase race.

Seven horses are slated to line up for the 2026 Haskell Stakes. Further Ado, the beaten Kentucky Derby favorite who got back into winning form in the Matt Winn (G3) last out, is the slight morning-line favorite over Preakness winner Napoleon Solo. Preakness runner-up Iron Honor is in the mix, as are Kentucky Derby third-place finisher Ocelli and Florida Derby runner-up The Puma. It’s a deep field, and anyone who runs well in the Haskell will be one of the favorites to have a huge summer and fall.

2026 Haskell Stakes Information

• Race Date: Saturday, July 18
• Track: Monmouth Park
• Post Time: 5:45 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time
• Distance: 1 ⅛ miles
• Age/Sex: 3-year-olds
• Where to Watch: FanDuel TV, NBC, Peacock
• Where to Bet: FanDuel Racing

2026 Haskell Stakes Draw and Odds

This is the official field for the 2026 Haskell Stakes, including trainers, jockeys, post positions, and morning-line odds for each horse.

Haskell Stakes Prep Race Results

Everyone in the Haskell comes out of a stakes race last out, with five of the seven runners coming out of graded company.

Napoleon Solo and Iron Honor both come out of the Preakness Stakes, where they crossed the wire 1-2, separated by 1 ¼ lengths. Ocelli, who was fourth behind Napoleon Solo at Laurel, has since finished second in the Ohio Derby (G3); he’s still a maiden, but he has undeniable graded-stakes form.

Further Ado, only 11th as the tepid favorite in the Kentucky Derby, returned with a win in the Matt Winn (G3). The Puma makes his first start since his runner-up finish in the Florida Derby (G1) in March – he was scratched from the Kentucky Derby on race day, though would have been toward the top of the market had he run.

Two others come out of the listed Pegasus Stakes on June 13, the local prep for the Haskell. The runaway winner was Baby Vino, who stalked the pace and drew off to win by 10 ¾ lengths in his first try against winners. Star Sweeper, a well-beaten fifth and last as the longest shot in the Pegasus, nonetheless tries to turn things around against tougher company here.

Haskell Stakes Contenders

These are the seven contenders in the 2026 Haskell Stakes:

1. Star Sweeper: Sent off at 20-1 in the five-horse Pegasus, he wasn’t expected to make much of an impact, and he didn’t: after stalking the pace, he emptied out to finish last, 22 ½ lengths behind Baby Vino. His nine starts make him the jointly most experienced horse in the field, but even his best races don’t make him competitive against this set, and his only two wins have come in extended sprints at Parx.
2. Further Ado: He may not be as brilliant anywhere else as he is at Keeneland, but he’s still a good horse elsewhere. He showed that June 7 when he won the 1 1/16-mile Matt Winn at Churchill Downs in stalk-and-pounce fashion. That tactical running style tends to play nicely at Monmouth, the 1 ⅛-mile trip suits this son of Gun Runner just fine, and he does very well with Irad Ortiz, Jr. in the irons. The short price is the one question, as he isn’t so imposing compared to the rest of the field to take him as a heavy favorite. But even looking at just his non-Keeneland races, he figures as a legitimate contender.
3. Baby Vino: The better of the two local hopes, Baby Vino took a while to figure it out – but graduated at fifth asking in May at Oaklawn, and then won the Pegasus at Monmouth last month in blowout, stalk-and-pounce fashion. He needs another step up from that form to be a serious contender in this spot, but he has tactical speed, he is going the right way, and he is proven over the local course. A win might be too much to ask against this classy field, but if that Pegasus effort was no fluke, he has enough talent to snag a piece of the money at a big price.
4. The Puma: He came into the Kentucky Derby in nice form, winning the Tampa Bay Derby (G3) over Further Ado and then following up with a second-place finish in the Florida Derby, where he was just nosed out by Commandment. The question is how he comes back from the layoff after his Derby-day scratch, since he hasn’t run since early spring. That easy six-furlong work two back, on July 4, is classic Gustavo Delgado … a bullet five furlongs as the last work before the race is a little surprising, but also a good sign that he’s sharp off the layoff. Pace may be the biggest question of all – at Monmouth, you want to be closer to the pace than The Puma usually finds himself. But, perhaps the switch to aggressive rider Luis Saez can have him in the mix.
5. Iron Honor: He’s classic Chad Brown: a lightly-raced New York prep winner who had enough points to go to the Kentucky Derby, got routed to the Preakness instead, and ran a pretty good race. He needs his absolute best if the top of the field comes out to play, however. And also, without the blinkers, it’s possible he’ll have too much to do late. In short … he’s not overmatched, but there are questions at what will, because of Chad Brown, probably be a short price.
6. Napoleon Solo: It wasn’t clear coming into the Preakness whether this juvenile Grade 1 winner had trained on at age three, but class prevailed at Laurel. Napoleon Solo worked a stalk-and-pounce trip under Paco Lopez and never looked like a loser, proving in one fell swoop that he had trained on and he could handle two turns. The slight cutback to 1 ⅛ miles should suit him nicely; his tactical speed should play beautifully at Monmouth, and heading into the race week, Paco Lopez is hitting at an unreal 46% win rate at Monmouth: 43 wins in 94 starts.
7. Ocelli: The best maiden in the country is making way more bank, hitting the board in graded-stakes races than he would be trying to graduate at the maiden level, so why not keep running in the biggest races? However, given Ocelli’s deep-closing style, it’s hard to think he’ll make it all the way home here. His effort in the Ohio Derby was a very good one – he sat slightly closer to the pace than usual and rallied over a course that isn’t traditionally friendly to closers, something that suggests he could get another piece in this spot. But that once again looks like the limit.

2026 Haskell Stakes FAQ

Q: When is the Haskell Stakes?

A: The Haskell Stakes happens Saturday, July 18, 2026, at 5:45 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. It is carded as the 12th on Monmouth’s flagship 14-race Haskell day card on Saturday. Post time for the first race is at noon EDT.

Q: Where is the Haskell Stakes?

A: The Haskell Stakes happens at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, New Jersey.

Q: Which trainer has the most wins in the Haskell Stakes?

A: Bob Baffert has established himself as king of Haskell horse racing, with nine victories in the race, most recently in 2020 with Authentic, who went on to win the Kentucky Derby and Breeders’ Cup Classic as well. Baffert does not have a horse in 2026. Among the trainers with entrants, Brad Cox leads with two wins, in 2021 with Mandaloun and 2022 with Cyberknife. He can make it three if Further Ado wins this year.

Q: Who is the favorite for the 2026 Haskell Stakes?

A: Further Ado is the 2-1 morning-line favorite for trainer Brad Cox. Given his class and his confidence-building victory in the Matt Winn last out, he would not be a surprise to hold as the chalk. However, watch for action on Napoleon Solo, the Preakness winner who has red-hot Monmouth jockey Paco Lopez aboard.

Q: Who is the best Haskell Stakes jockey?

A: Mike Smith has won a record four editions of the Haskell, most recently with Geaux Rocket Ride in 2023. Smith does not ride the race in 2026. Among jockeys riding in the 2026 edition, Luis Saez leads with two wins, with Maximum Security in 2019 and Dornoch in 2024. He rides The Puma this year.

Q: Who won the Haskell Stakes in 2025?

A: Preakness winner Journalism won the Haskell by a late-running half-length in 2025. Neither trainer Michael McCarthy nor jockey Umberto Rispoli return to the Haskell in 2026.

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