The million dollar, G1 Haskell Stakes is Saturday at Monmouth Park.
Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher had said that he would enter three of his horses in the mile & 1/8th contest.
And today he did just that by submitting FIERCENESS, MINDFRAME and TUSCAN SKY to compete in the signature race at Monmouth.
The question is, how many of them actually take the trip from The Spa to the Jersey Shore at the end of the week?
“I don’t know that yet,” Pletcher said Wednesday morning.
When asked what will go into a final decision, Pletcher went on, “I think, everything. I want to see how they draw, see how they train the next couple of days.”
FIERCENESS drew Post Position five and is the 5-2 co-second choice along with Belmont Stakes Winner DORNOCH, who drew the rail.
Jockey John Velazquez, who has ridden FIERCENESS in his last four starts, is named to ride in the Haskell.
Velazquez is also scheduled to ride in eight of the 12 races on the Saturday card at Saratoga.
MINDFRAME 2nd in the Belmont, is the 9-5 morning-line Haskell favorite. Irad Ortiz Jr. will be in the irons.
Both MINDFRAME and FIERCENESS are owned by Mike Repole and Repole Stable.
“I will get together with the owners and make sure everyone is on board with the same plan,” Pletcher said.
“All three are being prepared as if they are going to run. Obviously, Mike is going to play a big role.”
FIERCENESS is already a Grade I Winner; MINDFRAME is not.
Safe to say that if one of the Pletcher horses does not run in the Haskell, he could be entered in the G2 Jim Dandy a week from Saturday at Saratoga.
TUSCAN SKY who is 9-2 on the morning line, will be ridden by Javier Castellano from Post Position three. He earned an automatic bid into the Haskell after he Won the Pegasus Stakes at Monmouth last month.
