Stealcase to nail a victory in the Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park
The wait is finally over, as the Grade 1 Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park has arrived and a small field of six runners will be battling it out on 29th July, 2012.
Running over 1 1/8 miles on dirt, the line-up consists of extremely talented runners, all of whom have an incredible record already, but among these runners it looks like Handsome Mike and Stealcase will be the ones to watch out for.
Both these runners attracted less attention for this race compared to Gemologist and Paynter, but their skill and ability is definitely not to be under-estimated.
They come to the track on the back of some impressive credentials, with the winning element definitely there.
Stealcase, who is under the wing of Mark Casse finished as a runner-up to Neck 'N Neck in the Grade 3 Matt Winn Stakes at Churchill Downs on 16th June, 2012. One thing that the runner has is the experience at a variety of distances.
The Matt Winn covered 1 1/16 miles, so Stealcase will be stretched out for the Haskell. Owned by John Oxley, the Kentucky bred runner previously prevailed in the 1 mile Allowance Optional Claimer at Churchill Downs in May, 2012. He is in good form,
and he just needs to bring his best to the track.
On the other hand, the Doug O’Neill trained, Handsome Mike, is ready to execute Operation Haskell. The son of Scat Daddy has not scored this season but, he might step it up, and keep the rest of the competition at bay and walk home the winner.
This season, the three-year-old finished 4th in the mile long Grade 3 Sham Stakes at Santa Anita Park.
He finished 3rd in the Grade 3 El Camino Real Derby and 4th in the Grade 3 Spiral Stakes - both covered a distance of 1 1/8 miles.
The sophomore has the familiarity with the track, and it looks like he will pleasantly surprise his connections with a prestigious Grade 1 victory.
Between these two runners, Stealcase is the one who will steal the show and will walk home with the money. Everything seems to be working in his favour, he is in the right form and will put a lot of effort into the race. If luck sides with him, he
will be unstoppable.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely the writer’s own and do not reflect the editorial policy of Bettor.com
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