Saturday’s NYRA Bets Haskell Stakes at Monmouth Park brings back the first, second, and fourth-place finishers of the Preakness Stakes in Journalism, Gosger, and Goal Oriented. Journalism is a heavy 4-5 morning-line favorite in the eight-horse field scheduled for the $1 million race, which is a Win and You’re In qualifier for the Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic Nov. 1. The Haskell will be televised nationwide on NBC and streamed on Peacock with a post time of 5:45 p.m. ET.

Read on for Haskell Stakes trifecta betting strategies from the team at America’s Best Racing, and use ABR’s handy Gambling Calculator to structure your bets.

Mike Curry:

When it comes to single-race exotic bets like the trifecta, I try to hammer an opinion rather than spread out. I figure if I’m playing a trifecta with three or four horses in first, I don’t have a strong enough opinion in the race to play it. That’s not the case in the $1 million NYRA Bets Haskell Stakes.

#2 Journalism is a standout and speed-figure-wise is about 10 points faster than the opposition on paper, so I’ll cement him in first. Trainer Bob Baffert has been a dominant force in the Haskell with nine wins, five seconds, and one third with 15 starters since 2000, and Baffert’s entrant for this year’s Haskell, #8 Goal Oriented, has been training up a storm in Southern California. He’s locked into second for me. I’d love to fill out the trifecta with a longshot, but I just don’t see a viable one. I think #4 Burnham Square and #6 Gosger are much better than the rest of the field. I prefer Gosger’s running style at Monmouth and I think he has a bit more upside, so I’ll bet him more heavily.

$20 Trifecta: #2 Journalism, with #8 Goal Oriented, with #6 Gosger 

$10 Trifecta: #2 Journalism, with #8 Goal Oriented, with #4 Burnham Square 

Noel Michaels:

Goal Oriented (Bill Denver/EQUI-PHOTO)

Chalk, chalk, chalk. #2 Journalism danced every dance in the Triple Crown series and was no worse than second in all three races with a dramatic win in the Preakness Stakes to his credit. The Haskell Stakes traditionally has not been a race where trying to beat the favorite pays off, with the favorite winning the race 11 of the last 20 years. Journalism’s off-the-pace running style is not a perfect fit at Monmouth Park, but there should be more than enough pace to set him up for a win from a not-too-far-out-of-it stalking position. #8 Goal Oriented finished fourth in the Preakness and could benefit from this race’s slightly shorter distance (1 1/8 miles vs. 1 3/16 miles). He ships cross country for trainer Bob Baffert, which is meaningful because Baffert has had 15 starters in this race since 2000 and all 15 of those runners hit the board (nine wins). #6 Gosger outran expectations to be second in the Preakness one race after beating #1 Bracket Buster in April in Keeneland’s Grade 3 Stonestreet Lexington Stakes. Bracket Buster made Gosger look even better when he came back to win Monmouth’s $162,000 Pegasus Stakes last month.

Since we’re using favorites, we can’t dilly-dally with trifecta boxes. Here are my straight trifecta bets for the Haskell: 

$20 Trifecta: #2 Journalism, with #6 Gosger, with #8 Goal Oriented

$20 Trifecta: #2 Journalism, with #8 Goal Oriented, with #6 Gosger

Patrick Reed:

To go against #2 Journalism in the Haskell, you have to find a horse that either has untapped potential or excuses in his past form and then convince yourself that at his best and with no racing trouble he can topple the Preakness Stakes winner. Even if you find one that might fit the bill, it would also be very helpful if Journalism somehow doesn’t run up to his past performances and takes a dip in form. It’s a hard argument to make.

Nevertheless, the one Haskell contender I think can pull it off is #4 Burnham Square. The gelding has really never run a bad race – his Kentucky Derby sixth came after a trouble-filled trip and he was still trying hard, although helplessly out of it, at the end. He came back to near-peak form in the Matt Winn Stakes but ran out of real estate against unhurried pacesetter East Avenue. With some added distance, Burnham Square can post the upset in the Haskell if jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. keeps him about five or so lengths behind the pacesetters through the backstretch and doesn’t give him too much work to do late. And, of course, if Journalism fails to fire. Again, a tough argument to make …

I’ll bet a $5 trifecta with Journalism and Burnham Square boxed in first and second and then use either #6 Gosger or #8 Goal Oriented to finish third. Then, I’ll bet another $5 trifecta with Journalism in first, Burnham Square in second, and the same two runners in third. Total investment: $30.

$5 trifecta: #2 Journalism and #4 Burnham Square, with #2 Journalism and #4 Burnham Square, with #6 Gosger and #8 Goal Oriented ($20)

$5 trifecta: #2 Journalism, with #4 Burnham Square, with #6 Gosger and #8 Goal Oriented ($10)

Dan Tordjman:

Gosger at Monmouth Park. (Bill Denver/EQUI-PHOTO)

The Haskell has long been one of my favorite post-Triple Crown races because it features a great blend of storylines coming out of the big races in the spring. This year’s Haskell really shapes up as showdown of some of the best horses from the Preakness Stakes (#2 Journalism, #6 Gosger and #8 Goal Oriented), the runner-up in the Matt Winn Stakes (#4 Burnham Square) and, to a lesser extent, the top finishers from the Pegasus Stakes (#1 Bracket Buster, #3 Wildncrazynight and #5 National Law). I’m not sold on the Pegasus runners and I’m also not in love with deep closers going long on the dirt at Monmouth Park. The latter concern has me worried about the likely favorites, Burnham Square and Journalism, since they both do their best running late. 

That said, I landed on a rested #6 Gosger as my top choice. He took a big step forward in the Preakness, he comes in fresh here and he should also appreciate going a touch shorter on Saturday. My picks for the Haskell, in order, are Gosger, Journalism, National Law, Burnham Square, and Goal Oriented. Here’s how I’d bet the race:

$5 trifecta part wheel: #6 Gosger, with #2 Journalism and #5 National Law, with  #2 Journalism, #4 Burnham Square, #5 National Law, and #8 Goal Oriented ($30)

$1 trifecta part wheel: #2 Journalism and #6 Gosger, with #2 Journalism, #5 National Law, and #6 Gosger, with #2 Journalism, #4 Burnham Square, #5 National Law, #6 Gosger, and #8 Goal Oriented ($15)