The 59^th edition of the $1 million NYRA Bets Haskell Stakes will be held Saturday, July 18 at Monmouth Park and the 1 1/8-mile race for 3-year-olds serves as the first marquee race in the division since the end of the Triple Crown series in early June.

The Haskell has historically been a very important race in determining the Eclipse Award winning champion 3-year-old male. Since its inception in 1968, the race has been won by some truly elite sophomores such as Forty Niner (1988), Holy Bull (1994), Serena’s Song (1995), Skip Away (1996), Touch Gold (1997), Point Given (2001), War Emblem (2002), Big Brown (2008), Rachel Alexandra (2009), Lookin At Lucky (2010), Bayern (2014), Triple Crown winner American Pharoah (2015), Good Magic (2018), Authentic (2020), and Journalism (2025). The Haskell also is a Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” Challenge Series race for the $7 million Longines Classic Oct. 31 at Keeneland.

The cast for the 2026 Haskell includes Preakness Stakes winner Napoleon Solo and runner-up Iron Honor, Grade 1 winner and Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve beaten favorite Further Ado,  and Kentucky Derby third-place finisher Ocelli.

The Haskell will be broadcast live nationwide on NBC and streamed on Peacock during a show that airs from 5 - 6 p.m. ET. Read on for information on each Haskell Stakes runner plus some betting insights.

Bill Denver/EQUI-PHOTO

1. Star Sweeper (30-1 morning-line odds)

Jockey: Luis Rivera Jr.

Trainer: Louis C. Linder Jr.

Owners: Bran Jam Stable and David W. Clark

Career record: 9 starts – 2 wins – 2 seconds – 0 thirds

Career earnings: $151,250

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 91

Pedigree: Rock Your World - Tapless, by Tapit

Color: Gray or roan

Running style: Stalker

Analysis: His two wins to date both came in sprints at Parx Racing as a 2-year-old, but he did run the best race of his career two starts back when second by a head in the one-mile and 70-yard Long Branch Stakes on this main track at Monmouth Park. Unfortunately, Star Sweeper has raced in six other stakes races in his career and finished 10 lengths or more behind the winner in each of them, so he’s tough to endorse stepping up in class to the Grade 1 Haskell against even better competition. He set the pace and fought gamely late in the Long Branch, so perhaps his connections will gun for the lead given the lack of speed in the Haskell and hope he can hold on for a minor award. Star Sweeper probably will enter the starting gate with the highest odds in the field and a win would qualify as the biggest upset in the Haskell since Skip Trial won at 35.50-1 odds in 1985. 

Eclipse Sportswire

2. Further Ado (2-1)

Jockey: Irad Ortiz Jr.

Trainer: Brad Cox

Owner: Spendthrift Farm

Career record: 8 starts – 4 wins – 1 second – 1 third

Career earnings: $1,446,958

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 107

Pedigree: Gun Runner - Sky Dreamer, by Sky Mesa

Color: Chestnut

Running style: Stalker/press the pace

Analysis: Further Ado entered the 2026 Kentucky Derby on a roll having won three of his previous four starts, including an 11-length romp in the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes that earned eye-catching speed figures and made him the tepid favorite for the first jewel of the Triple Crown. The Gun Runner colt was jostled early and faded late in an 11th-place finish May 2 at Churchill Downs. The Derby is a unique challenge navigating 1 ¼ miles for the first time in front of 150,000-plus fans while facing up to 19 opponents all fighting for every inch. Further Ado rebounded from the disappointing result with a facile two-length win over Our Moneyman in the $500,000 Matt Winn Stakes June 7 at Churchill. He enters the Haskell with fast speed figures and proven Grade 1 class. There is a very good chance he steps into the starting gate as the favorite and horse to beat for trainer Brad Cox, who won the Haskell in 2021 with Mandaloun and in 2022 with Cyberknife. Owner Spendthrift Farm was a part-owner of 2020 Haskell winner Authentic.

Bill Denver/EQUI-PHOTO

3. Baby Vino (15-1)

Jockey: Jorge Vargas Jr.

Trainer: Lindsay Schultz

Owner: Cosmo Stables

Career record: 6 starts – 2 wins – 2 seconds – 1 third

Career earnings: $194,916

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 99

Pedigree: Vino Rosso - Discreetly Grand, by Discreetly Mine

Color: Bay

Running style: Stalker

Analysis: Baby Vino needed five starts to earn his first victory until breaking through with a 2 ¾-length win in a 1 1/16-mile race May 1 at Oaklawn Park. The bay colt by Vino Rosso from the family of champion Alydar had shown some promise before that win, running second twice and third once in his first four races, but something clicked in his first win. He followed with a 10 ¾-length romp June 13 at Monmouth Park in the NYRA Bets Pegasus Stakes. Baby Vino owns a win on this track and the tactical speed he has displayed in his two victories should be valuable in the Haskell as he tries to extend his winning streak to three against the best competition he has faced to date. He could be overlooked against this group and offers significant appeal as a longshot.

Eclipse Sportswire

4. The Puma (7-2)

Jockey: Luis Saez

Trainer: Gustavo Delgado

Owners: OGMA Investments, JR Ranch, and High Step Racing

Career record: 4 starts – 1 win – 2 seconds – 1 third

Career earnings: $442,280

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 97

Pedigree: Essential Quality - Eve of War, by Declaration of War

Color: Chestnut

Running style: Stalker

Analysis: The Puma was expected to be among the betting favorites for the Kentucky Derby, but a skin infection led to swelling in one of his legs and he was placed on antibiotics and scratched from the race. The chestnut Essential Quality colt has trained steadily for his return to action with six workouts in Florida since June 6. His last two starts — a win in the Grade 3 ESMARK Tampa Bay Derby and a runner-up finish by a nose to Commandment in the Curlin Florida Derby Presented by Hill ‘n’ Dale Farms at Xalapa — indicate he can compete with the best 3-year-olds. Commandment subsequently finished second in the Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets June 6, flattering The Puma’s runner-up finish in the Florida Derby. The Haskell will be The Puma’s first race in more than 3 ½ months, but he’s a win candidate at his best and has never finished outside the top three in any of his races. Two-time Haskell winner Luis Saez picks up the mount for the injured Javier Castellano. A very intriguing contender with significant upside.

Eclipse Sportswire

5. Iron Honor (3-1)

Jockey: Flavien Prat

Trainer: Chad Brown

Owners: St. Elias Stable, William H. Lawrence, and Cathi Glassman

Career record: 4 starts – 2 wins – 1 second – 0 thirds

Career earnings: $629,250

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 95

Pedigree: Nyquist - Orencia, by Blame

Color: Bay

Running style: Stalker

Analysis: Iron Honor opened his career with back-to-back wins including a win on the Kentucky Derby trail in the Grade 3 Gotham Stakes Feb. 28. After fading to seventh as the favorite in the Wood Memorial Stakes Presented by Resorts World Casino, Iron Honor was pointed to the Preakness Stakes by trainer Chad Brown rather than the Derby and finished second by 1 ¼ lengths to Napoleon Solo in the second jewel of the Triple Crown. In the 1 3/16-mile Preakness, Iron Honor earned a new career-best Equibase Speed Figure and proved he could be effective in two-turn races. He cuts back a sixteenth of a mile for the Haskell and should be able to use his tactical speed to settle in just behind the pacesetters under Flavien Prat. Iron Honor has room to improve in just his fifth career start and has a great chance for a top-three finish for Brown, who won the Haskell in 2018 with Good Magic.

Eclipse Sportswire

6. Napoleon Solo (5-2)

Jockey: Paco Lopez

Trainer: Chad Summers

Owner: ESPOIR USA

Career record: 5 starts – 3 wins – 0 seconds – 0 thirds

Career earnings: $1,560,520

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 99

Pedigree: Liam's Map - Atomic Blonde, by Scat Daddy

Color: Gray or roan

Running style: Press the pace

Analysis: Napoleon Solo flashed the brilliance of a budding star at age 2 with a pair of wins in as many starts by a combined margin of 11 ¾ lengths, including a runaway 6 ½-length victory in the Grade 1 Champagne Stakes. Trainer Chad Summers opted for a conservative approach focused on a 3-year-old campaign after the Champagne, but the Liam’s Map colt got off to a rocky start in 2026 with back-to-back unplaced finishes due in part to a bruised foot. Napoleon Solo silenced his doubters with a 1 ¼-length win in the $2 million Preakness Stakes May 16 that makes him one of the top win candidates in the Haskell. His tactical speed could be a big advantage in a race that lacks a ton of pace and historically favors runners settling within a few lengths of the lead. Napoleon Solo should vie for favoritism along with Further Ado.

Jeffrey Snyder/Maryland Jockey Club

7. Ocelli (6-1)

Jockey: Tyler Gaffalione

Trainer: Whit Beckman

Owners: Ashley Durr, Anthony Tate, and Front Page Equestrian

Career record: 9 starts – 0 wins – 2 seconds – 4 thirds

Career earnings: $829,800

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 99

Pedigree: Connect - Zalia, by Scat Daddy

Color: Bay

Running style: Closer

Analysis: Ocelli has finished in the top three in three different graded stakes races, including a third-place finish at 70.50-1 odds of in the Kentucky Derby when beaten by just a length by winner Golden Tempo. Yet, for all of his accomplishments the bay Connect colt remains a maiden (a horse that has not won a race in his/her career). Ocelli most recently took the lead in early stretch of the $500,000 Ohio Derby and fought gamely before ultimately coming up a length short of Chip Honcho in a second-place finish. He has run consistently well in his last four starts since trainer Whit Beckman removed his blinkers. He will get that elusive first win one of these days …  but can he win the Haskell? Ocelli appears to be compromised by his closing running style as this race did not draw a ton of speed to set up his late rally and the Haskell is a race that has historically favored runners with tactical speed. He should at least be passing horses late with a chance for another top-three finish.

New to racing? Let us explain…

Blinkers are cups that are placed on the outside of each eye on a horse prior to a race. They can be cut to different lengths and are used to restrict the horse’s field of vision, which ideally will enable him/her to perform better through improved focus on what is in front of them rather than what is behind. When a trainer removes blinkers it could be to help the horse relax in the early stages and gain a better sense of his/her surroundings in a race.