The summer racing schedule heats up this week not only with the opening of the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club on Friday, but also with one of the biggest cards of the summer at the Jersey Shore on Saturday. Monmouth Park plays host to another Haskell (G1) with a plethora of additional stakes on the undercard. Here are my thoughts on all-14 races, including those involved in our $5000 Hit & Split. Just register for the promotion, connect on the late Pick 4 or late Pick 5, and share cash winnings with other Xpressbet and 1/ST BET customers able to do so. Head on over to the promotional landing page for more details.
Grade Descriptions: A= Highest Degree of Confidence, B= Solid Play, C= Least Preferred or Pass, X= Likely Winner but at odds probably too short to wager on.
Race 1:
Grade: C
Use: 1 Tall Risk; 3 Funky See Funky Do
Forecast: I landed on a pair of horses that competed last in New York in this $16k maiden claimer at two-turns over the grass. #1 Tall Risk did not do much running last out, but it came against better. The Florida-bred passed a number of tiring rivals late at Aqueduct before entering the Lindsay Schultz barn. He draws the rail and lures Paco Lopez. #3 Funky See Funky Do makes his second start of the form cycle for Chad Summers. He should find a prominent spot early on the stretch out to two turns and inside draw.
Race 2:
Grade: C+
Use: 9 Admiral Mo
Forecast: Most of the top contenders in this first-level allowance over the main track are drawn to the outside, including my top choice #9 Admiral Mo. The son of Uncle Mo sold at the FTD August ’25 sale for the low price of $34k, but has run five solid races on the dirt since moving into the Kelly Breen barn. He needs to avoid getting caught wide early to handle the class hike, but his confidence is up and he meets a few runners with big last numbers, but questions on whether they will repeat it on Haskell Day.
Race 3:
Grade: C+
Use: 6 He’s Got This/1 Bar Fourteen
Forecast: #1 Bar Fourteen moves into the Timothy Hills barn after a pair of tough beats on the front end. The 8YO gelding controlled the pace throughout in back-to-back races only to be nailed in the final strides. He should be there again at the wire, but might take too much heat from #9 Tocayo, so I prefer #6 He’s Got This. The son of Tapiture has not raced on the turf since a third-place effort against better at Aqueduct in October ’24. I like that trainer Chris Englehart lures Irad Ortiz Jr, who should have him in a perfect mid-pack spot early. Hopefully, he has the turn of foot I expect on the move back to the sod.
Race 4: Monmouth Cup (G3)
Grade: B-
Use: 5 Skippylongstocking/1 Money Game
Forecast: The first stakes race of the afternoon is this 1 1/8-mile test over the main track where #4 Knightsbridge and #5 Skippylongstocking will likely to take the lion’s share of the public action. Knightsbridge heads south to the Jersey Shore after a runner-up effort to Nysos in the Met Mile (G1). He is likely to control the early pace, but has never travelled further than one-mile. I simply do not trust the son of Nyquist to get the added ground. Skippylongstocking on the other hand is 7 for 19 at the nine-furlong distance. He has been given a freshening since losing a tough one in the Alysheba (G2) and draws right outside Knightsbridge. He is my top choice, but #1 Money Game is not without a chance. The Brad Cox trainee lacks early speed, which easily could leave him too far back to win this, but if the pace is contentious he should be finishing full of run under jockey Irad Ortiz Jr.
Race 5:
Grade: X
Use: 5 Midway Memories
Forecast: #5 Midway Memories put in a dud last time as the 9-5-ML favorite at Churchill Downs for trainer Chad Brown, but prior to that finished second beaten less than a length to Belmont Oaks (G1) runner-up Faithful Departed. She gets some class relief in this spot and should get a favorable voyage under Flavien Prat. If not today, it might be time for the claiming ranks for this $300k Keeneland September ’23 purchase. The price is likely to be too short to jump in on, but I do not have much interest in trying to beat Midway Memories in this first-level allowance over the lawn.
Race 6: Molly Pitcher (G2)
Grade: X
Use: 7 Splendora
Forecast: It appears trainer Bob Baffert has found a good spot for #7 Splendora. The Audible mare was scratched out of the Fleur de Lis (G2) after handling the 1 1/16-mile test on May 30 in Louisville. She draws to the outside in this compact group, which gives Flavien Prat options out of the gate, but I expect him to use her speed early. I am not sure if we have seen the best of the Maryland-bred yet or not, but she should have no issue getting the 8.5-furlongs against this bunch.
Race 7: Matchmaker (G3)
Grade: B+
Use: 1 Sweet Treasure
Forecast: I like the chances quite a bit of #1 Sweet Treasure in this 1 1/8-mile event for fillies and mare over the grass. The Twirling Candy filly has shown strong versatility of late winning from well off-the-pace two-back at Keeneland before taking advantage of a slow early pace when wiring out the field in the Mint Julep (G3). She draws the rail in a race where there is limited speed signed on. Whether Irad goes to the front or opts to save ground early and come with a big run late, this Brad Cox trainee heads to Monmouth Park in the best form of her career.
Race 8:
Grade: B-
Use: 1 Pogi/3 Roma Art
Forecast: I am writing before morning lines are out, but I expect #11 Superfractor to take a lot of money. The son of Golden Lad has done little wrong on the dirt thus far, but comes off a non-effort in a Colonial Downs turf sprint on June 28. If that effort was only because of the surface switch and he is able to replicate his win over this surface on May 30, he will win this for fun. However, I am unwilling to completely toss his run at 8-5 in Virginia, so I will take a swing against with #1 Pogi. The 8YO gelding moves back into the Jersey-bred allowance ranks after tackling tougher in his four starts since being claimed by trainer Silvino Ramirez. He will need a good ride from low profile jockey Carlos Rojas, but I like the way he went and got the lone speed in his open company allowance victory on May 9. A repeat of that could be good enough.
Race 9: Wolf Hill
Grade: B
Use: 5 Alogon/7 Amoudi Bay
Forecast: #5 Alogon was beaten by #1 Souper Quest last time in the Get Serious, but it is not difficult to argue Alogon was significantly better. Souper Quest saved ground mid-pack without an excuse, while Alogon bobbled a bit at the start, found himself in last, and was forced to make a wide move into the lane in his first start off the bench. The son of California Chrome moves to the outside and gets a big rider upgrade to Flavien Prat. He should run big. #7 Amoudi Bay is the speed horse I like most. The Ten Strike Racing gelding has been freshened up by Lindsay Schultz after a pair of races in Kentucky in April. He should be able to sit just off the hip of likely pacesetter #6 Nothing Better in this 5.5-furlong turf dash.
Race 10: Regret
Grade: B-
Use: 11 Unsolved Mystery
Forecast: A pair of graded stakes winners as 3YOs for trainer Rusty Arnold are expected to make their first start since September in this $100k 6-furlong affair over the main track. #9 Kilwin and #5 Echo Sound ran big races at Saratoga last summer, but are coming off significant layoffs making them tough to trust. I can understand going several deep to kick off the Hit & Split Late Pick 5 opportunity taking stands against the two Arnold runners, but I am going to go thin against them with #11 Unsolved Mystery. The Goldencents mare has rattled off six straight against lesser and has only lost once over this surface. Hopefully, she does not regress too much off of that dominant win on June 20.
Race 11: United Nations (G2)
Grade: B-
Use: 6 Uncle’s Gold
Forecast: #4 Program Trading and #7 Just a Touch hold the class edge and go to the gate for this year’s United Nations for some of the top outfits in the country. Both are capable of winning the first leg of the late Pick 4, but I prefer #6 Uncle’s Gold. The Florida-bred has to prove himself at this level, but has overcome a less-than-ideal trip in all three of his recent victories. Three-back at Tampa he was caught three wide throughout and finished well in his first start going nine-furlongs before overcoming a brutal trip to beat lesser at Delaware Park. He crushed a much lesser group in late June at Colonial and enters this spot in the best form of his career. Now he has to prove he can overcome his third race since June 4 in his first try going this long and that he is classy enough to beat this level of competition. I will need him to be the clear third choice at least to jump in on the Win end, but he is a very nice Live Oak Plantation homebred regardless of his off odds.
Race 12: Haskell (G1)
Grade: B
Use: 4 The Puma; 6 Napoleon Solo; 5 Iron Honor
Forecast: This year’s Haskell lost some intrigue when Bob Baffert star sprinter Crude Velocity needed time off after a tough race at Saratoga during the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival. That said, they drew a competitive field of seven where I will try to beat 2-1-ML favorite #2 Further Ado. The Gun Runner colt has run some big races in Kentucky, especially Keeneland, but has yet to run a big race outside the Blue Grass. Plus, he has struggled to put back-to-back races together. That along with an inside draw are enough for me to take a swing against the likely chalk.
#5 Iron Honor and #6 Napoleon Solo are probably more likely to fire in Monmouth’s premier race than #4 The Puma, but The Puma’s upside is higher. Often times, I would question a horse making his first start since scratching prior to the Kentucky Derby, but not in this case. The connections have said all along that this was the goal and they have put six solid works into him down at Gulfstream Park. There is a good chance we see his best, but if not I anticipate one of the top two finishers from the Preakness getting to the wire first.
Race 13:
Grade: B-
Use: 2 Copper Ghost/4 Spanish Noble
Forecast: I landed on #2 Copper Ghost in this first-level allowance over the grass. The Ghostzapper gelding has not lived up to his $375k sales price yet, but should get a far better trip than he did last out when he made an underwhelming four-wide move on the far turn. He attracts Paco and gets an inside draw against a modest group. If he fails to put in a strong run for the second time this meet, the 7YO gelding #4 Spanish Noble is in with a big chance to earn his sixth career victory. He has won two straight over the grass and is a stronger finisher than most of his competition. Veteran conditioner Kathleen O’Connell has had a strong 2026 and has a live one entered in the start of the late Double.
Race 14:
Grade: B-
Use: 1 Complex Music; 7 Dragonite; 5 Guapo Again
Forecast: Trainer Panagiotis Synnefias has won 3 of his last 8 heading into Haskell week and brings #1 Complex Music into the finale. The son of Complexity returned on quick rest before his win over this surface on June 6 and then was wheeled back on just 11 days for his most recent start at Delaware Park. The Kentucky-bred has now had a full month’s rest and draws the rail in his second career start at Monmouth Park. He should be a fair price in with a big shot to close out both the late Pick 4 and Pick 5.
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