Haskell Stakes: White Abarrio, the Winner of the Grade 1 Florida Derby, Returns

Check out our predictions and odds for the 2022 Haskell at Monmouth Park!

Haskell Stakes Picks and Best Bets

Here are my plays ($60 in total)

$10 Exacta Box – White Abarrio, Jack Christopher and Cyberknife = $60

If you’re playing only to win, go with my top pick White Abarrio (5/1)

If you are ready to get some profit at horse racing- check out our Horse Racing Calculator.

Unbeaten and impressive in four career starts, Jack Christopher will face his toughest challenge yet when he headlines a field of eight for the $1 million TVG.com Haskell at Monmouth Park.

Trained by Chad Brown, the son of Munnings is a Grade 1 winner at both 2 and 3 and comes into the Haskell off a scintillating 10-length score in the Woody Stephens on Belmont Stakes Day.

Never having raced beyond one mile before, this Grade 1 test on the Jersey Shore will be his first start going two turns.

Chief among his competition in the 9 furlong Haskell will be the Bob Baffert-trained Taiba. A chestnut son of Gun Runner, he was the winner of the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby two starts back.

Most recently, he tired to finish 12th in the Kentucky Derby. The $1.7 million 2-year-old purchase will be looking to give his trainer a record tenth win in Monmouth’s signature race.

Two others who demand respect on Saturday are the Grade 1 winners White Abarrio and Cyberknife.

Neither performed their best in the Kentucky Derby two starts back, but the winners of the Florida Derby and Arkansas Derby respectively each turned in a nice prep for the Haskell in graded stakes in Ohio and Kentucky.

Haskell Stakes Predictions and Race Analysis

Taiba

This son of Gun Runner lived up to his expensive price tag by impressively winning the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby in his second career start. Not surprisingly the 10 furlong Kentucky Derby and a field of 20 proved too much for him in his third career start.

Freshened since, he returns to attempt to give trainer Bob Baffert a remarkable tenth win in the Haskell. He is capable of doing it but considering the low odds, layoff, as well as coming out of a potentially disheartening race, I will try to beat him on Saturday.

Jack Christopher

Trained by Chad Brown, there is really no telling how good this one may be. Compared to the excellent Ghostzapper by his four time Eclipse Award winning trainer, he could be on the verge of a very special career.

Having only raced four times overall, and just twice this year, he will need to be very good to handle this field. Never having raced beyond a mile, or one turn before, he will need to prove that he can not only handle the distance, but also beat top horses while doing it.

Coming out of a very sharp 7 furlong victory, it’s likely that he will be right there on what should be a challenging early pace. Given his talent, and the way he has won everything so far, he is the one to beat on Saturday. I don’t believe he is unbeatable, however.

White Abarrio

The winner of the Grade 1 Florida Derby, this son of Race Day returned from a tough afternoon in the Kentucky Derby to run a solid race in the Ohio Derby when splitting Tawny Port and Classic Causeway. He was tasked with running down the latter and could not hold off the former in the lane.

Things could be a little different on Saturday, as a likely strong early pace should allow him and new rider Joel Rosario to sit a little farther off, just as he did when he won the Florida Derby three starts back.

I like the draw to the outside and I believe he can wait outside the early leaders and make his move at the top of the lane. He might not be the most likely winner in here, but at the odds, I think he is the best value. He is the top pick.

Cyberknife

After a forgettable run in the Kentucky Derby, this son of Gun Runner came back in fine form by edging Howling Time on the wire in the Grade 3 Matt Winn.

It was his third victory in four starts, having scored a nice allowance win at Fair Grounds, before an impressive victory in the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby over Barber Road and Secret Oath. Trained by Brad Cox, who is always dangerous, he continues to show off his talent in the mornings.

I think he will need to move forward off the Winn victory to be successful here, but it’s certainly possible after the nice prep race. Drawn the rail, he will need to work out a good trip stalking the leaders as he did in Arkansas. He is a win threat.

Howling Time

Coming in off a bang-up performance when he lost the bob to Cyberknife in the Matt Winn, this son of Not This Time finally appears to be headed in the right direction again for trainer Dale Romans. A colt with plenty of early speed, he flashed potential at 2, but started this year off poorly.

Back at his home base of Churchill Downs, he rebounded with a strong allowance victory before his game effort last time. It is worth noting that all his good performances to date have come at Churchill.

With plenty of speed in here, and the favorites breathing down his neck early, I cannot like him any better than fifth best in this Grade 1 test.

Benevengo

This one comes in off a sharp allowance score over the track four weeks ago to run his record to 3-of-4 lifetime. In fact, his only career loss came on a sloppy track when he finished fourth in the Long Branch Stakes.

All three wins, however, came against a different league of horses than he will face on Saturday. Perhaps the speedy son of Gormley has a nice future in front of him, but expecting him to stick around in the stretch against this bunch seems like a very tall task.

One Time Willard

One of the big longshots in the field, this New Jersey-bred has never faced open company before. He broke his maiden at Monmouth nicely, but that has been his only victory in five career starts.

He does have some early speed, so that looks like the only way he can make any sort of dent in this race at all. When the real running begins he is very likely to deploy the parachute and finish near the back of the pack.

King of Hollywood

This son of Palace Malice does have a dead-heat for first allowance win at Monmouth Park to his credit two starts back but when he came back for the local Haskell prep, he was trounced by 20 lengths as a big longshot.

Things only get considerably tougher here as he faces four Grade 1 winners. A winner of 2-of-13 lifetime, I find him impossible to recommend.

How to Watch the Haskell Stakes