Kentucky Derby winner Mage arrives at Pimlico Race Course early Sunday, May 14, 2023 to prepare for this weekend’s Preakness Stakes as trainer Gustavo Delgado, Sr., right, looks on. (Jerry Jackson/The Baltimore Sun via AP)
Kentucky Derby champion Mage returns to the races Saturday in the Haskell Stakes at Monmouth Park, but he’ll face a number of tough challengers as his connections seek a return to the winning circle.
For bettors, the Haskell Stakes offers a great chance to make money by taking advantage of fixed-odds wagering on-track at Monmouth or through the MonmouthBets app (if you live in New Jersey). Fixed-odds wagering allows bettors to get their most of their wagers, guaranteeing that if their horse wins, they’ll receive the odds the horse had at the time their bet was placed — regardless if the horse’s actual odds have dropped by post time.
Mage was made the $3 fixed-odds betting favorite (for a $1 bet) to win the Haskell, followed by the promising Arabian Knight, a Bob Baffert trainee who impressed early on the Triple Crown trail before injuries sidelined him. Arabian Knight might be the second choice on the fixed-odds board at $3.50, but he’s the 5-2 favorite on the track’s traditional morning line.
But Mage, 3-1 on the morning line, has other tough challengers on Saturday in Tapit Trice, third last out in the Belmont Stakes, who’s also 3-1 on the morning line and tied with Mage for favoritism in the fixed-odds pool at $3; Geaux Rocket Ride, a California invader with 5-1 morning-line odds and $9 in the fixed-odds pool; and Extra Anejo, who’s looking for a big stakes win after a solid effort last out in an Ellis Park allowance.
The 56th Haskell Stakes
Saturday, July 22
Monmouth Park, Oceanport, NJ
Distance: 1 1/8 Miles on the dirt
Conditions: 3-year-olds
Purse: $1 million (winner gets automatic berth in Breeders’ Cup Classic)
Post time: 5:45 p.m. (coverage on NBC/Peacock beginning at 5 p.m.)
The field
Analysis
Mage won the…
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