Preakness winner Exaggerator joins Haskell field

Kentucky Derby victor Nyquist and Preakness Stakes victor Exaggerator will square off again on Sunday, July 31 as the 2016 “Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series: Win and You’re In presented by Lane’s End Farm and America’s Best Racing” continues with the live broadcast on NBC at 5:00 p.m. ET from Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J, with an outstanding renewal of the $1,000,000 Haskell Invitational, an automatic qualifier for the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic.

Nyquist will take on a talented field in the $1 million Haskell Invitational horse race on Sunday, including Exaggerator, who handed Nyquist his only career defeat in the Preakness Stakes.

“He shipped in fine and ate up all of his food (Wednesday) night, ” O’Neill said of Nyquist, the morning-line favorite at 6-5. “We are just honored to be here and hopefully he can run one of his best races because he is going to have to bring one of his better races to win”.

“The far outside post is flawless for my horse”, said Desormeaux.

“We’re coming into this race with a lot of optimism”, said Doug O’Neill, trainer of Nyquist.

The late, developing American Freedom will be trying to extend Baffert’s Haskell record for wins to nine. “He’s an off-the-pace style runner”.

The rest of the field is American Freedom (3-1), Gun Runner (4-1), Awesome Slew (15-1) and Sunny Ridge (20-1).

Tom Hammond hosts the Haskell Invitational broadcast, and will be joined by Hall of Fame jockey and analyst Jerry Bailey, analyst Randy Moss, reporter Kenny Rice and Handicapper Eddie Olczyk.

Two of American Freedom’s three wins, including the listed $100,000 Sir Barton Stakes at Pimlico on Preakness Day have come over sloppy tracks.

This is the 49th running of the Haskell, and nothing tops American Pharoah’s exhilarating run.

The July 31 betfair.com Haskell will now feature the top three finishers from the Run for the Roses, as Gun Runner, third in the Derby, arrived on the grounds Tuesday to prepare for Sunday’s mile and an eighth test.

Ryan, whose 2009 Tampa Bay Derby victor Musket Man finished third in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness that year, is based this summer at Monmouth Park. It’s a speed-favorite track between the Derby and Preakness winners, I think.