Dornoch Rises to Division Leader With Haskell Score

The toteboard said there would be a reversal of fortunes. In the June 8 Belmont Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course, Dornoch defeated Mindframe by a half-length in the final jewel of the Triple Crown. But when the two colts met again in the July 20 Haskell Stakes (G1) at Monmouth Park, the betting favorite was Mindframe—by a wide margin. Mindframe, owned by Repole Stable and St. Elias Stables, was the 4-5 choice. Dornoch wasn't even the second choice in the top-level test for 3-year-olds. That role went to Timberlake, who had not raced since he finished fourth as the 6-5 favorite in the March 30 Arkansas Derby (G1). He was sent off at 3.30-1. Meanwhile, Dornoch, the lone classic winner in the field, was the third choice at 3.40-1 in the field of seven 3-year-olds. "I don't pay attention to the odds," said Danny Gargan, the trainer of Dornoch, a full brother to 2023 Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Mage. Neither does Dornoch. In yet another ultragame performance by the son of Good Magic, Dornoch led for the first half-mile, only to be passed by two of his six rivals before he once again displayed his amazing heart by drawing clear in the stretch and taking the $1,005,000 Haskell by 1 1/4 lengths over Mindframe to position himself as the top 3-year-old male. "Remember," co-owner Randy Hill said, "nobody passes Dornoch." Of late, while horses have been able to pass Dornoch, staying in front of him has been problematic. Much like the Belmont Stakes, the Haskell marked the second straight time Mindframe held the lead over Dornoch in the stretch. In the Belmont, Mindframe poked his head in front at the eighth pole before Dornoch battled back. On Saturday, Mindframe, after a powerful, wide, sweeping move to the front on the final turn, led by a bigger margin at the eighth pole and lost by a greater margin. "He finds something. He's special," Gargan said about the colt owned by West Paces Racing, Hill, Belmar Racing and Breeding, Pine Racing Stables, and the Two Eight Racing of former Major League all-star Jayson Werth. "I'm proud because he ran against a bias. Speed wasn't good today and people have been saying speed tracks have been lifting him up and keeping him running. Well, today he didn't have the track that he liked and he still finds a way to lift himself up and keep running. He's a special, talented horse." In a chaotic 3-year-old male division that has been searching for a clear-cut leader through a Triple Crown season with three different classic winners, the Haskell squarely positioned Dornoch at the top of the pack. "He's the best 3-year-old," Werth said. "He had a bad trip in the Kentucky Derby (where he was 10th) but we never stopped believing in him. He's been discounted and discredited the whole way and I'm elated that he's getting the notoriety and credibility he deserves." With the Haskell serving as a Breeders' Cup Challenge Series event for the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1), Dornoch earned a free spot in the $7 million Classic Nov. 2 at Del Mar, which could be his final race. During the postrace press conference Hill announced the ownership group had a stallion agreement in place and that Dornoch would stand at Spendthrift Farm. "We have a breeding deal so he only has a few more races left," Werth said. "It makes the stakes bigger and bigger and the opportunities to watch him race fewer and fewer. It's hard to compare the two feelings." Dornoch's next start will be the Aug. 24 Travers Stakes (G1) at Saratoga, where he could clinch the Eclipse Award for the champion 3-year-old male. "This race was five weeks before the Travers, which made the timing perfect. We want to win the Travers. He's always been special to all of us. He's probably the leading 3-year-old right now and if we can win the Travers that would be three grade 1 wins for us. He's such a great horse and we're blessed just to be part of it," Gargan said about the 3-year-old bred by Grandview Equine out of the Big Brown mare Puca. Breaking from the rail, Dornoch led by a half-length through early fractions of :23.32 and :48:08 with Siena Farm and WinStar Farm's Timberlake and 48-1 shot Just Step On It chasing him. After six furlongs in 1:12.05, Timberlake led by a head but jockey Luis Saez and Dornoch came right back and regained the lead. Next, Mindframe, a Maryland-bred son of Constitution, charged into the picture with a strong four-wide move and seemed poised to sweep past and draw clear. While drifting in and out in the lane under jockey Irad Ortiz Jr., Mindframe led until midstretch when Dornoch surged back into contention along the rail and pulled away to cover the mile and an eighth in 1:50.31. "Today was not an easy race, but he has a big heart," Saez said. Mike Repole, co-owner of Mindframe, expressed pride in his colt's performance in just his fourth career start for trainer Todd Pletcher. "Congrats to Dornoch and the connections. Mindframe ran great. It looked like a replay of the Belmont Stakes," Repole said. "I am very proud of the way he ran in only his fourth start. He has run four amazing races to start his career." Timberlake, a son of Into Mischief trained by Brad Cox, was third, five lengths behind Mindframe. Just Step On It, a New York-bred son of Accelerate, was fourth. Attendance was 38,976, the largest crowd at Monmouth since 60,983 turned out for the 2015 Haskell won by American Pharoah. The all-sources handle of $21.7 million set a record for a non-Breeders' Cup day, narrowly surpassing last year's mark of $21.3 million.