Handicapping a Competitive Renewal of the Haskell

Who will prevail when seven talented three-year-olds square off in Saturday's $1 million Haskell (G1) at Monmouth Park? It's a tough question to answer. The four favorites--#2 Further Ado (2-1), #6 Napoleon Solo (5-2), #5 Iron Honor (3-1), and #4 The Puma (7-2)--appear fairly evenly matched. One of the four will likely take home top honors, but determining which is the most likely winner is easier said than done. Certainly Further Ado warrants respect. During the spring, he trounced the Blue Grass (G1) by 11 lengths, arguably the single best performance produced by any of the Haskell entrants. But the Blue Grass took place at Keeneland, where Further Ado is 2-for-2. He'd previously broken his maiden at Keeneland by 20 lengths in a stellar performance. Away from Keeneland, he hasn't been as dominant. He's won the Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) and Matt Winn (G3) at Churchill Downs by smaller margins (two lengths or less), and he's finished 11th with a troubled trip in the Kentucky Derby (G1) and second to The Puma in the Tampa Bay Derby (G3). He also lost a couple of maiden special weights at Saratoga Race Course last summer, though those were sprints. Is Further Ado a Keeneland specialist? Not exclusively, given his graded wins at Churchill. But his up-and-down form makes him difficult to trust as the Haskell favorite, especially since he likes to race forwardly and he'll start from inside the other key speed horses on Saturday. The Puma is a logical alternative, considering he ran down Further Ado to win the Tampa Bay Derby by three-quarters of a length. The chestnut colt showed rapid improvement in four starts during the winter, culminating with a runner-up effort in the Florida Derby (G1). I liked The Puma's Florida Derby performance; he trailed a slow pace early on, launched a strong move to take the lead, and failed by only a nose to hold off the victorious Commandment. But The Puma scratched from the Kentucky Derby with a leg swelling resulting from a skin infection, and he hasn't raced since March 28. Fast recent workouts suggest he'll be fit for a competitive showing in the Haskell, but racing 1 1/8 miles against Grade 1 competition off a nearly four-month break could complicate The Puma's path to victory. I've been a fan of Iron Honor since he won his debut dashing six furlongs at Aqueduct Racetrack, counting future Wood Memorial (G2) runner-up Right to Party among his beaten rivals. He followed up with a determined triumph in the one-mile Gotham (G3). Since then, Iron Honor has experienced mixed results. He had a rough trip when tiring to finish seventh in the Wood Memorial (G2), then bounced back to run second in the Preakness (G1), beaten only 1 1/4 lengths. But the fact remains, Iron Honor is 2-for-2 in one-turn races and 0-for-2 in two-turn events. The way he flattened out after looming large in the Preakness homestretch hints at the possibility Iron Honor will ultimately prove best over distances shorter than the Haskell's 1 1/8 miles. Given the concerns I have about Further Ado, The Puma, and Iron Honor, I've landed on Napoleon Solo as my top choice in the Haskell. Napoleon Solo was brilliant in two starts as a juvenile. He won his debut sprinting six furlongs by 5 1/4 lengths, then stretched out over one mile to dominate the Champagne (G1) by 6 1/2 lengths. In the latter race, he set increasingly stiff fractions of :22.53, :44.24, and 1:07.88, but still had plenty left for the drive. Napoleon Solo faltered in his first two starts of 2026, finishing fifth in both the Fountain of Youth (G2) and Wood Memorial (G2). But he dealt with a heel bruise leading up to the Wood Memorial and was nevertheless beaten only 2 3/4 lengths after carving out the pace in a race dominated by closers. A fully recovered Napoleon Solo bounced back in a big way in the Preakness. He tracked a sharp pace in second place before taking over and turning back Iron Honor to triumph by 1 1/4 lengths. Finishing another 3 1/4 lengths back in third place was Chip Honcho, who flattered the form by returning to win the Ohio Derby (G3) in his next start. There isn't an overabundance of pace in the Haskell field, so there's a good chance Napoleon Solo will find himself on a comfortable lead during the early stages of the race. He's posted a few fast workouts since the Preakness, including a bullet half-mile in :46 3/5 over the Belmont Park training track, so all signs suggest he remains in strong form. I believe Napoleon Solo will sustain his speed down the Haskell homestretch to secure his third Grade 1 win. Selections 1st: Napoleon Solo 2nd: Further Ado 3rd: The Puma 4th: Iron Honor Now it's your turn! Who do you like in the Haskell? ***** Want to test your handicapping skills against fellow Unlocking Winners readers? Check out the Unlocking Winners contests page. There's a new challenge every week!