Midnight Storm has been tabbed as the morning line favorite at odds of 6-5 for trainer Philip D’Amato. A four-year-old son of Pioneerof the Nile, he has won four of his eight starts and returned off of an eight-month layoff to romp in an optional claiming race in April. Last summer, he won the Del Mar Derby (G2) in his stakes debut. He has been training forwardly for his second start of the year and will have Tyler Baze aboard from post position three.
Second choice at 9-5 on the morning is Bal a Bali (BRZ) for trainer Richard Mandella. A Group 1 winning sensation in his native Brazil, the five-year-old son of Put it Back made his North American debut a winning one with a one-length score in the American (G3) last time out as the favorite. He has won twelve of his thirteen starts and has had two bullet workouts since his last race. Flavien Prat has the mount from the outside post.
Also in the field at morning line odds of 8-1 is Winning Prize (ARG) for trainer Neil Drysdale. A six-year-old son of Pure Prize, he has won eight of his eighteen starts and will be trying to earn his first victory of the year. Following a fourth-place finish last time out, he will get an equipment change and compete with blinkers. In addition, he will get a jockey change to Martin Garcia and they are scheduled to break from the rail.
The field is set for the $1 million Haskell, where Nyquist will be trying to re-stake his claim as the top three-year-old in the country.
On Sunday at Monmouth Park, the featured race is the $300,000 United Nations Stakes. Scheduled to be run at a mile and three-eighths on the turf, the Grade 1 event has drawn a field of ten colts and geldings.
On Sunday at Monmouth Park, the featured race is the $150,000 Pegasus Stakes, a key prep race for the Haskell Invitational (G1). The Grade 3 event will be contested at a mile and a sixteenth and has drawn a field of seven three-year-olds.
With five grade 1 races and a grade 2, the undercard for the June 11 Belmont stakes could be the best single day of racing on the calendar outside of the Breeders’ Cup.
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