As part of his Travers plan, Mage will race in $1 million Haskell

As part of a bigger plan to race next month in the Grade 1, $1.25 million Travers at Saratoga, Kentucky Derby winner Mage indeed will go Saturday in the $1 million Haskell Stakes (G1) at Monmouth Park.

Confirming the blueprint Tuesday afternoon, co-owner Ramiro Restrepo said it was all a matter of timing. Not between the Preakness and the Haskell but, instead, between the Haskell and the Travers.

“The Travers is our summer, crown jewel,” Restrepo told Horse Racing Nation by phone from South Florida. “That’s been our goal, and it was how do we get him to the Travers?”

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Since Mage finished third May 20 in the Preakness, Restrepo said connections entertained the idea of training up to the Travers. Another plan was to skip the Haskell and go next week in the Jim Dandy (G2) at Saratoga.

“That would have required us to have run back on four weeks and, at the same time, move our stable a little sooner than we were able to Saratoga,” said Restrepo, pointing out that Mage has been in Kentucky with trainer Gustavo Delgado. “We didn’t want to run without giving the horse some experience over the Saratoga track. It’s a very unique track. The Haskell on the calendar gives us the best opportunity to get him ready in a prep race for the Travers.”

Restrepo said Mage would be shipped to New Jersey on Wednesday morning for arrival on the shore in the evening. Then if all goes well this weekend, the ensuing trip to Saratoga would happen within 24-48 hours of the Haskell.

“That gives us five weeks to train over the Saratoga racetrack and a couple workouts at Saratoga,” Restrepo said.

The patience shown in making this decision was reminiscent of Mage’s preparation for the Preakness, where he was not fully committed until he had breezed eight days before at Churchill Downs. Usually on a four- to five-week break between races, Mage came back two weeks after his 15-1 Derby upset to finish third behind National Treasure and Blazing Sevens at Pimlico.

“He is happy and sound and doing extremely well health-wise,” Restrepo said. “The break was fantastic for him.”

Mage has been training for Delgado at The Thoroughbred Center in Lexington, Ky., where he has had timed workouts each of the past four weeks. He went five furlongs in 1:07.2 on June 23 in a leg-stretching, first breeze after the Preakness. Eight days later he stepped up his work and was clocked at 1:00.6. His last two breezes covered six furlongs each, timed at 1:13.8 on July 7 and 1:13.4 on Friday.

“We gave him a great, mini-off-season,” Restrepo said. “It’s been two months, but it’s time we start the ball rolling. It’s a great comeback race, it’s a great prep race, and I think that will leave him in great position to get to the Travers.”

Javier Castellano, who rode Mage to the Derby win, will keep the ride in the Haskell, Restrepo said.

The Good Magic colt out of the Big Brown mare Puca was sold for $290,000 in the 2022 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic sale of 2-year-olds in training. Owned by Restepo, assistant trainer Gustavo Delgado Jr.’s OGMA Investments, Sam Herzberg’s Sterling Racing and Chase Chamberlin-managed Commonwealth Sports, Mage has a record of 5: 2-1-1 and earnings of $2,288,700, all this year.

This will be the first time since Nyquist finished fourth in 2016 that the Haskell may be promoted ahead of time as having the Kentucky Derby winner. Authentic and Mandaloun were in the 2020 and 2021 runnings of the Haskell, but Authentic ran first in the Haskell and then in the COVID-delayed Derby, and Mandaloun’s promotion over Medina Spirit in Kentucky was still seven months away.

Before the Mage decision was announced, the Monmouth Park racing office said third-place Belmont finisher Tapit Trice, Affirmed Stakes victor Geaux Rocket Ride, In Reality winner Awesome Strong, first- and third-place finishers Salute the Stars and Howgreatisnate from the listed Pegasus and the lightly raced pair Arabian Knight and Extra Añejo were probable for the Haskell, a 1 1/8-mile test for 3-year-olds.

Entries for the race will be taken Wednesday with the post-position draw scheduled for noon EDT.