Lookin At Lucky holds on from Haskell rival First Dude in the Preakness

  PICTURE: Getty Images  

Classic winners face off in vintage Haskell

Preview: USA, Sunday 10.43pm BST (live on ATR)

Monmouth Park: Haskell Invitational (Grade 1) 1m1f, dirt, 3yo

THE first two in the Kentucky Derby facing off against the first two in the Preakness Stakes - not forgetting the most progressive three-year-old in the country - live on TV on At The Races with British bookmakers offering prices.

Small wonder, then, that Sunday night's Haskell Invitational looks the race of the season so far in the States.

Bob Baffert, who has three previous winners of the $1 million event (Point Given, War Emblem and Roman Ruler), saddles the favourite this time around in Preakness winner Lookin At Lucky (Martin Garcia).

But the trainer is in no doubt about the magnitude of the task facing his son of Smart Strike, who was America's champion two-year-old last term, when he was just beaten by Vale Of York in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile.

 "I think it's the toughest Haskell I've seen in all these years," said Baffert, whose representative has yet again been done no favours by the draw as he breaks from the inner.

Lookin At Lucky was also seriously compromised when drawn one in the Kentucky Derby - he stayed on after meeting trouble in running to finish sixth - before scoring with in typically gritty fashion over Sunday's rivalFirst Dude (Dale Romans/Kent Desormeaux) at Pimlico under new rider Martin Garcia.

Super Saver (Todd Pletcher/Calvin Borel) was a fairly decisive 21/2-length winner at Churchill Downs, but few onlookers were overly impressed given that he had several factors in his advantage, among them a sloppy track and a perfect ground-saving ridefrom Calvin ‘Bo-Rail'.

He was duly thrashed in the Preakness and comes here needing to salvage his reputation.

Kentucky runner-up Ice Box(Nick Zito/Jose Lezcano), the Florida Derby winner, was another one to meet trouble in running at Churchill Downs before displacing a palate when a disappointing favourite for the Belmont Stakes on June 5, when First Dude was third.

His stablemate Our Dark Knight (Elvis Trujillo) is in the same ownership and looks set to ensure a good clip on behalf of the late-running Ice Box.

The local New Jersey hope is Afleet Again (Butch Reid/Joe Bravo), ridden by the 13-time Monmouth champ Joe Bravo, but more fancied is Trappe Shot (Kiaran McLaughlin/Alan Garcia), who is on a five-timer after winning the Long Branch Stakes, the designated Haskell trial at Monmouth, on his first start around two turns.

His stablemate Uptowncharlybrown (Rajiv Maragh) had been showing up well in decent company before a fair run in the Belmont and is not without supporters at a likely juicy price.

Haskell Invitational

Coral: 5-2 Lookin At Lucky, 7-2 Trappe Shot, 4 First Dude, 9-2 Super Saver, 5 Ice Box, 20 Afleet Again, Our Dark Knight, 33 Uptowncharlybrown

Bet365: 5-2 Lookin At Lucky, 3 Trappe Shot, 4 Super Saver, 6 First Dude, Ice Box, 14 Afleet Again, 25 Our Dark Knight, Uptowncharlybrown

What they say

Bob Baffert, trainer of Lookin At Lucky
"His name has jinxed him all his life with the draw. I can't believe how poorly this horse draws. He's the most poorly drawn horse I've ever had. It's not an easy spot, but from here on out none of them are easy."

Butch Reid, trainer of Afleet Again
"If he gets a good pace in the Haskell, and I think he will, I think he'll run his best race. He's proven he likes this track and all he has to do on race day is walk out of his stall and over to the paddock. No shipping at all. It's a big advantage to train here."

Nick Zito, trainer of Ice Box and Our Dark Knight
"The Haskell's a great race and this is the toughest Haskell I've seen. But I'm hoping for an honest pace, so my colt [Ice Box] can come with his run like he always does.

"Our Dark Knight is an up-and-coming three-year-old and he's at the best I can get him right now. He impressed me in his last race [Monmouth on June 19]. That was against older horses and he was very professional."

Dale Romans, trainer of First Dude
"He was doing great before the Belmont, and he's doing just as well heading into this race. He seems to have come out of the Triple Crown as good or better than he went in. He doesn't have to be on the lead, but if he breaks sharply, he'll be there. If someone wants to go, then he can sit off. But it's a very tough race - the winner of the Haskell is going to put themselves at the top of the three-year-old class." 

Todd Pletcher, trainer of Super Saver
"He's training exceptionally well. During the freshening, he's put on weight and gained strength. His mental outlookis excellent." 

Kiaran McLaughlin, trainer of Trappe Shot and Uptowncharlybrown
"Trappe Shot is the ‘now' horse and he's won four in a row but he has never run against Grade 1 horses. We know he likes the track and he should handle the distance. But the competition is different. There are a few proven horses in there."