Sat., July 18, 2026 @ Monmouth Park | Free Horse Racing Tips & Lundin Line Picks

Happy Saturday and welcome back to the weekend! We gave you a warm‑up yesterday and helped you ignore the workday with our Turtle Sports Coast to Coast top-rated card, and we’re running it back today.

We start at Monmouth Park again today in Oceanside, NJ. Yesterday, we were awful at this track, with only three top-pick winners for a loss of $8.40 and an ROI of -52.5%. We added just one second-pick winner — it was a nice payout and did help reduce our ROI loss, but it was still a losing day.

The good news is today is a new day, and we have plenty of action to take another swing at it. We do not advocate chasing losses, but horse racing is a unique sport where you can limit your risk each race, and you may have actually won money yesterday using our top-rated selections. If not, and you’re down a few bucks like we are, today is another chance to find value, improve our edge, and help you get back in the money.

Today’s card has 14 total races, seven stakes races, and one Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” race. That’s right, we are in the thick of the BC Challenge Series, and today’s featured race, the Haskell Stakes, will earn the winner a spot in the Longines Classic out here in California at Del Mar.

This is a 1 1/8–mile route on the dirt for three-year-olds only and carries a purse of $1,000,000. We have seven entrants, including the return of a horse who had to scratch from the Kentucky Derby but was trending as a top choice for many that day: The Puma.

Joining The Puma from the Derby is the 2, Further Ado, who finished 11th but is your morning-line favorite today. Do the oddsmakers know that this cutback in distance will make a huge difference?

Also in this race are three horses who ran in the Preakness Stakes, including the winner, Napoleon Solo. Napoleon Solo did not run in the Derby — just like Iron Honor, who finished second in the Preakness and is looking to add another Grade 1 win to his résumé. The last horse with experience at this level is the 7, Ocelli. Ocelli drew into the Derby and put in an impressive run, finishing third, then came back strong in the Preakness with a fourth-place finish. This horse is particularly interesting: as our friend Colin Sheehan pointed out, he has never actually won a race, yet with those solid Derby and Preakness finishes, he has earned over $800k.

Our cappers do not agree on their top choice. Finky is going with one of his top Derby choices in The Puma, while Mr. W is siding with the favorite, Further Ado, banking on the race shape setting up for a trip similar to the Blue Grass Stakes — and trusting Irad Ortiz, who has been aboard for every one of this horse’s victories.

The weather today is going to be tricky, with a flood warning in effect until tomorrow morning. Expect highs in the low 80s, cloudy skies, and possible thunderstorms. If racing is delayed due to weather, keep an eye out for scratches, as trainers know what’s best for their athletes. To start the day, conditions should be excellent, with a fast track and firm turf.

As noted, we’re going coast to coast again, so check back later for more action from Del Mar!

Happy Saturday & National Tropical Fruit Day! 🍍🥥🥭

Need help picking winners? We've got you covered! Our (Always Free) Lundin Line's top picks and best bets are below. We use them to help narrow the field while putting our tickets together. The first post will be here soon, so don't be late -
It's time to get #InTheMoney! 💰💰💰

🏇Sat., July 18th, 2026 @ Monmouth Park

⭑Best Bet(s)

R4: 350K Monmouth Cup S. (G3)
1 1/8 Mi. on Dirt for 3 Yr. Olds & Up
R6: 500K Molly Pitcher S. (G2)
1 1/16 Mi. on Dirt for Fillies/Mares, 3 Yrs. Old & Up
R7: 300K WinStar Matchmaker S. (G3T)
1 /18 Mi. on Turf for Fillies/Mares, 3 Yrs. Old & Up
R9: 100K Wolf Hill S.
5 1/2 Furlongs on Turf for 3 Yr. Olds & UP
R10: 100K Regret S.
6 Furlongs on Dirt for Fillies/Mares, 3 Yrs. Old & Up
R11: 500K United Nations S. (G2T)
1 3/8 Mi. on Turf for 3-Yr. Olds & Up
🏇R12: 1 Mil. Haskell S. (G1)/BC
1 1/8 Mi. on Dirt for 3-Yr. Olds
Breeders' Cup Div.: Longines Classic

Ⓢtakes Race(s)

July 18th - National Tropical Fruit Day

🏇 = Featured Race(s)

R3: Tocayo (#9)

The History of the Haskell Stakes

Inaugurated on August 3, 1968, at Monmouth Park Racetrack in Oceanport, New Jersey, the race now known as the Haskell Stakes debuted as the Monmouth Invitational Handicap. It earned prestigious Grade I status in 1973, but its identity truly solidified in 1981, when track directors renamed the event to honor Amory L. Haskell, the dedicated first president of the Monmouth Park Jockey Club, who spearheaded the postwar revival of New Jersey thoroughbred racing. That same year, the race shifted from welcoming older horses to a fixed 1 1/8-mile distance, restricted exclusively to three-year-olds. This change permanently etched the race into the American racing calendar as the ultimate midsummer proving ground for sophomore colts and fillies seeking to cement their divisional dominance.

Today, the Haskell Stakes stands as a vital bridge between the exhausting spring Triple Crown trail and the high-stakes autumn championship season. Offering a lucrative $1 million purse and an automatic "Win and You're In" ticket to the Breeders' Cup Classic, it routinely attracts the finest dirt routers in training. Its historic winner's circle reads like a registry of racing royalty, featuring iconic champions such as Holy Bull, Skip Away, Rachel Alexandra, and the legendary Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, whose 2015 victory drew a record-shattering crowd of more than 60,000 fans to the Jersey Shore. Historically dominated by master trainer Bob Baffert—who holds a staggering nine wins—the Haskell remains the definitive summer crown jewel of New Jersey racing.

R1: 4-1-10-7

R2: 8-9-6-1

R3: 9⭑-1-7-4

R4Ⓢ: 5-4-1

R5: 9-5-7-4

R6Ⓢ: 7-3-5-1

R7Ⓢ: 3-7-1

R8: 11-3-6-8

R9Ⓢ: 5-2-10-6

R10Ⓢ: 7-2-10-5

R11Ⓢ: 4-7-2-3

🏇R12Ⓢ:

LL: 2-5-6-7
Fink: 4-2-6
Mr. W: 2-6-5-7

R13: 6-7-4-5
R14: 5-2-6-7

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