Endlessly, Muth, Stronghold point to major stakes in New York, New Jersey

ARCADIA, Calif. - Endlessly, Muth and Stronghold, California-based 3-year-olds who won major stakes earlier this spring, are scheduled to start in lucrative stakes in New Jersey and New York in July.

Endlessly, winner of the Grade 3 Jeff Ruby Steaks at Turfway Park and ninth in the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 4, will start in the Grade 1 Belmont Derby, a $750,000 race at 1 3/16 miles on turf at Aqueduct on July 6, trainer Michael McCarthy said.

Muth and Stronghold are candidates for the Grade 1 Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park on July 20, their trainers said on Sunday. The $1 million Haskell is one of the nation’s leading stakes of the summer for 3-year-olds.

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Muth, winner of the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby on March 30, was the morning-line favorite for the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico on May 19 until he was diagnosed with an elevated temperature on race week.

Muth has since been shipped back to trainer Bob Baffert’s base at Santa Anita.

“We’re pointing for the Haskell,” Baffert said.

Muth, owned by Amr Zedan, has won 4 of 6 starts and earned $1,504,100. The $1.5 million Arkansas Derby, the colt’s third stakes win, was worth $787,500.

Stronghold won the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby on April 6 and finished seventh, beaten 12 3/4 lengths by Mystik Dan in the Kentucky Derby.

The Haskell Stakes is run at 1 1/8 miles, a distance trainer Phil D’Amato thinks Stronghold may prefer to the Kentucky Derby distance of 1 1/4 miles.

“At this stage of his career, I don’t want to go past a mile and an eighth,” D’Amato said. “He has good tactical speed and usually the Haskell is won by a horse that tracks or is on the lead.”

Stronghold, who races for owners and breeders Rick and Sharon Waller, has won 3 of 7 starts and earned $827,200. Stronghold’s win in the $751,500 Santa Anita Derby was worth $450,000.

The lengthy gap between the Kentucky Derby and Haskell Invitational should work in favor of Stronghold, D’Amato said.

“We’ve got two months to build him up,” D’Amato said. “We’ll go slow.

“I like the timing. We can have him ready for the second half of the year.”

Endlessly, beaten 13 3/4 lengths in the Kentucky Derby, has won 5 of 7 starts and earned $707,000 for owners John and Jerry Amerman. The win in the $700,000 Jeff Ruby was worth $408,000.

Endlessly won two Grade 3 races at a mile on turf last year – the Del Mar Juvenile and Zuma Beach Stakes at Santa Anita.

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