OCEANPORT, N.J. – Good Magic inherited the top spot among active 3-year-olds this week following the retirement of undefeated Triple Crown winner Justify. On Sunday, he will return from a 10-week layoff as a solid favorite in the $1 million Haskell Invitational, the premier race of the Monmouth Park season. Standing in his way are Preakness runner-up Bravazo, the improving West Coast-based Core Beliefs, and Lone Sailor, who in his last four starts has missed a pair of graded wins by a neck and a nose. The field also includes the Monmouth-stabled runners Roaming Union and Golden Brown, plus Navy Commander, who will ship in from Parx on race day. The Grade 1 Haskell, which is being run for the 51st time, is part of the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series, and the winner will receive a fees-paid berth in the $6 million BC Classic at Churchill Downs on Nov. 3. The Haskell will be televised on NBC from 5-6 p.m. Eastern and has a scheduled post time of 5:45 p.m. The 1 1/8-mile race will be immediately preceded by five undercard stakes. First post is noon. Good Magic laid it down hard in the first two legs of the Triple Crown, both of which were run over wet, demanding tracks. He chased Justify home to be second in the Kentucky Derby and then hooked him on the lead two weeks later in the Preakness, ending up fourth, beaten one length. “After the Preakness, I started to think about the Haskell,” trainer Chad Brown said. “The Triple Crown can take a toll on these horses, especially a horse like Good Magic, who gives it his all. He lost weight. He was body sore.” Brown has worked Good Magic once a week since June 10 and is confident the son of Curlin will run well off the bench. “I don’t think the layoff will bother him,” he said. “He needed time to recharge his batteries. He’s rebounded.” Good Magic was voted the Eclipse Award for 2-year-old male champion in 2017 following his victory in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Del Mar. In his start prior to the Derby, he won the Blue Grass at Keeneland. While he has tactical speed, he does not need to race on the lead, as he did in the Preakness. Brown said he would like to see Good Magic take up a “good, forward position” in the Haskell under Jose Ortiz. Bravazo won the Grade 2 Risen Star at Fair Grounds in February for trainer D. Wayne Lukas. He was sixth in the Kentucky Derby, then rallied in the Preakness to pass Good Magic late and finish second, beaten a half-length by Justify. Bravazo came back to run sixth in the Belmont. He and Justify are the only horses who competed in all three legs of the Triple Crown this year. “We saw early on that he was one of those tough, durable horses who might make all of the races we wanted,” Lukas said. “Not every horse makes it through the whole Triple Crown unscathed. He’s actually getting better with maturity.” Luis Saez will be aboard Bravazo, who is likely to race in midpack early. Core Beliefs and Lone Sailor overcame difficult trips when finishing first and second in the $500,000 Ohio Derby. Core Beliefs raced wide the entire race, and Lone Sailor broke a step slowly. Lone Sailor split horses in upper stretch and came away with the lead, but Core Beliefs nailed him on the wire by a nose. This will be Core Beliefs’s third straight road trip for trainer Peter Eurton. “The Ohio Derby was an amazing effort by this colt,” Eurton said. “We debated between the Jim Dandy and the Haskell. It came down to that he’s doing so well. How many Grade 1’s do you have?” Flavien Prat will be Core Belief's third rider in his last three races. The Ohio Derby was Lone Sailor’s second tough beat. He also was caught from behind and narrowly defeated in the Louisiana Derby. Although he is 1 for 11, he seems to be sitting on a big effort for Tom Amoss. “It’s legitimate to question his desire to win,” Amoss said. “From the beginning, he has been physically imposing, but mentally he has been slow to come around. “We’ve worked with him on it, but nothing seemed to sink in until lately. By that I mean just prior to the Ohio Derby and since then. He’s become mentally tougher.” Amoss said he considered both the Jim Dandy and Haskell for Lone Sailor. Joe Bravo, a 13-time leading rider at Monmouth, will ride. “We thought the Haskell pace would be better for him,” Amoss said. “And of course, the purse is better. The third thing is the opportunity to ride Joe. He’s a thinking rider and has already been through the video of Lone Sailor’s races.” Roaming Union might be the speed of the field for Kelly Breen. Navy Commander comes into the Haskell off a win in the Long Branch for Butch Reid. Golden Brown will be going from turf to dirt for Patrick McBurney after winning the Grade 3 Kent Stakes. All three of those trainers have a long history with Monmouth Park and are looking forward to competing in New Jersey’s biggest race.