Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Big Brown is expected to run in the $1 Million dollar Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park on August 3rd.  Michael Iavarone, who heads the International Equine Acquisitions Holding Inc. Stable, said that the Haskell looks good for Big Brown. "The Haskell's clearly a first target right now," Iavarone said.

The Haskell is a mile and an eighth and would be a good distance for Big Brown.  The race would be the first for Big Brown since the horse failed in the Belmont on June 7th.  Big Brown is being trained at Aqueduct and trainer Richard Dutrow has said that Big Brown could breeze next week.

The other option for Big Brown would have been the Jim Dandy on July 27th or the Travers on August 23rd.  Both of those races are run at Saratoga.  Big Brown is being pointed to the Haskell in part because of the track. "We're trying to avoid certain things that happened in the Belmont," Iavarone said,

"We're trying to avoid the heat. It's a lot more hot and humid [at Saratoga], it's a lot cooler down by the Jersey Shore. More importantly is the surface. It's a lot tighter racetrack, more conducive to his style."

The Haskell also sets Big Brown up better for the Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita in late October. It is unlikely that Big Brown would run in both the Haskell and the Travers but Iavarone said, "But I don't rule out anything."