The Puma Looking To Saturday’s $1 Million Haskell As A Springboard For The “Second Season”
At 0h04, on July 18, 2026 • By Monmouth Park publicity staff
The “Second Season” starts Saturday for The Puma.
Though he was forced off the Triple Crown trail with a leg infection just 12 hours before he was set to line up in the Kentucky Derby starting gate as one of the favorites, The Puma finally gets his chance to prove he belongs in the top class of 3-year-olds in Saturday’s $1 Million, Grade 1 NYRA Bets Haskell Stakes at Monmouth Park.
“He’s had five or six breezes since the (Kentucky) Derby and in that last breeze he showed us everything we wanted to see. We think he’s ready,” said Gustavo Delgado, Jr., who is the assistant to his father, Gustavo Delgado, Sr.
The Puma, who is owned by the Delgados’ OGMA Investments, JR Ranch and High Step Racing, was very much in the Triple Crown series conversation in March by virtue of his win in the Grade 3 Tampa Bay Derby, following that up with a tough loss by a nose to Haskell competitor Further Ado in the Grade 1 Florida Derby.
His total qualifying points ranked him in sixth place on the Kentucky Derby leaderboard until misfortune struck.
“We think all the time he had to recover from those (Derby) prep races will help him,” said Delgado, Jr., who sent The Puma out for a one-mile jog and a one-mile gallop around the Monmouth Park oval Wednesday morning.
In addition to Haskell glory, a guaranteed spot in the starting gate for the $7 million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Keeneland Oct. 31 is on the line as the race is a “Win and You’re In” through the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series.
“It’s still a long season. There are plenty of races on the calendar for him,” said the younger Delgado, joined here by his father on Friday morning to oversee final preparations.
The Puma, a son of champion and 2021 Belmont Stakes winner Essential Quality, was unraced as a juvenile and started his career in January at Gulfstream Park under Javier Castellano. The Hall of Fame jockey became his regular rider as the colt earned $422,280 from a record of 1-2-1 in four starts this year, but he won’t be in the irons for the Haskell.
Castellano, a four-time champion jockey, was injured in a multiple horse spill at Saratoga earlier this month and will be sidelined for a number of weeks. Castellano was also the regular rider for 2023 Kentucky Derby winner Mage, also co-owned and trained by the Delgados, and they finished second to Geaux Rocket Ride in the Haskell that year.
Luis Saez will take over the reins Saturday.
