Dornoch established himself as the new leader of an ultracompetitive 3-year-old division with an assertive score in the $1 million Grade 1 NYRA Bets Haskell Stakes July 20 at Monmouth Park.

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The finish of the Haskell was a near replica of the Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets run six weeks earlier, with front-running Dornoch and Luis Saez holding sway over a closing Mindframe.

Trained by Danny Gargan, Dornoch ($8.80) completed the 1 1/8 miles in 1:50.31 for his second top-level triumph.

Timberlake, making his first start since the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby in April, ran with Dornoch early before fading to finish third.

In yet another ultra-game performance by the son of Good Magic, Dornoch led for the first half-mile only to be passed by two of his six rivals before he once again displayed his amazing heart under jockey Luis Saez and Dornoch by coming right back and regaining the lead, drawing clear in the stretch to win the Haskell by 1 1/4 lengths to position himself as 2024's top 3-year-old male.

"Today was not an easy race, but he has a big heart," Saez said.

Dornoch, the lone classic winner in the field, was the third choice on the tote board at $3.40-to-1 in the field of seven 3-year-olds.

"I don't pay attention to the odds," said Gargan of Dornoch, a full brother to 2023 Kentucky Derby winner Mage.

Of late, while horses have been able to pass Dornoch, staying in front of him has been problematic. Much like the Belmont Stakes, the Haskell marked the second straight time Mindframe held the lead over Dornoch in the stretch before Dornoch battled back.

"He finds something. He's special," Gargan said about the colt. "I'm proud because he ran against a bias. Speed wasn't good today and people have been saying speed tracks have been lifting him up and keeping him running. Well, today he didn't have the track that he liked, and he still finds a way to lift himself up and keeping running. He's a special, talented horse."

In a chaotic 3-year-old male division that has been searching for a clear-cut leader through a Triple Crown season with three different classic winners, the Haskell squarely positioned Dornoch at the top of the pack.

"He's the best 3-year-old," said former Major League Baseball player and Dornoch's minority owner Jason Werth. "He had a bad trip in the Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve, but we never stopped believing in him. He's been discounted and discredited the whole way and I'm elated that he's getting the notoriety and credibility he deserves."

With the Haskell serving as a "Win and You're In" stakes for the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic, Dornoch earned a free spot in the $7 million Classic, which could be his final race.

During the post-race press conference Hill announced the ownership group had a stallion agreement in place and that Dornoch would stand at Spendthrift Farm.

Dornoch's next start will be the Grade 1 DraftKings Travers Stakes on Aug. 24 at Saratoga Race Course, where he could clinch the Eclipse Award as the champion 3-year-old male with a win.

Idiomatic Survives By a Head at 1-9 Odds in Molly Pitcher

Idiomatic battled back in the stretch to narrowly fend off a strong bid by Soul of an Angel by a head and capture the $490,000 Grade 3 Molly Pitcher Stakes for older fillies and mares July 20 at Monmouth Park.

Idiomatic was severely tested at 1-9 odds. After setting lethargic early fractions of :25.57 and :50.27, a middle move by jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. on Soul of an Angel put Soul of an Angel on a short lead late on the final turn and into the stretch. From there, the two mares matched strides the rest of the way. It wasn't until the final yards when Idiomatic ($2.20 to win) and Florent Geroux forged to a slim lead and held sway in a final time of 1:44.53. Frosty O Toole was 9 1/4 lengths back in third.

"A little bit too close for my liking," Geroux said after the mile-and-a-sixteenth stakes. "But champions know how to win races."