Haskell-Bound Trio Finally Arrives
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OCEANPORT, N.J. — About 20 hours behind schedule, Touch Gold, Free House and Anet finally arrived at Monmouth Park early Thursday afternoon, with their handlers saying that the arduous trip shouldn’t affect their performances in Sunday’s $1-million Haskell Handicap.
The three colts were supposed to arrive from California late Wednesday afternoon, but their plane had an oil leak that changed a 30-minute stop to an overnight stay in Lexington, Ky., where the horses were sent from the airport to the Keeneland track across the highway.
When the horses were about to be sent back to the Lexington airport Thursday morning, trainer Paco Gonzalez, flying with Free House, was told the Newark, N.J., airport was closed because of a crashed Federal Express cargo plane.
The horses were rerouted to Atlantic City, about 75 miles from the track, and when they landed faced another delay of an hour before their van arrived.
“They were fine,” Gonzalez said. “It will be the same for all of us going into the race, but I don’t think it will hurt any of them.”
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