2006 Haskell Invitational Day at Monmouth Park

John Ward Jr., trainer of third place finisher Strong Contender said, "It was a polo match around the first turn. He had a rough trip. We got crammed, rammed, and bammed. The winner got away clean. That's horse racing. Anything that takes that much knocking around early in the race is tough to overcome. He had a kind of coming of age today. You had to be there at the half-mile pole. He was still fighting through horses and the winner was already gone. We'll see how he comes back. He was sharp in the post parade. He was a happy horse today."