Truth Rules Out of Haskell; Coal Play In

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Long Branch (gr. III) winner Truth Rules will miss the $1-million Haskell Invitational (gr. I) Aug. 3 due to a fever, and will be replaced by Coal Play, trainer Nick Zito said Wednesday.

Coal Play will join Fountain of Youth (gr. II) and Spend a Buck winner Cool Coal Man in the starting lineup. All three horses are owned by Robert LaPenta.

“It’s too bad about Truth Rules, because he was training great,” LaPenta said.

Coal Play, a son of Mineshaft  , out of the Kris S. mare Wiscasset, looked like a world beater winning an allowance race at Monmouth by 9 1/4 lengths May 29, earning a 102 Beyer. Sent off at 4-5 in an allowance/optional claimer on July 4, he pressed the pace, but tired to finish third, beaten 4 1/2 lengths.

Coal Play, a $200,000 yearling purchase at the Keeneland September sale, has two victories from eight career starts, with a second and a third.

The Zito pair will face Big Brown, Atoned, Nistle’s Crunch and possibly Magical Forest in the 1 1/8-mile race.

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