After a massively disappointing last-place finish at the Belmont Stakes, Big Brown is set to make a triumphant return to horse racing at Monmouth Park Racetrack in August. (And by triumphant I mean brave.)

The Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner will be running in the Haskell Invitational on August 3, 2008 in Oceanport, New Jersey. A major race for three year olds (in between the Triple Crown and the Breeders’ Cup), the Haskell Invitational offers a purse of US $1,000,000.

“The Haskell’s clearly a first target right now,” said Michael Iavarone, who heads the International Equine Acquisitions Holdings (IEAH) Inc. stable that owns 75-percent of Big Brown.

Big Brown’s first race back following the Belmont Stakes wasn’t supposed to happen until August (the Travers in Saratoga), but his owners felt an earlier return would be favorable.

“We’re trying to avoid certain things that happened in the Belmont Stakes,” Iavarone said. “We’re trying to avoid the heat; it’s a lot more hot and humid (at Saratoga), it’s a lot cooler down by the Jersey Shore. More importantly is the surface. It’s a lot tighter racetrack, more conducive to his style.”

Last year’s winner at 3/1 odds was Any Given Saturday, who put away the field by 4 1/2 lengths.