The Haskell Invitational

The 2007 running of the Haskell Invitational Handicap marks the 40th renewal of the race named for the first president and chairman of the Monmouth Park Jockey Club, Amory Lawrence Haskell. With a purse of $1 million, the Haskell is the richest invitational event contested in North America.

Amory L. Haskell was born in New York City in 1893. Following his graduation from Princeton University in 1916, he began a business career with the New Jersey Zinc Company. That was interrupted by two years with the Naval Aviation Service in World War I. After his tour of duty, Haskell joined the General Motors Corporation and rose to the position of vice-president in charge of the company's export division. He left General Motors to form Triplex Safety Glass Company and was president and chairman of the board when he sold it.

Shortly before World War II, after several years of intense lobbying in which Haskell played a prominent role, an amendment to the New Jersey State Constitution was approved by referendum, legalizing pari-mutuel wagering for Thoroughbred and Standardbred racing. Haskell then organized a group of prominent New Jersey residents to build a modern Thoroughbred racetrack in Monmouth County. Appointed president and chairman of Monmouth Park Jockey Club in 1945, he guided that organization through its opening in 1946 and continued at the helm until his death on April 12, 1966.

In 1968, the Monmouth Park Directors honored his memory with the Amory L. Haskell Handicap, a race for older horses. In 1981, the Haskell name was transferred to a mile and an eighth invitational for the nation's top three-year-olds.

As a tribute to the man honored by this race, Amory L. Haskell's daughters, Hope Haskell-Jones and Anne Haskell-Ellis, present the Haskell trophy each year.

Coastal (1979) carried the most weight to win the Haskell, 127

Click here to download a complete Haskell History, including charts and statistics, in PDF format

1997 The purse of the race was raised to $1 million, making it the richest invitational event run in North America. Touch Gold, the horse who denied Silver Charm a Triple Crown by winning the Belmont Stakes, captured the race.

1998 The race featured a well-matched field, including Victory Gallop, the horse who had ruined Real Quiet's Triple Crown bid with a nose victory in the Belmont Stakes, and Coronado's Quest, a talented but eccentric 3-year-old who had given Shug McGaughey more than a few gray hairs. With a then record Haskell Day crowd of 40,405 looking on, Coronado's Quest beat Victory Gallop by a length and a quarter. Victory Gallop later earned honors as 1999 Eclipse Champion Older Horse.

2000 A record crowd of 41,630 was on hand as Dixie Union bested Captain Steve by three-quarters of a length. Two records were posted on Haskell Day as $2.7 million was wagered on the Haskell and a total of $5 million was bet on-track.

2001 An all-time record crowd of 47,127 were on hand as Point Given stormed home to capture the Haskell by a half-length. Ridden by Gary Stevens and trained by Bob Baffert, the son of Thunder Gulch went on to be named champion 3-year-old and Horse of the Year.

2002 War Emblem made every pole a winning one in the Haskell taking the event in front running fashion to become the first Kentucky Derby-Haskell winner in history. The race marked the first for back-to-back wins by an owner-trainer as The Thoroughbred Corp. and Bob Baffert took the event in 2001.

2003 The 2003 Haskell saw New Jersey records fall across the board as 53,638, a record for the Garden State, we on hand to see Peace Rules go wire-to-wire in the million dollar event. The totalt handle of $12,536,345 was another New Jersey record, as was the $3,726,562 wagered on the Haskell alone. Trained by Bobby Frankel, Peace Rules defeated Sky Mesa and the Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Funny Cide, the latter went on to be named champion 3-year-old.

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