News & Barn notes

52 Horses Receive Invitations To Grade 1 TVG.Com Haskell On Saturday, July 20

June 26, 2019

The second half of a wide-open 3-year-old season will begin in earnest with the 52nd edition of TVG.com Haskell Invitational on Saturday, July 20, with 52 horses receiving invitations to Monmouth Park’s showcase race, it was announced today by director of racing and racing secretary John F. Heims and stakes coordinator Lynn T. Ott.

The Grade 1 Haskell, at a mile and an eighth for 3-year-olds, carries a $1 million purse and will be televised nationally by NBC-TV.

The winners of all three Triple Crown races were formally invited, as was Maximum Security, the first horse to be disqualified from first place in the Kentucky Derby.

Maximum Security, trained by Jason Servis and stabled at Monmouth Park, will be looking to re-assert his dominance in a muddled 3-year-old season.

Recent Grade 3 Affirmed winner Mucho Gusto and 2018 Juvenile champion Game Winner are among the four horses from trainer Bob Baffert’s barn that were invited. Baffert has won the Haskell Invitational a record eight times, doing so in 2015 (American Pharoah), 2014 (Bayern), 2012 (Paynter), 2011 (Coil), 2010 (Lookin at Lucky), 2005 (Roman Ruler), 2002 (War Emblem) and 2001 (Point Given).

The Haskell Invitational has been designated a “Win and You’re In” race for the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

Maximum Security is one of four horses from Servis’ barn to receive an invitation to the Haskell. Stablemates Direct Order, Final Jeopardy and Grumps Little Tots were invited as well.

The winners of the two local Haskell prep races were also extended invitations: Long Branch Stakes winner Joevia, trained by Monmouth Park-based Gregg Sacco and coming off a solid third-place finish in the Belmont Stakes, and the Todd Pletcher-trained King for a Day, who defeated Maximum Security by a length in the TVG.com Pegasus Stakes on June 16.

The complete list of horses invited to the TVG.com Haskell Invitational:

Alwaysmining

Anothertwistafate

Bethlehem Road

Bourbon War

Code of Honor

Compound It

Country House

Direct Order

Everfast

Federal Case

Game Winner

Final Jeopardy

Gladiator King

Global Campaign

Gray Magician

Grumps Little Tots

Harvey Wallbanger

Hidden Scroll

Hog Creek Hustle

Improbable

Instagrand

Intrepid Heart

Joevia

King for a Day

Knicks Go

Laughing Fox

Lexitonian

Long Range Toddy

Majid

Market King

Master Fencer

Math Wizard

Maximum Security

Mind Control

Mr. Money

Mucho Gusto

Omaha Beach

Owendale

Plus Que Parfait

Roadster

Signalman

Sir Winston

Somelikeithotbrown

Spinoff

Sueno

Tacitus

Tax

Vantastic

Vekoma

War of Will

Well Defined

Win Win Win