The owner and trainer of any Triple Crown race victor which starts in the Haskell receives a $25,000 bonus per Triple Crown race victory. A $10,000 trainer's bonus is awarded for each horse starting in the Haskell that is a Grade 1 winner and has not won a leg of the Triple Crown.
The Haskell Invitational (formerly known as the Haskell Invitational Handicap) is an AmericanGrade I race for thoroughbred horses. In 1968, the board of directors of Monmouth Park Racetrack in Oceanport, New Jersey honored its former president and chairman Amory L. Haskell (1893–1966) with the Amory L. Haskell Handicap, a race for older horses. In 1981, the race was made an invitation-only stakes for 3-year-olds at 1+1⁄8 miles. It has been run under allowance weight conditions beginning with the 2006 running.
A major race for three-year-olds in between the U.S. Triple Crown series and the Breeders' Cup, it currently offers a purse of US$1,000,000 and awards one of the most prestigious trophies in U.S. thoroughbred racing in the Haskell Invitational Trophy.
History
In 1968, Monmouth Park inarguarated the Amory L. Haskell Handicap to honor its former president, Amory L. Haskell. In 1981, the race became an invitational handicap for three-year-olds. In 2006, the race was changed from a handicap to allowance weight conditions.[2]
In 1997, the purse for the race was increased to $1,000,000 and has since remained at that level with two exceptions.[1] In 2002, the purse was increased to $1,500,000 due to the presence of War Emblem, winner of the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes. In 2015, the purse was increased to $1,750,000 as it featured American Pharoah in his first race since winning the Triple Crown.[3] The 2015 running attracted a record New Jersey crowd of 60,983.[2]
Ten winners of the Haskell Invitational have gone on to win championship honors at the Eclipse Awards as best three-year-old colt or filly. Four have also been named horse of the year in the year they won the Haskell. They are:[2]
Champion three-year-old colts: Wajima (1975), Holy Bull (1994), Skip Away (1996), Point Given (2001), War Emblem (2002), Big Brown (2008), Lookin at Lucky (2010), American Pharoah (2015)
Champion three-year-old fillies: Serena's Song (1995), Rachel Alexandra (2009)
Horses of the Year: Holy Bull (1994), Point Given (2001), Rachel Alexandra (2009), American Pharoah (2015)