Stephen EdelsonAsbury Park Press
OCEANPORT – For the moment, let’s forget the numbers, which were record-setting. And the races, which produced some epic performances.
It was the vibe in the Monmouth Park grandstand on Haskell Day that stole the show Saturday.
The atmosphere for the 57th renewal was electric. The energy was the best since Triple Crown winner American Pharoah ran in 2015. The stats certainly bear all that out, but you could feel it throughout the afternoon, from the picnic area to the clubhouse.
It all culminated with Dornoch backing up a Belmont Stakes victory by winning the $1 million NYRA Bets Haskell Stakes.
More: Haskell Stakes: Dornoch takes thrilling victory over Mindframe in a Belmont Stakes replay
During a meet that’s seen a crowd of 28,976 show up for Father’s Day, a day after a non-Haskell record of $10.7 million was wagered on the Haskell Day Preview card, Saturday was an extension of what’s already been a good meet financially.
Most importantly, it was a younger crowd enjoying the event, all potential fans. The announced crowd of 38,976 was the largest crowd since a record 60,983 came to see American Pharoah.
And for the gamblers, there were some great payouts, beginning with a 10 cent superfecta paying $3,874 in the first race, to the $1,054 trifecta in the Grade 2 United Nations, with just one favorite winning in the first 13 races.
Here are five takeaways from Haskell Day 2024:
1. Big day for bettors
It seemed unlikely the record Haskell Day handle of $21.35 million set a year ago could be broken. But indeed it was, with the final tally from all sources totaling $21.7 million, continuing a trend of big bucks being bet on Haskell Day. Six of the largest Haskell Day handles have all been within the last 10 years.
And the live handle at Monmouth Park Saturday was $1,774,489, up from last year’s total of $1,717,876.
They say Haskell Day can make the meet. Now it’s a matter of maintaining some momentum through August, with a host of top tracks competing for gambling dollars.
2. Dornoch, headed to Travers, is a potential champion in the making
We now have a clear-cut leader in the 3-year-old division, after Belmont Stakes winner Dornoch was made the second choice in the Haskell wagering behind Mindframe, who he beat in the final leg of the Triple Crown.
It might be time to stop disrespecting this colt, who has two Grade 1 wins and two Grade 2 wins this year, by far the best record of any 3-year-old. And in coming back with a sparkling 103 Beyer Speed Figure to beat Mindframe, who, like in the Belmont, got the lead in the stretch. Dornoch heads to the Travers Stakes at Saratoga next month having already won the Belmont on that track, at that 10-furlong distance.
Time will tell if Dornoch joins the likes 2020 Horse of the Year Authentic, or 2014 Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Bayern, who used the Haskell as a stepping-stone to a championship.
3. Tapit Trice was brilliant in return
Dornoch wasn’t the only Breeders’ Cup Classic hopeful on display Saturday, with the Haskell a win-and-you’re-in for the Classic.
A little over an hour earlier, it was Tapit Trice, who ran in the Haskell last year, coming off an 11-month layoff by cruising to a 5 ¼-length win in the Grade 3 $400,000 Monmouth Cup over heavy favorite Highland Falls, making a wide move and drawing off easily.
The performance got Tapit Trice, fifth in last year's Haskell, a 101 Beyer Speed Figure and a whole lot of buzz, as the Grade 1 winner, trained by Todd Pletcher, made a statement with the effort.
4. Undercard heroics were compelling
Let’s see. The first of the five graded stakes on the day, the Grade 3 $300,000 WinStar Matchmaker Stakes, saw a brilliant ride by jockey Frankie Dettori on Beaute Cachee, before fans packed around the winner’s circle to witness his signature flying dismount. Dettori got on the front end, slowed the pace down to a crawl – 1:15.38 for six furlongs – and had enough left to hold off Sacred Wish in a dramatic stretch battle.
Contrast that with the Grade 2 $600,000 United Nations at 1 3/8-mile on the turf, as Get Smokin led the field through some smoking fractions, including 1:11.74 for six furlongs, before turning in the grittiest effort of the day, holding on to win by a nose with a 98 Beyer.
And there was the roar of the crowd as reigning Distaff champion Idiomatic, sent postward as the 1-9 favorite in the Grade 3 $500,000 Molly Pitcher Stakes, fought off Soul of an Angel, who put a head in front down the stretch, digging in to win by a head. The four-time Grade 1 winner heads to next month’s Grade 1 Personal Ensign at Saratoga in the quest for another year-end title.
5. Unnecessary Mike Repole, Fierceness drama actually helped
The whole thing was pretty ridiculous, as trainer Todd Pletcher and owner Mike Repole entered 2-year-old champion Fierceness and then scratched him from the Haskell Saturday morning. It was a week worth of drama when everyone pretty much assumed Repole, who also owns 50 percent of Mindframe, was going to keep Fierceness at Saratoga and run in Saturday’s Jim Dandy, rather than run them against each other.
Regardless, it turned out to be a positive for the Haskell, because the intrigue drew more attention to the race. It put it on the radar screen for a lot of folks. And Pletcher and Repole both made their way to Monmouth Park Saturday.
