It was an outstanding field of seven for the 59th running of the Grade 1 Haskell Stakes Saturday at Monmouth Park.
There was a Classic winner, along with another Grade 1 winner and three other colts who were Grade 1 placed, but on a smokey, grey, rainy day at the Jersey Shore, the eventual winner was none of them.
Instead, it was 28-1, BABY VINO– son of VINO ROSSO, who flourished on a sloppy sealed track and outdueled Preakness winner NAPOLEON SOLO in the stretch to notch the upset in the million-dollar feature race for 3-year-olds before a resolute crowd of 35,608 fans.
“It means so much more because you can’t say he beat an average field,” said trainer of BABY VINO Lindsay Schultz, who, in an unprecedented year for female trainers, became the first woman trainer ever to win the Haskell.
BABY VINO came into the race off a win in a Haskell prep at Monmouth Park -the $122,000 Pegasus Stakes on June 13th. BABY VINO won by 10 3/4 lengths that day, but more importantly he put up a dazzling speed figure which made him more competitive in the Haskell than his longshot odds indicated, regardless of track conditions.
“You never know until you get there, but after his last race, this seemed like the place to try him,” said Schultz, who earned her first Grade 1 win since becoming a trainer in 2021. “If we were able to take this step, we were going to take it.”
For a next step, Schultz was uncertain. The Grade 1 Travers Stakes August 29th at Saratoga is a possibility for the colt, of which Schultz said, “I’m not saying no to it.”
Come Autumn, there could be a start in the Breeders’ Cup Classic October 31st at Keeneland.
The Haskell was a Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series Win and You’re In qualifying race for the Classic, meaning that BABY VINO has earned a spot in the 1 1/4-mile $7 million Championship race.
For now, the Schultz prefers to savor a sweet Grade 1 win.
“He’s a nice horse, but this was his biggest effort to date and it’s a really big deal. To do it in the mud, which he has never been on, we’re over the moon. It’s unbelievable,” Schultz said.
