Haskell Invitational Betting Guide 2023

The Haskell Invitational Stakes is one of the most prestigious races on the horse racing calendar.

It comes after the Triple Crown series and before the all-important Breeders' Cup. The Haskell represents the perfect bridge between two major stakes race for 3-year-old thoroughbreds midsummer.

Named after the first president and chairman of the Monmouth Park Jockey Club, the Haskell Invitational will offer up a $1.75 million prize purse in 2023 with the winner taking home $1 million.

The Haskell Invitational Stakes is a 1 1/8-miles race on a dirt track; it has been a stakes’ race since 2006. This year the race will be run on Saturday, July 23. The approximate post time is 5:45 p.m.

While we still have plenty of time to analyze and break down the field for this race, we took a look at the Haskell Invitational to provide our racing fans with an idea of what to expect.

Here is a look at horse betting on this year’s Haskell Invitational Stakes at Monmouth.

2022 Haskell Stakes Odds

Post Position	Horse	Jockey
1	Cyberknife	Florent Geroux
2	Taiba	Mike Smith
3	One Time Willard	Paco Lopez
4	Howling Time	Joe Talamo
5	King of Hollywood	Nik Juarez
6	White Abarrio	Joel Rosario
7	Jack Christopher	Jose Ortiz
8	Benevengo	Angel Rodriguez

How to bet on the Haskell Invitational

One of the best parts of watching the Haskell Invitational Stakes is getting a little bit of money on the race. Let's take a closer look at how and where you can do so in New Jersey.

Online betting

If you're looking to bet on the Haskell Invitational and you can't be there in person, your best bet is to place your bets online. You can do so at 4 NJBETS, powered by TVG.

To be able to place your bets, you'll have to be within New Jersey state lines and have a 4 NJBETS account.

It's a quick process; you simply enter your basic information, deposit money into your account and then you'll be able to bet on the Haskell Invitational.

Betting at the teller

The other option for placing bets on the Haskell Invitational Stakes would be betting on the race in-person. There are several places you can do so, starting at Monmouth Park.

Of course, the ideal scenario is to go to the Haskell Invitational and place your bets on-site.

Fixed-odds wagering is now available at Monmouth Park. This means the 2022 Haskell will include fixed odds. This process enables bettors to lock in betting odds before the race, rather than see them change all the way up until post time in a pari-mutuel racing pool.

Bettors will be able to obtain fixed odds at two specifically designated areas. Monmouth Park bettors can place fixed odds wagers with tellers located at the first-floor grandstand paddock side and the first-floor clubhouse paddock side.

However, if you're not able to make it, you can still place your wagers at two other properties.

The Meadowlands Racetrack or the BetMGM Race and Sportsbook at the Borgata Casino will take simulcast bets on the Haskell Invitational. However, Monmouth is the only place currently offering fixed odds.

Whether you plan to bet online or in-person, there are plenty of options for tapping horse betting action.

Is it legal to bet on the Haskell Invitational in NJ?

Yes, it is legal to bet on the Haskell Invitational in New Jersey. Monmouth Park, Meadowlands Racetrack and Borgata’s racebook will take your bets.

As far as the online options are concerned, your best bet is TVG.

Different types of bets

Calculating the odds

One of the most important things you need to know when betting on the Haskell Invitational is how to calculate the odds.

The first thing you'll see is a list of horses competing in the race with numbers next to their names. Those numbers are the odds.

Let's start with an example that you may see:

• Seabiscuit: 4-5
• Big Brown: 5-1
• Charleston: 30-1

Haskell Invitational odds

Calculating the odds isn't difficult.

Unlike NJ sports betting, racetracks post fractional odds. This makes it very easy to figure out which horses are the clear favorites.

Basically, if a horse is listed at 4-5 and finishes first, you would win $80 with a total payout of $180 for every $100 wagered. Using American odds, the moneyline would be listed at -125.

So using the horses listed above, with Big Brown’s 5-1 odds (+500) to win, that means for every $100 you risk, you would win $500 (total payout $600) if Big Brown won the race. Of course, you can bet less. For example, a $20 bet would net you $100.

On the other hand, if you're betting on Seabiscuit, you'd have to bet $125 to win $100. As you can see, the payout is significantly different.

The reason for that is the favorite - the horse who’s expected to win - will not pay out as much as the underdog, who is not likely to win.

Going in the opposite direction, the higher the number, the more likely that horse is an underdog. In this case, Charleston is the biggest underdog on the board, and that's why he'll offer the biggest payout if he happens to win the race.

Odds to win

Now that you understand how the odds work, we can move on to the different types of bets that are available. Let’s start with the obvious ones.

The most straightforward approach to betting on the Haskell Invitational is betting on a horse to win. Sportsbooks will list each horse's odds to win in their primary odds section for the race.

All you need to do is predict which horse you think will win, decide how much you want to wager on the horse, and then place your bet.

If your horse finishes in any other place but first, you lose. However, if your horse wins the race, then you win.

Odds to place

In addition to betting on a horse to win outright, you can also wager on one or more horses to place, which gives you a wider margin of victory.

The place bet means the horse you bet on can either finish first or second, and you win your bet. As long as the horse you select either wins the race or is the runner-up, you will win the wager.

This gives you a wider margin of victory as now your horse can finish in either of the top two spots. However, your payout is smaller compared to solely picking the horse to win.

Odds to show

Betting on a horse to “show" is similar to betting on a horse to place.

The difference here is when you bet on a horse to show, you are betting on that horse to finish first, second or third. As long as the horse finishes in the top three, you will win the wager.

Again, similar for the odds to place, the payout here will be even smaller than odds to win the race outright. That's because you have a greater chance of winning this bet.

Exacta betting

One of the fun things with betting on horses are exotic bets, which are a series of bets. You need multiple events to go right, and if everything does, you can really hit the jackpot.

An exacta is one of those exotic bets. What it requires is for you to predict the horses who will finish first and second accurately.

You need to identify which horse will win the race and which horse will place second at the time that you place the bet. If either horse finishes in a different spot, you lose.

The upside is that if you do make an accurate prediction and win your bet, your payout is a lot higher than just picking one horse to win the race.

Trifecta betting

The trifecta wager is a lot like the exacta, but it has more risks and more reward.

In this case, you are picking the top three horses to finish in that exact order rather than just the top-two finishers. To win this bet, you need to select the outright winner, the runner-up and the third-place finisher in the correct order.

The addition of a third horse on top of what you would bet in an exacta means the payout for the trifecta win is bigger than any other wager listed in this column.

Superfecta

Given how the previous three types of exotics have gone, you can probably guess what a superfecta is: It's when you pick the horses to finish first, second, third and fourth, in the right order.

When betting on horses, this is arguably your biggest payout if you hit this bet. Of course, it's tough to pull that off, though.

Quinella betting

Another type of wager that you should know about is the quinella, which offers a slight variation of the exacta wager.

A quinella requires that you pick the horses who will finish the race first and second.

The difference between a quinella and an exacta is that you don't have to predict the correct order the horses will finish; as long as you have the two horses who are in the top two, you win your bet.

Across the board

This might seem a bit tricky to follow, but once you play this bet a couple of times, you'll understand.

What this bet represents are three equal wins, place and show bets.

So, if you pick a horse and he wins the race, you win all three bets because he's won, placed and showed. If your horse finishes second, you win the place and show bets. If the horse finishes third, you win just the show bet.

This is a bet that allows you to bet on one horse in all three at once.

Daily double

When you're placing your bets, there will be two specific races that are part of the “daily double.”

What you have to do to win this bet is pick one horse in each race and both horses have to win. If either horse you've chosen doesn't win the race, you've lost your daily double.

Pick 3/4/5/6

Another option for bettors is the “pick 3,” “pick 4,” “pick 5″ or “pick 6.”

These bets follow the same concept as the daily double, but instead of just two races, you have to correctly pick the winner of each race according to how many are in your pick.

In other words, a “pick 4” means you have to pick the winner in four consecutive races.

The “pick 6” is the biggest bet that you can make in this regard.

Naturally, this is a risky bet and one that's hard to hit. However, if you pull this off, this is one of the highest paying bets of the different horse bet types. It's up there with the superfecta.

The last 10 winners at the Haskell Stakes

• 2022: Cyberknife
• 2021: Mandaloun
• 2020: Authentic
• 2019: Maximum Security
• 2018: Good Magic
• 2017: Girvin
• 2016: Exaggerator
• 2015: American Pharoah
• 2014: Bayern
• 2013: Verrazano

How the race runs

The Haskell Invitational is run at the Monmouth Park Racetrack in Oceanport, NJ.

The track is a dirt surface and welcomes 3-year-olds to run 1 1/8 miles.

Horses who are fast out of the gate and can take an early lead tend to have the advantage on this track. That skill is crucial as Monmouth is widely regarded as a track that favors speed over any other element.

Weather isn't usually a factor at Monmouth Park as the race is traditionally run in late July or early August. In the case that there are heavy rains, it tends to take a toll on the track and slow down the faster horses.

How to watch the Haskell Invite on TV

CNBC will carry the national broadcast for this race in 2023.

A deal has been reached to keep this race on NBC each year for the foreseeable future.

As was the case in past years, the race usually runs at some point between 5-6 p.m. EST.

History of the Monmouth Haskell

The Haskell Invitational dates back to 1968 when Monmouth Park featured the Amory L. Haskell Handicap to honor its former president Amory L. Haskell. It wasn't until 13 years later in 1981 when the race became an invitational for 3-year-old horses.

In 2006, the race changed from a handicap to allowance weight conditions.

The purse for this race, which is currently up to $1.75 million, first reached $1 million in 1997.

Ten winners of the Haskell Invitational went on to win championship honors at the Eclipse Awards as the best 3-year-old colt or filly.

Four horses have also been named the Horse of the Year in the same year that they won the Haskell Invitational.

In addition to the $1 million payout to the winner, there are a variety of bonuses that are paid out based on specific criteria.

For example, the owner and trainer of any Triple Crown race victor who starts at the Haskell will receive a $25,000 bonus for every Triple Crown race victory.

Meanwhile, a $10,000 trainer’s bonus is awarded for each horse starting in the Haskell who is a Grade 1 winner and has not won a leg of the Triple Crown.

The massive payouts and bonuses are a significant factor in the overall prestige of the actual event.

The list of champion 3-year-old colts includes:

• Wajima (1975)
• Holy Bull (1994)
• Skip Away (1996)
• Point Given (2001)
• War Emblem (2002)
• Big Brown (2008)
• Lookin At Lucky (2010)
• American Pharoah (2015)

The list of champion 3-year-old fillies includes:

• Serena’s Song (1995)
• Rachel Alexandra (2009)

Lastly, the list of horses who won the Haskell and went on to win the Horse of the Year award the same year were:

1. Holy Bull (1994)
2. Point Given (2001)
3. Rachel Alexandra (2009)
4. American Pharoah (2015)

The largest winning margin at the Haskell Invitational is 9.75 lengths, which was set by Verrazano back in 2013.

Craig Perret and Martin Garcia are tied for the most wins by a jockey in this race with three each to their names. Meanwhile, Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert owns the record for most wins by a trainer with nine, including most recently in 2014, 2015, and 2020.

Racing's who's who set for 2022 Haskell

The Haskell stature, beyond the winner automatically qualifying for the Breeders Cup Classic Nov. 5 at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky., is this: the race is an all-star portrait of the national 3-year-old racing circuit.

Three major stakes winners adorn this field.

White Abarrio captured the highly-acclaimed Florida Derby.

Taiba won the Santa Anita Derby in just his second outing and his first two Beyer Speed Figures, 102 and 103, were the buzz of horse racing. He is trained by Bob Baffert.

Taiba, who has already been 1 1-4 miles in the Kentucky Derby, now scales back to 1 1-8 miles.

Cyberknife triumphed in the Arkansas Derby and was expected to be a live longshot in the Kentucky Derby. He did not run well there but came back to seize the Matt Winn Stakes with a photo finish over Howling Time, who could be an exotics sleeper here.

Jack Christopher is a perfect 4-for-4 and the projected early speed horse on a speed-favoring track.

Overall, this field continues recent tradition of Triple Crown Stakes runners performing here.

Authentic not only won the 2020 Haskell but the Kentucky Derby and Breeders Cup Classic.

Mandaloun, the 2021 Kentucky Derby winner, won the Haskell via disqualification.

Maximum Security, who won the 2019 Kentucky Derby before being disqualified, won the Haskell the same year,