The 59th edition of the Haskell Stakes (G1) July 18 attracted a stellar field to Monmouth Park.
There was a classic winner in the field of seven along with another grade 1 winner and three other colts who were grade 1-placed.
The winner?
On a gray, rainy day filled with smog and lightning and two weather delays at the Jersey Shore, it was none of them.
Instead it was Baby Vino, a son of Vino Rosso , who flourished on a sloppy, sealed track and outdueled Preakness Stakes (G1) winner Napoleon Solo in the stretch to register a 28-1 upset in the $1,005,000 Haskell for 3-year-olds before a hardy crowd of 35,608.
"It means so much more because you can't say he beat an average field," said trainer Lindsay Schultz who, in a grand year for female trainers, became the first woman trainer to win the Haskell. "These are real solid horses."
Baby Vino came into the Haskell off a win in the Pegasus Stakes, but not the grade 1 Pegasus stakes worth $3 million. It was the ungraded, $122,500 Pegasus at Monmouth which served as a June 13 steppingstone to the Haskell.
Baby Vino won by 10 3/4 lengths that day and, more importantly, notched a dazzling speed figure that made him more competitive in the Haskell than his odds indicated, be it on a dry or wet track.
"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 following stints as an assistant for Tom Proctor, Nick Zito, John Shirreffs, and Shug McGaughey. "If we were able to take this step, we were going to take it."
For a next step, Schultz was uncertain. The Aug. 29 Travers Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course is a possibility for the colt owned by Cosmo Stables and Delta Squad Racing, about which Schultz said, "I'm not saying no to it."
Further down the road, there could be a start in the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) Oct. 31 at Keeneland, since the Haskell is a Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In stakes for that race. Baby Vino now has a free spot in the mile-and-a-quarter Classic, but Schultz said that was too far off to ponder.
For now, the connections prefer 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.
The win also marked the first grade 1 victory for rider Jorge Vargas Jr., who rode Baby Vino for the first time Saturday.
The favorite in the Haskell at 11-10 was Blue Grass Stakes (G1) winner Further Ado, who pressed the pace under Irad Ortiz Jr., but faded to fifth at the end.
To no one's surprise, the speedy Napoleon Solo grabbed the early lead under Paco Lopez. Making his first start since the May 16 Preakness and initial race since he was purchased by Espoir USA, the son of Liam's Map led by a length after a comfortable opening half-mile in :48.29 and 6 furlongs in 1:12.01 in the wet going.
On the final turn, the lone challenger was Baby Vino and Vargas, who joined Napoleon Solo from inside the 7-2 third choice.
They battled furiously down the lane before Baby Vino ($58) edged away to notch the biggest Haskell upset since Skip Trial ($73) beat Spend a Buck in the 1985 edition.
"It's not different for me to be a woman (winning this race) these days," Schultz said, pointing out how Cherie DeVaux became the first female trainer to win the Kentucky Derby (G1) earlier in the year. "Hopefully I am the first of many to win it."
There was some bumping in the stretch, resulting in a stewards' inquiry. But there was no change in the order of finish.
"I'm a little disappointed obviously. It seemed like he wasn't comfortable on the track but you have to play the game the way it is drawn up. Irad wanted to force us out wide on the first turn. We put them away. We put some nice horses away. Congrats to Baby Vino," said Chad Summers, trainer of Napoleon Solo.
Iron Honor, who was second in the Preakness, was third, followed by The Puma, Further Ado, Star Sweeper, and Ocelli.
Baby Vino was bred by Lisa Parks in Kentucky out of the Discreetly Mine mare Discreetly Grand. He is the second of her three foals and first stakes winner. She also has a Classic Empire 2-year-old colt named Maximum Velocity.
Baby Vino was purchased privately by the Cosmo Stables father-and-son duo of James and Marcus Osborn, and Josh Isner's Delta Squad Racing bought a share following the Pegasus.
"I saw him run like a monster in the prep race," Isner said, "and I called (Brad Weisbord) 10 seconds after the race and I said, 'Brad, let's see if we can talk to the ownership group and get involved.'"
After what happened Saturday in the Haskell, it would not be an upset if a lot more calls come in.
