By Dick Jerardi
I had not been to the Haskell since 2019. My mistake.
Haskell Day remains one of the 10 best racing days in America every year. And, this year, it felt much bigger because of the presence of Preakness winner Journalism.
When my “Let’s Go Racing” partner Dani Gibson and I arrived at Monmouth Park a little after 2 p.m., the lines at the entrances stretched 50 deep. The crowd skewed as young as any crowd as I have seen at any race track I have been to in decades.
It was a big event a few miles from the beach on a Saturday in mid-July on a day that was a little cool for sunbathing. So, 41,876 appeared at the track, the biggest crowd at Monmouth since 2015 when Triple Crown winner American Pharoah won the Haskell.
Wandering from the racing office to the PR office (where old friend Tom Luicci runs the show), to the grandstand, the clubhouse, the press box, the rail, the Patio Terrace and, before the Haskell, the paddock to see all the horses including Journalism and Parx’s Kentucky Outlaw, we had a fun day from start to finish.
The best parts of the day?
1-Watching my best bet, 12-1 Fierce and Strong, getting the exact trip I had envisioned to win the Wolf Hill Stakes and sending me on my way to winning the Haskell contest with 288 entries. It was the classic race we have all seen countless times – several one-way speed horses setting it up for the horse that had been running in longer races and was going to be running past tiring horses in the stretch. And because the horse came from Penn National for trainer Michael Salvaggio and jockey Tyler Conner, he was going to get overlooked in the wagering.
2-Visiting with so many of mine and Dani’s friends, having such a good time on a racing day that stretched from 12:03 P.M. until 6:51 p.m. Telling a few winning gambling stories to some just met friends and explaining that it is easy to tell race track losers: Anybody that tells you they always win is a stone-cold loser. The game is way too hard for that.
3-Having Parx centric horses winning two races – Getaway Palace wiring the opener for trainer Rupert Perez, owner Serranos Racing and jockey Francisco Martinez and beating a favorite trained by Chad Brown and ridden by Flavien Prat, the pair that would go on to win the Molly Pitcher and United Nations with the favorites. And trainer Jamie Ness winning the 13th race with first-off-the-claim Mailman Money for owners Madison Avenue, Morris Kernan and Ness’s Jagger Inc.
4-Seeing the incredible Journalism continue one of the great 3-year-old campaigns in recent history. The son of two-time Horse of the Year Curlin made his 2025 debut on March 1 in the San Felipe. Now, after winning that race, the Santa Anita Derby, running second in the Kentucky Derby, winning the Preakness and running second in the Belmont Stakes, the Haskell was Journalism’s sixth major stakes race in 141 days in five states (California, Kentucky, Maryland, New York, New Jersey) at five different tracks (Santa Anita, Churchill Downs, Pimlico, Saratoga, Monmouth Park).
Could this throwback colt, who was so clearly the best horse in the race that he was made the 2-5 favorite, still hold that form and win another Grade I $1 million race.
Did not look promising after Journalism broke poorly and was much farther back than anybody, especially jockey Umberto Rispoli and trainer Michael McCarthy, envisioned. Also breaking poorly as is his habit was Kentucky Outlaw for the owner/trainer husband and wife team of John and Felissa Dunn. Kentucky Outlaw recovered quickly and assumed his normal position in front.
Journalism gradually started to pass horses on the backstretch and seemed to have dead aim on leaders Gosger and Goal Oriented as the field hit the top of the stretch, with Kentucky Outlaw beginning to fade.
I thought Journalism was going to win easily at that point as he seems to love a target and has such a devastating straightaway run. But, for what felt like an eternity but just was only a few seconds, he was just lingering in place there a few lengths behind the two in front. And, then, with 200 yards to go, the familiar stride began to lengthen and you just knew what was going to happen.
Journalism ran by the leaders in the final few yards and won by a “comfortable” half-length. In a sport where there are almost never sure things (Flightline aside), Journalism, even if he makes you hold your breath every time he runs, is pretty close to a sure thing to come with a big run in victory or defeat.
So what’s next after a trip back to his summer base at Del Mar? My guess is the Aug. 30 Pacific Classic at Del Mar rather than the Aug. 23 Travers at Saratoga. I have been lobbying McCarthy about the Sept. 20 Pennsylvania Derby at Parx since the Preakness.
Time will tell on all that. Meanwhile, we just need to savor days like Saturday at the Haskell and horses like Journalism who just keep delivering one great performance after another.
