Monmouth Park unveiled its 2022 stakes schedule Tuesday, headlined as always, by the $1.1 million Grade 1 Haskell Stakes. That marquee event for 3-year-olds coming out of the Triple Crown season is Saturday, July 23.
The New Jersey track opens Saturday, May 7, the same day as the Kentucky Derby. Its season runs through Sept. 17.
Monmouth is expected to unveil its long-awaited fixed-odds betting system this season. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy signed fixed odds wagering into law last August, but regulatory issues and other matters stalled its implementation.
“Fixed odds bets on Thoroughbred racing meetings are scheduled to be offered on track at Monmouth Park from March 2022. Shortly thereafter, and prior to Monmouth’s live racing start on May 7, 2022, fixed odds will be available online through N.J. licensed sportsbooks,†wrote Monmouth Park CEO Dennis Drazin in an open letter to industry stakeholders last week.
Haskell Day is center of racing world
The Haskell is one of two Grade 1 events on Monmouth’s 50-stakes slate. The other is the Grade 1 United Nations. That turf race runs on the same July 23 card as the Haskell. Those are two of Monmouth’s 10 graded stakes.
The 1 3/8-mile United Nations also enjoyed a $100,000 purse bump, to $600,000. That represents a purse doubling from its $300,000 purse of 2020. That’s one of four graded stakes races getting a purse boost.
The others are all Grade 3s: the Monmouth Cup (from $300,000 to $400,000), the Molly Pitcher (from $250,000 to $400,000) and the Matchmaker (from $150,000 to $200,000). Those three races, along with the ungraded Wolf Hill Stakes, all run on the Haskell undercard.
Monmouth Park-2022 Key Stakes Races
| Race | Grade | Distance | Eligible Horses | |
| June 18 | Pegasus Stakes | Listed | Â 1 1/16 miles | 3-year-olds |
| June 18 | Monmouth Stakes | III | 1 1/8 miles | 3-year-olds and up |
| June 18 | Salvator Mile | III | 1 mile | 3-year-olds and up |
| June 18 | Eatontown Stakes | III | 1 1/16 miles | 3-year-olds and up, fillies & mares |
| July 23 | Haskell Stakes | I | 1 1/8 miles | 3-year-olds |
| July 23 | United Nations Stakes | I | 1 3/8 miles (turf) | 3-year-olds and up |
| July 23 | Monmouth Cup | III | 1 1/8 miles | 3-year-olds and up |
| July 23 | Molly Pitcher | III | 1 1/16 miles | 3-year-olds and up, fillies and mares |
| July 23 | Matchmaker Stakes | III | 1 1/8 miles (turf) | 3-year-olds and up, fillies and mares |
| July 31 | Monmouth Oaks | III | 1 1/16 miles | 3-year-old fillies |
| Aug. 22 | Philip H. Iselin Stakes | III | 1 1/16 miles | 3-year-olds and up |
Monmouth’s 50 stakes offer more than $8.1 million in purses.
Monmouth’s other big card is the week before the Haskell. The June 18 card features four stakes events: the Listed Pegasus for 3-year-olds and three Grade 3s. Those are the Monmouth and the Salvator Mile for older horses and the Eatontown for older fillies and mares.