Haskell Invitational Results 2016: Winner, Purse Payouts and Order of Finish

The 2016 Haskell Invitational featured a rematch between Kentucky Derby winner and odds-on-favorite Nyquist and Preakness Stakes winner Exaggerator, with Exaggerator pulling off one of the great possum jobs in recent memory.  

Weather was a factor at Monmouth Park in New Jersey as rain left the track a muddy mess, affecting traction and speed for the horses. 

Exaggerator looked like a non-factor out of the gate, starting way behind everyone else, but jockey Kent Desormeaux got him to make a big push after the first quarter mile to get another huge victory and earn his second head-to-head win in six career matchups against Nyquist. 

Position	Horse	Purse Payout
Win	Exaggerator	$600,000
Place	American Freedom	N/A
Show	Sunny Ridge	N/A
4th	Nyquist	N/A
5th	Awesome Slew	N/A
6th	Gun Runner	N/A

Coming off a disastrous 11th-place finish at the Belmont Stakes, it was understandable if there happened to be some concern about Exaggerator. He's always been prone to bouts of erraticness, but the one thing that has seemed to guarantee his success is a sloppy track. 

Exaggerator came to prominence in the Santa Anita Derby after that track was covered by heavy rain. The Preakness was run under muddy conditions, which did not bother Exaggerator at all. 

Here's what Exaggerator's triumph looked like, via NBC Sports:

There was a moment where it appeared there might be a steward inquiry because Exaggerator came over strong, appearing to cut off American Freedom, but Lance Pugmire of the Los Angeles Times noted the inquiry was denied and Exaggerator was the winner. 

Per Jim Gluckson, the Breeders' Cup field is beginning to take shape now after Exaggerator's victory:

Matt Chapman of the Horserace Writers & Photographers Association was critical of the way Mario Gutierrez rode Nyquist, who finished a disappointing fourth:

Nyquist has the raw talent to dominate in a way that few others are capable of, as we saw at the Kentucky Derby, but Gutierrez does try to push all of his chips into the center of the table right away instead of pacing things out like Desormeaux did with Exaggerator. 

Exaggerator is one of the most puzzling success stories in horse racing because of his propensity to perform only when the weather conditions are at their worst. It's not a bad trait to have, especially since this year has featured plenty of rain on the racetracks.

With the inside track on many end-of-year awards, Exaggerator and his team can build off the momentum from Sunday's win to get ready for the Breeders Cup in November.