Longtime New Jersey owner/breeder and trailblazing race car driver Isabelle de Tomaso died Oct. 29, according to the Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association of New Jersey. She was 96.
De Tomaso was the second youngest of Annette and Amory Haskell’s five children and raised in Middletown, N.J. Her mother was an equine enthusiast and her father played a key role in the legalization of pari-mutuel wagering in New Jersey. Amory Haskell would build Monmouth Park and serve as president of its Jockey Club until his death in 1966.
While she grew up riding horses, auto racing was de Tomaso’s main passion early on. In the 1950s, she competed internationally against some of the best drivers in the world…