The Discovery Stakes is an American

Thoroughbred horse race Thoroughbred racing is a sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport – flat racing and jump racing, the latter known as National Hunt racing in ...

held annually during the latter part of November at

Aqueduct Racetrack Aqueduct Racetrack is a Thoroughbred horse racing facility and casino in the South Ozone Park, Queens, South Ozone Park and Jamaica, Queens, Jamaica neighborhoods of Queens, New York City, United States. Aqueduct is the only racetrack within ...

Queens Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...

, New York. A Listed event open to three-year-old horses, it is contested on dirt over a distance of one and one eighth miles (nine

furlong A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and United States customary units equal to one-eighth of a mile, equivalent to any of 660 foot (unit), feet, 220 yards, 40 rod (unit), rods, 10 chain (unit), chains, or a ...

s). In its 72nd running in 2016, the race honors the great thoroughbred

Discovery Discovery may refer to: * Discovery (observation), observing or finding something unknown * Discovery (fiction), a character's learning something unknown * Discovery (law), a process in courts of law relating to evidence Discovery, The Discovery ...

, the 1935

American Horse of the Year The American Award for Horse of the Year, or simply Horse of the Year, one of the Eclipse Awards, is the highest honor given in American thoroughbred horse racing. Because Thoroughbred horse racing in the United States has no governing body to san ...

owned and raced by Alfred G. Vanderbilt II. In the list of the top 100 U.S. thoroughbred champions of the 20th Century by Blood-Horse magazine, Discovery ranks 37th. Based at Aqueduct, the Discovery Handicap was inaugurated at

Belmont Park Belmont Park is a thoroughbred racing, thoroughbred horse racetrack in Elmont, New York, just east of New York City limits best known for hosting the Belmont Stakes, the final leg of the American Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United Stat ...

where it was run from 1945–1958, and again in 1960–1961, 1968–1970. In one year, 1974, the race was run in two divisions. In 2005 it was contested at a distance of a mile and one sixteenth. The largest winning margin was 9 1/4 lengths.

Records

Speed record (at 1 1/8 miles): * 1:47 1/5 – Forego (1973) * 1:47.30 –

Left Bank In geography, a bank is the land alongside a body of water. Different structures are referred to as ''banks'' in different fields of geography. In limnology (the study of inland waters), a stream bank or river bank is the terrain alongsid ...

(2000) Most wins by a

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase (horse racing), steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used ...

: * 5 – Ángel Cordero Jr. (1974 (2×), 1979, 1980, 1988) * 5 – John Velazquez (1999, 2000, 2005, 2006, 2007) * 5 –

Joel Rosario Joel Rosario (born January 14, 1985) is a Dominican jockey who mainly competes in American thoroughbred horse racing, originally from the Dominican Republic. In the space of five weeks in 2013 he rode the winners of the Dubai World Cup and the Ke ...

(2012, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019) Most wins by a trainer: * 6 – Todd A. Pletcher (1998, 2000, 2005, 2006, 2015, 2023) Most wins by an owner: * 3 – Harbor View Farm (1964, 1965, 1974)

Winners

* † In 1966, Ring Twice finished first, but was disqualified.

References

{{Reflist
History of the Discovery Handicap at the NYRA
Graded stakes races in the United States Horse races in New York (state) Flat horse races for three-year-olds Recurring sporting events established in 1945 Aqueduct Racetrack 1945 establishments in New York City