The Lexington Stakes is a Grade III 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 ...

for three-year-old horses at a distance of one and one-sixteenth miles on the dirt run annually in April during at

Keeneland Race Course Keeneland Association, Inc. is an equine business based in Lexington, Kentucky. It includes two distinct divisions: the Keeneland Race Course, a Thoroughbred racing facility, and Keeneland Sales, a horse auction complex. It is also known for i ...

in Lexington, Kentucky during their spring meeting. The event currently offers a purse of $400,000.

History

First running of the event was on 24 October 1936, closing day of Keeneland's inaugural fall meeting as a six furlong race for two-year-olds and was won by Manhasset Stable's White Tie who ran as an entry with Greentree Stable's Tattered (finished 5th) winning by in a time of 1:12 flat. In 1938 the conditions of the event were changed to a handicap for horses three-years-old and older and the distance set at miles. In 1940 the distance was extended to miles for two runnings in which Joe DeSoto's Steel Heels won both events including setting a new track record in 1941. In October 1942, Keeneland held its last meeting due to the track being closed during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, the event was run as the Lexington Purse over a distance of miles. In 1973 Keeneland schedule an overnight allowance event as the Calumet Purse for three year old horses which was held in April during the Spring meeting prior to the signature event of the meeting -

Blue Grass Stakes The Blue Grass Stakes, currently the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes due to sponsorship by the Toyota Motor Corporation, is a horse race for 3-year-old Thoroughbreds held annually in April at Keeneland Racecourse in Lexington, Kentucky. The race is ru ...

. The event was named after Calumet Farm, a

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are ...

breeding and training farm in Lexington. The 1975 winner of the event,

Master Derby Master Derby (April 24, 1972 – January 22, 1999) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the 1975 Preakness Stakes. Background He was bred by Robert E. Lehmann at his Golden Chance Farm in Paris, Kentucky. Master Derby was ...

not only completed this double but later in May of that year also won the middle leg of the U.S Triple Crown,

Preakness Stakes The Preakness Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race held on Armed Forces Day which is also the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade I race run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs () o ...

. In 1984 the event was renamed to the Lexington Stakes. In 1986 the event was upgrade by the

American Graded Stakes Committee {{short description, Organization for Thoroughbred racehorse owners and breeders The American Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA) based in Lexington, Kentucky is a trade organization for Thoroughbred racehorse owners and breeder ...

to Grade III. Two years later the event was once again upgraded to Grade II and held this classification until 2010. In 1989 the event has been scheduled after the

and it is rare now that horses will run in both events. The race was downgraded to Grade III status for 2011. Since 2013 the event has been the last race with qualification points for the

Road to the Kentucky Derby The Road to the Kentucky Derby is a points system by which horses qualify for a position in the starting gate for the Kentucky Derby. It features dozens of stakes races for 2 and 3-year-old Thoroughbreds – the number and specific races have chang ...

as a Wild Card event. The event was not held 2020 during Keeneland's spring meeting which was moved to July and shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.

Records

;Speed record * miles – 1:41.00 Charismatic (1999) ;Margins * 9 lengths – Hansel (1991) ;Most wins by a jockey * 6 –

Jerry Bailey Jerry D. Bailey (born August 29, 1957 in Dallas, Texas) is an NBC Sports thoroughbred racing analyst and a retired American Hall of Fame jockey. Early years Bailey was born in Dallas but raised in El Paso. He had a pony as a child and became ...

(1982, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1999, 2004) ;Most wins by a trainer * 5 –

Todd Pletcher Todd Pletcher (born June 26, 1967 in Dallas, Texas) is an American thoroughbred horse trainer. He won the Eclipse Award seven times as Trainer of the Year, four of these in consecutive years. His horses Super Saver (2010) and Always Dreaming (20 ...

(2005, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013) ;Most wins by an owner * 2 – Junius W. Bell (1941, 1942) * 2 – Russell L. Reineman Stable (1986, 1990) * 2 – Bob & Beverly Lewis (1999, 2003) * 2 – Fern Circle Stables (2017, 2021)

Winners

''Legend:''

''Notes:''
† In the 1973 running of the event, Starkers finished first but was disqualified for interference and was placed second. Our Native was declared the winner.
§ Ran as part of an entry

External links

2021 Keeneland Media Guide

References

{{reflist, 2 1936 establishments in Kentucky Keeneland horse races Flat horse races for three-year-olds Triple Crown Prep Races Graded stakes races in the United States Grade 3 stakes races in the United States Recurring sporting events established in 1936

History

Records

Winners

See also

External links

References