The Southwest Stakes is a Grade III

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

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 late January at

Oaklawn Park Race Track Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort, formerly Oaklawn Park Race Track, is an American thoroughbred racetrack and casino in Hot Springs, Arkansas. It is the home to "The Racing Festival of the South", a four-day series of races that concludes with the A ...

Hot Springs, Arkansas Hot Springs is a resort city in the state of Arkansas and the county seat of Garland County. The city is located in the Ouachita Mountains among the U.S. Interior Highlands, and is set among several natural hot springs for which the city is n ...

. The event currently offers a purse of $750,000.

History

The inaugural running of the event was on 2 March 1968 as the Southwest Handicap over a distance of six

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 660 feet, 220 yards, 40 rods, 10 chains or approximately 201 metres. It is now mostly confined to use in hors ...

s and was won by Robert E. Lehmann's Mr. Crozy by lengths in a fast time on 1:10. Oaklawn Park acknowledges that prior to 1968 there existed an event known as the ''Southwest Purse'', however these events are not considered in the official counts of the renewal of this event. The event that was run on 24 March 1959 was a claiming event for four-year-olds and older while the event run on 17 February 1962 was held on opening day of the race meet and over a distance of furlongs for three year olds. The Southwest Handicap was increased to one mile in 1983. The conditions of the event were changed from a handicap to a stakes race with allowances in 1985 with a rename of the race to Southwest Stakes. Originally ungraded, the Southwest Stakes was upgraded to a Grade III event in 2008 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 breeders. ...

. The distance was increased to miles in 2013. The event has been held in split divisions in 1972, 2002, and 2012. The 1984 winner Whitebrush set a new track record for the mile distance which still stands at Oaklawn Park. The race is often used as a prep to the

Rebel Stakes The Rebel Stakes is a Grade II American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old horses at a distance of one and one-sixteenth miles on the dirt run annually in March, at Oaklawn Park Race Track in Hot Springs, Arkansas. The event currently off ...

and

Arkansas Derby The Arkansas Derby is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held annually in April at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Arkansas. It is currently a Grade I race run over a distance of 1 1/8 miles (9 furlongs) on dirt. In 2004, t ...

, and is part of 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 ...

. Among the horses who have used the Southwest as a springboard to the Triple Crown series are

Lil E. Tee Lil E. Tee (March 29, 1989 – March 18, 2009) was an American-bred Thoroughbred racehorse who in 1992 scored one of the biggest upsets in the history of the Kentucky Derby. Background A bay colt, Lil E. Tee was bred in Pennsylvania by Lawr ...

(won 1992 Kentucky Derby after finishing third in the 1992 Southwest), Pine Bluff (won Preakness after being second in the 1992 Southwest) and

Smarty Jones Smarty Jones (February 28, 2001) is a champion Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 2004 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes and came second in the Belmont Stakes. Background Born at Fairthorne Farm in Chester County, Pennsylvania, the horse was n ...

(won the Southwest,

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby is a horse race held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, almost always on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The competition is a Grade I stakes race for three-year ...

and Preakness in 2004). Since 2013 the event has been part of the

. For many years the event was usually held during the

President's Day Presidents' Day, also called Washington's Birthday at the federal governmental level, is a holiday in the United States celebrated on the third Monday of February to honor all persons who served as presidents of the United States and, since 1879 ...

weekend but was moved to late January after Oaklawn Park introduced a new schedule of their expanded program for the 2021–22 racing season.

Records

Speed record: * miles – 1:41.83 One Liner (2017) *1 mile – 1:34.40 Whitebrush (1984) Track Record *6 furlongs – 1:10.40 Mr. Crozy (1968) Margins: * 12 lengths – Tarascon (1990) Most wins by a

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or 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 to describe the individual ...

: * 3 - Larry Snyder (1979, 1983, 1990) * 3 -

Rafael Bejarano Rafael Bejarano (born June 23, 1982 in Arequipa, Peru) is a champion jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing. He trained at the Peruvian national riding school before embarking on his professional career in 1999. Having met with success, inclu ...

(2012 - both divisions, 2013) Most wins by a trainer: * 5 - Robert E. Holthus (1988, 2000, 2001, 2005, 2006) * 5 -

Bob Baffert Robert A. Baffert (born January 13, 1953) is an American racehorse trainer who trained the 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah and 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify. Baffert's horses have won a record six Kentucky Derbies, seven Preakne ...

(2010, 2012 - both divisions, 2013, 2022) Most wins by an owner: * 3 -

Loblolly Stable Loblolly Stable was a Thoroughbred horse breeding and racing stable in Lake Hamilton, Arkansas owned by businessman John Ed Anthony and his former wife Mary Lynn. The stable's first top runner was Cox's Ridge who won important races in 1977 an ...

(1984, 1987, 1991)

Winners

''Notes:''
§ Ran as an entry
† The running of the event on 24 March 1959 was a claiming event for four-year-olds and older. The winner Call Hy was a five year old.

External links

Oaklawn Park Media Guide 2020

References

{{reflist, 2 1968 establishments in Arkansas Horse races in Arkansas Oaklawn Park Flat horse races for three-year-olds Triple Crown Prep Races Graded stakes races in the United States Recurring sporting events established in 1968 Grade 3 stakes races in the United States

History

Records

Winners

See also

External links

References