The Stephen Foster Stakes is a Grade I American Thoroughbred horse race for horses aged three and older over a distance of miles on the dirt run annually in mid-June at

Churchill Downs Churchill Downs is a horse racing complex located on Central Avenue in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States, famed for hosting the annual Kentucky Derby. It officially opened in 1875 and was named for Samuel Churchill, whose family was p ...

Spring Meet in

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

. The race is named in honor of famed composer Stephen Foster, who wrote numerous melodies including " My Old Kentucky Home" which is the song that is annually played as the

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-yea ...

field parades on the track.

History

The Stephen Foster Handicap was inaugurated on 19 June 1982 as the Stephen Foster Handicap and has progressed from Grade III status in 1988 to Grade II in 1995 to Grade I in 2002. In 2019, it was downgraded to Grade II. In December 2022, it was announced that the race would return to Grade I status for the 2023 season. Currently offering a purse of $500,000, the race draws some of the top older horses from various parts of the United States. Since 2015 the event is a

Breeders' Cup Challenge The Breeders' Cup Challenge is a series of Thoroughbred horse races in which the winner earns an automatic spot in a specified Breeders' Cup race. The challenge races change somewhat each year. The Challenge series began in 2007 with 24 "Win and Y ...

"Win and You're In" event, offering the winner an automatic berth in the

Breeders' Cup Classic The Breeders' Cup Classic is a Grade I Weight for Age thoroughbred horse race for 3-year-olds and older run at a distance of on dirt. It is held annually at a different racetrack as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships in late October ...

. The race was restricted to horses four years of age an older in 1983 and from 1985 through 1987. The 2006 edition of the Stephen Foster Handicap produced its biggest upset ever when jockey

Calvin Borel Calvin H. Borel (born November 7, 1966) is an American jockey in thoroughbred horse racing and rode the victorious mount in the 2007 Kentucky Derby, the 2009 Kentucky Derby and the 2010 Kentucky Derby. His 2009 Derby win with Mine That Bird wa ...

aboard 91-1 longshot Seek Gold defeated the favored 2003 winner,

Perfect Drift Perfect Drift, (foaled April 29, 1999, in Kentucky) is an American thoroughbred racehorse. Background Perfect Drift is a bay gelding sired by the leading stallion Dynaformer, out of the Naskra mare Nice Gal. Perfect Drift was owned by Stonec ...

. Four horses used victories in the Stephen Foster as part of their resumes in Horse of the Year campaigns. The four are

Black Tie Affair Black Tie Affair (April 1, 1986 – July 1, 2010) was a thoroughbred racehorse. Bred by American businessman Stephen D. Peskoff, he was out of the mare Hat Tab Girl and sired by Miswaki, who also sired Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner Urban Sea ...

(1991),

Saint Liam Saint Liam (April 13, 2000 – August 22, 2006) was an American thoroughbred racehorse who was voted 2005 Eclipse Award Horse of the Year honors after winning the Donn Handicap, Stephen Foster, Woodward Stakes and Breeders' Cup Classic. He d ...

(2005), Curlin (2008), and

Gun Runner Arms trafficking or gunrunning is the illicit trade of contraband small arms and ammunition, which constitutes part of a broad range of illegal activities often associated with transnational criminal organizations. The illegal trade of small a ...

(2017). Five horses have won the Stephen Foster and the Breeders' Cup Classic in the same year. Black Tie Affair (1991),

Awesome Again Awesome Again (March 29, 1994December 15, 2020) was a Canadian Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse and stallion. As a three-year-old, he won the Queen's Plate in Canada and the Jim Dandy Stakes in the United States. He was undefeated at age four ...

(1998) and Blame (2010) won both races at Churchill Downs. Saint Liam (2005) won his running of the Classic at Belmont Park. Gun Runner (2017) won the Classic at Del Mar. Curlin (2008) carried the highest impost of any Stephen Foster winner: 128 pounds. Colonial Colony (2004) carried the lightest winning Foster impost at 111 pounds.

Records

;Speed record * 1:47.28 -

Victory Gallop Victory Gallop (foaled May 30, 1995, in Ontario, Canada) is a Canada, Canadian-bred Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 1998 Belmont Stakes to deny Real Quiet the United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, Triple Crown, and was the 1999 Ec ...

(1999) ;Margins * 7 lengths -

(2017) ;Most wins * 2 - Vodika Collins (1982, 1983) * 2 - Recoup the Cash (1994, 1995) ;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 - Robby Albarado (2007, 2008, 2009) * 3 -

Pat Day Patrick Alan "Pat" Day (born October 13, 1953, in Brush, Colorado) is a retired American jockey. He is a four-time winner of the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey and was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1991 a ...

(1985, 1998, 2003) ;Most wins by a trainer * 2 - Forrest Kaelin (1982, 1983) * 2 - Jere Smith, Jr. (1994, 1995) * 2 - Patrick B. Byrne (1997, 1998) * 2 -

Mark Casse Mark E. Casse (born February 14, 1961) is a Thoroughbred racehorse trainer whose most notable horses include 2015 American champion turf mare Tepin and Canadian Horses of the Year Sealy Hill (2007), Uncaptured (2012), Lexie Lou (2014), Catch ...

(2011, 2015) ;Most wins by an owner * 2 - Milbert B. Collins (1982, 1983) * 2 - Richard E. Trebat (1994, 1995) * 2 -

Stronach Stables Stronach Stables is the North American racing arm of Thoroughbred horse racing owner and breeder, Frank Stronach, who also owns the horse breeding operation Adena Springs. Stronach is also the CEO of the Stronach Group which owns racetracks that in ...

(1998, 2000) * 2 - West Point Thoroughbreds (2007, 2009)

Winners

External links

Ten Things You Should Know about the Stephen Foster Handicap at Hello Race Fans!

References

{{Stephen Foster Grade 2 stakes races in the United States Graded stakes races in the United States Recurring sporting events established in 1982 Churchill Downs horse races Breeders' Cup Challenge series 1982 establishments in Kentucky

History

Records

Winners

See also

External links

References