The Bourbon Stakes is a

Grade II In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

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 two-year-olds over a distance of miles on the

turf Sod is the upper layer of turf that is harvested for transplanting. Turf consists of a variable thickness of a soil medium that supports a community of turfgrasses. In British and Australian English, sod is more commonly known as ''turf'', ...

held annually in early October 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 it ...

Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city coterminous with and the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census the city's population was 322,570, making it the List of ...

during the fall meeting.

History

The event was inaugurated on 23 October 1991 as the Hopemont Stakes and was won by the short priced 1-2 favorite Stress Buster who was ridden by US Hall of Fame jockey

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 an ...

in a time of 1:44.84. The name of the event was in honor of the Hunt–Morgan House, historically known as Hopemont located in Lexington. The event was run in two divisions in 1998. In 2003 the event was renamed to the Bourbon County Stakes – Bourbon County is near Lexington and is home to many famous Throroughbred farms. From 2005 to 2008, the event was run as the Bourbon Stakes, with sponsorship from

Woodford Reserve Woodford Reserve is a brand of premium small batch Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey produced at Woodford Reserve Distillery, in Woodford County, Kentucky, by the Brown-Forman Corporation. It is made from a mixture of copper pot still spi ...

which reflected in the name of the race. Since 2014, the race has been sponsored by Dixiana Farm. In 2006, 2013 and 2017, the race was switched from turf to the main track due to weather conditions. In 2008 the event was classified as Grade III and in 2020 was upgraded to Grade II. The race is part of the

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 Yo ...

series. The winner of the Bourbon Stakes receives a "Win and You're In" berth in the

Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf The Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf is an American Thoroughbred horse race for two-year-old horses, run on a grass course at a distance of one mile. It is part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships, the ''de facto'' year-end championship for North ...

Records

Speed record: * 1:41.27 – Andthewinneris (2022) Margins * lengths – Stage Call (IRE) (2001) Most wins by an owner * 3 – John C. Oxley (2000, 2015, 2017) 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 ...

* 4 –

Julien Leparoux Julien R. Leparoux (born July 15, 1983 in Senlis, Oise, France) is a French Eclipse Award winning jockey currently racing in the United States. He has won seven Breeders' Cup races, including the 2015 Breeders' Cup Mile with Champion Turf Mare T ...

(2010, 2012, 2015, 2017) Most wins by a trainer * 5 – Todd A. Pletcher (2006, 2008, 2009, 2018, 2020) * 5 –

Mark E. Casse Mark E. Casse (born February 14, 1961) is a Thoroughbred racehorse horse trainer, trainer whose most notable horses include 2015 American champion turf mare Tepin (horse), Tepin and Canadian Horse of the Year, Canadian Horses of the Year Sealy Hi ...

(2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2023)

Winners

''Legend:''

References

{{reflist, 2 Keeneland horse races Flat horse races for two-year-olds Turf races in the United States Graded stakes races in the United States Grade 2 stakes races in the United States Recurring events established in 1991 Breeders' Cup Challenge series 1991 establishments in Kentucky

History

Records

Winners

See also

References