The Cardinal 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

fillies A filly is a female horse that is too young to be called a mare. There are two specific definitions in use: *In most cases, a ''filly'' is a female horse under four years old. *In some nations, such as the United Kingdom and the United States, th ...

and

mare A mare is an adult female horse or other equidae, equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more th ...

s three-years-old and older over a distance of one and one eighth 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 November at

Churchill Downs Churchill Downs is a horse racing complex in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States that hosts the annual Kentucky Derby. It opened in 1875 and was named for Samuel Churchill, whose family was prominent in Kentucky for many years. The first ...

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville is the List of cities in Kentucky, most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast, and the list of United States cities by population, 27th-most-populous city ...

. The event offers a purse of $100,000.

History

The event was named after the official state bird of

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

, the

Northern cardinal The northern cardinal (''Cardinalis cardinalis''), also commonly known as the common cardinal, red cardinal, or simply cardinal, is a bird in the genus ''Cardinalis''. It can be found in southeastern Canada, through the eastern United States fro ...

. The event was inaugurated on 23 November 1974, as the Kentucky Cardinal Stakes as a miles dirt race for three year olds and was won by veterinarian Albert F. Polk Jr's Cut the Talk, who was trained by Ohio native James E. (Jim) Morgan and ridden by Darrell Brown in a time of 1:45. The event was run for three year olds only one more time in 1975. In the 1976 the conditions of the event were changed to

and

s that were three years old or older at a distance of seven furlongs as the Kentucky Cardinal Handicap. In 1982 the event was increased to 1 mile for one year and in 1983 increased again to back its inaugural running distance of miles. In 1987 the event was scheduled on the

over a distance of miles with the name Cardinal Handicap. The following year the distance of the event increased to miles but it was moved off the turf and onto the main track due to inclement weather. The

American Graded Stakes Committee The Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA) is an American trade organization for Thoroughbred racehorse owners and breeders, which is based in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1961, TOBA's stated mission is to "improve the economics, in ...

classified the event as Grade III in 1995. The 2017 edition of the race, won by Tricky Escape, was run on dirt as the turf course was deemed unfit for racing. The race's Grade III status was kept for 2017. The event has been run in split divisions nine times, the last of which was in 1990. The event was run as a handicap prior to 2019. The event was not run in 2020 and 2021.

Records

Speed record: * miles: 1:47.29 – Daisy Devine (2012) * miles (dirt): 1:45.20 - Cut the Talk (1974) *7 furlongs (dirt): 1:24.20 - Unreality (1978), Safe Play (1981) Margins: *10 lengths – Star Fortress (IRE) (2023) Most wins: * no horse with more than one win Most wins by an owner: * 3 – Helen C. Alexander (1988, 1992, 2009) 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 –

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 ...

(1983, 1987, 1990, 1994, 1995) Most wins by a trainer: * 6 –

William I. Mott William I. "Bill" Mott (born July 29, 1953, in Mobridge, South Dakota) is an American horse trainer, most notable for his work with Cigar (horse), Cigar. Mott earned the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Trainer in 1995, 1996, 2011, 2013. He was ind ...

(1985, 1987, 1995, 1997, 2008, 2011)

Winners

''Legend:''

''Notes:''
† In the 1996, running Bail Out Becky was first past the post by lengths but was disqualified for interference as the horse turned into the straight bumping the eventual second-place finisher Miss Caerleona. Miss Caerleona was declared the winner and Bail Out Becky placed second.

References

{{reflist, 2

External links

Churchill Downs Media Guide - $175,000 Cardinal (Grade III)
Graded stakes races in the United States Grade 3 stakes races in the United States Turf races in the United States Mile category horse races for fillies and mares Churchill Downs horse races Horse races established in 1974 1974 establishments in Kentucky Horse races in Kentucky

History

Records

Winners

See also

References

External links