The Clement L. Hirsch Stakes is a

Grade I 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, H ...

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

mares A mare is an adult female horse or other 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 than four y ...

age three years and older over a distance of one and one-sixteenth miles on the

dirt Dirt is any matter considered unclean, especially when in contact with a person's clothes, skin, or possessions. In such cases, they are said to become dirty. Common types of dirt include: * Debris: scattered pieces of waste or remains * Du ...

track, scheduled annually in late July or early August at

Del Mar Racetrack The Del Mar Fairgrounds is an event venue in Del Mar, California. It hosts the annual San Diego County Fair. The venue sits on a property along the Pacific Ocean coastline. It includes the Del Mar Racetrack, built in 1936 by the Del Mar Thoroug ...

Del Mar, California Del Mar (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Of the Sea") is a beach city in San Diego County, California, located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean. Established in 1885 as a seaside resort, the city incorporated in 1959. The population was 3,954 ...

. The event currently carries a purse of $400,000.

History

The event was inaugurated as the Chula Vista Handicap on July 17, 1937, as a five and one-half furlong race for two-year-olds bred in

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

and was won by High Strike owned by singer

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, comedian, entertainer and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwi ...

. The event was held again until 1967 when it was run at a distance of one mile. In 1973, the race was brought back permanently as a contest for horses aged three and older at a distance of miles on the turf. During the next few years there would be more distance changes. It was run at miles in 1973, 1 mile in 1974–1975, and seven and one-half

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 any of 660 foot (unit), feet, 220 yards, 40 rod (unit), rods, 10 chain (unit), chains, or a ...

s from 1976–1980, after which it was set at its current distance of miles. In 1981 the event was moved to the dirt and the events conditions changed to the current restriction of fillies and mares that are three-years-old and older. Since then it has been run on the dirt except from 2007 to 2014 when Del Mar used a synthetic "all weather" surface. In 2000 it was renamed to honor Clement L. Hirsch (1914–2000), a

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a list of horse breeds, horse breed developed for Thoroughbred racing, horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thorough ...

owner whose horse, Magical Maiden won this race in 1993. A

Newport Beach, California Newport Beach is a coastal city of about 85,000 in southern Orange County, California, United States. Located about southeast of downtown Los Angeles, Newport Beach is known for its sandy beaches. The city's harbor once supported maritime indu ...

businessman, Hirsch was responsible for the creation of the

Oak Tree Racing Association The Oak Tree Racing Association is an American nonprofit corporation that exists to conduct live thoroughbred horse racing in Southern California. Graded Stakes races at the Oak Tree meet Since Oak Tree Racing moved to Hollywood Park in 2010, so ...

. The race was run in two divisions in 1977 and again in 1980. The event was classified as Grade III in 1983, upgraded to Grade II in 1986 and a Grade I event in 2009. At the same time, conditions for the event changed from a handicap to a stakes format. In the 1980s when this event became a fillies and mares race it started to attract high calibre performers that would confirm the status of the event. Starting in 1984 with the winner Princess Rooney who later that year would win the

Breeders' Cup Distaff The Breeders' Cup Distaff is a Weight for Age Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares, three years old and up. Known as the Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic between 2008 and 2012, it is held annually at a different racetrack in the United Stat ...

and be crowned US Champion Older Dirt Female Horse. The 1990 winner, the

Argentine Argentines, Argentinians or Argentineans are people from Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical, or cultural. For most Argentines, several (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their ...

bred mare Bayakoa would rectify her unplaced finish from 1989 and would also win the

for the second time and retain her position as US Champion Older Dirt Female Horse. Allen E. Paulson's two-time winner of the event,

Azeri Azeri or Azeri Turk may refer to: * Azeri people, an ethnic group also known as Azerbaijanis * Citizens of Azerbaijan * Azeri language, the modern-day Turkic language * Old Azeri, an extinct Iranian language * Azeri Turk (journal), Academic jour ...

would become US Horse of the Year in 2002.

Zenyatta Zenyatta (foaled April 1, 2004) is a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the Breeders' Cup Classic and Breeders' Cup Distaff and 19 of her 20 starts. She was the 2010 American Horse of the Year, and American Champion Older Female H ...

proved her dominance in this event winning it three times and with that she continued on winning the 2009

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 in the United States as part of the Breeders' Cup World Champion ...

and in 2010 becoming US Horse of the Year.

Records

Speed record: * miles: 1:40.00 – Matching (1982) (new stakes and track record) Speed record: *7 lengths – Beholder (2015) Most wins: * 3 –

(2008, 2009, 2010) 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 ...

: * 7 –

Chris McCarron Christopher John McCarron (born March 27, 1955, Boston, Massachusetts) is a retired American thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame jockey. He mounted his first horse ever at 16.5 years old and was racing professionally by 18. At only 19 years ...

(1981, 1988, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2000) Most wins by a trainer: * 5 –

John W. Sadler John W. Sadler (born July 30, 1956) is an American horse trainer in the sport of Thoroughbred horse racing. He currently has over 2,600 race wins, including the 2018 Breeders' Cup Classic with Accelerate, who was subsequently named American Hors ...

(2006, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2019) Most wins by an owner: * 3 –

Sidney Craig Sidney Harvey Craig (March 22, 1932 – July 21, 2008) was an American businessman who was the business partner and husband of businesswoman Jenny Craig (entrepreneur), Jenny Craig. Together, they founded the weight-management company Jenny Cra ...

(1992, 1994, 1996) * 3 – Jerry and Ann Moss (2008, 2009, 2010) * 3 – Hronis Racing (2014, 2016, 2017)

Winners

''Legend:''

''Notes:''
§ Ran as an entry
† In the 1937 the event was restricted to two year olds bred in California

External links

2020 Del Mar Media Guide

References

{{reflist, 2 Del Mar Racetrack Horse races in California Breeders' Cup Challenge series Grade 1 stakes races in the United States Mile category horse races for fillies and mares Recurring sporting events established in 1937 1937 establishments in California

History

Records

Winners

See also

External links

References