The Comely Stakes is an 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 ...

held annually at

Aqueduct Racetrack Aqueduct Racetrack is a Thoroughbred horse racing facility and casino in the South Ozone Park, Queens, South Ozone Park and Jamaica, Queens, Jamaica neighborhoods of Queens, New York City, United States. Aqueduct is the only racetrack within ...

Queens, New York Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...

. Open to three year old fillies, it is raced on dirt over a distance of one mile. The Grade III event offers a purse of $200,000. The race was named in honor of the filly Comely, who, in a remarkable performance as a two-year-old, defeated older male horses in winning the first running of the

Fall Highweight Handicap The Fall Highweight Stakes (formerly the Fall Highweight Handicap) is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually near the end of November at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York. Currently run at a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 m), it i ...

in 1914. Going into 2019, she remains the only two-year-old to win the Fall Highweight Handicap and one of only a few two-year-olds to defeat older horses in a major stakes race. Inaugurated in 1945 at Jamaica Race Course, it was raced there through 1951 and again in 1959. For 1952 and 1953 it was hosted by the Empire City Race Track in

Yonkers Yonkers () is the List of municipalities in New York, third-most populous city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and the most-populous City (New York), city in Westchester County, New York, Westchester County. A centrally locate ...

and

Belmont Park Belmont Park is a thoroughbred racing, thoroughbred horse racetrack in Elmont, New York, just east of New York City limits best known for hosting the Belmont Stakes, the final leg of the American Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United Stat ...

in 1976, 1981, 1984, and again in 1985. There was no race run from 1954 to 1958. When revived in 1959 the race was open to two-year-olds of either sex and won by the 1960 Preakness Stakes winner, Bally Ache. On April 30, 1975 the superstar filly and future Hall of Fame inductee Ruffian won the Comely by eight lengths in stakes record time. On May 11, 1985,

Abigail Fuller Abigail Fuller (born 1959) is an American retired Thoroughbred jockey who primarily competed between the early 1980s and early 2000s. While competing in graded stakes races, Fuller won two Grade III events, one Grade II event and four Grade I eve ...

became the first female jockey to win the Comely Stakes. She was aboard Mom's Command, a future Hall of Fame filly bred and raced by her father, Peter Fuller. The Comely was run in two divisions in 1953, 1963, and 1970.

Records

Speed record: * 1:49.92 – @ 1 1/8 mile (9 furlongs) Wedding Toast (2013) * 1:21.20 – @ 7 furlongs Ruffian (1975) 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 – Braulio Baeza (1962, 1963, 1967, 1970) * 4 – Jorge Chavez (1995, 1996, 1998, 2004) Most wins by a trainer: * 4 –

H. Allen Jerkens Harry Allen Jerkens (April 21, 1929 – March 18, 2015) was an American thoroughbred race horse Hall of Fame horse trainer, trainer. Jerkens' father owned a riding academy on Long Island that led to his interest in horse racing, and in the spri ...

(1976, 1994, 1997, 2004) Most wins by an owner: * 2 – Alfred G. Vanderbilt II (1951, 1953) * 2 – Wheatley Stable (1960, 1970) * 2 – William Haggin Perry (1963, 1964) * 2 – George D. Widener Jr. (1965, 1969) * 2 – Diana M. Firestone (1980, 1981) * 2 – H. Joseph Allen (1982, 1989) * 2 – Bohemia Stable (1994, 1997) * 2 – Charles E. Fipke (2015, 2016)

Winners

External links

Video of Ruffian's win in the 1975 Comely Stakes

References

{{reflist 1945 establishments in New York City Horse races in New York (state) Aqueduct Racetrack Jamaica Race Course Flat horse races for three-year-old fillies Grade 3 stakes races in the United States Recurring sporting events established in 1945