The Commonwealth Turf Cup 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 each year since 2015 at Laurel Park in

Laurel, Maryland Laurel is a city in Maryland, United States, located midway between Washington, D.C., and Baltimore on the banks of the Patuxent River, in northern Prince George's County. Its population was 30,060 at the 2020 census. Founded as a mill town i ...

. It was previously known as the Colonial Turf Cup when it was held at

Colonial Downs Colonial Downs is a Race track, racetrack located in New Kent County, Virginia adjacent to Interstate 64, halfway between Richmond, Virginia, Richmond and Williamsburg, Virginia, Williamsburg. The track conducted Thoroughbred flat racing and Stand ...

race track in

New Kent County, Virginia New Kent County is a county in the southeastern part of the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States census, its population was 22,945. Its county seat is New Kent. New Kent County is located east of the Greater Richmond Region ...

. It is raced on

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'', ...

at a distance of one mile and is open to horses aged three years old and up. The current purse is $200,000. In 2009, the race was upgraded from a Grade III to a Grade II event.Six New Grade I Races for 2009 – bloodhorse.com
/ref> In 2011, the race changed its conditions to allow entry of older horses. This change caused the race to lose its graded status until 2013, when it again became a Grade II event. From 2005 to 2013, the race was run at miles. For the 2015 renewal, the distance was shortened to miles, and in 2016 to 1 mile.

Records

Fastest time: * miles : 1:52.98 Showing Up (2006) Most wins by an owner: * 1 – No owner has won the Colonial Turf Cup more than once 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 ...

: * 1 – No jockey has won the Colonial Turf Cup more than once Most wins by a Trainer: * 2 – Todd Pletcher (2005, 2012)

Winners of the Commonwealth Turf Cup

References

Colonial Turf Cup Information on Colonial Downs website about the Colonial Turf Cup
{{Triple Crown of Horse Racing Graded stakes races in the United States Flat horse races for three-year-olds Horse races in the United States Turf races in the United States Horse races established in 2005 2005 establishments in Maryland