The Personal Ensign Stakes is an American

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 ...

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 during the third week of August at

Saratoga Race Course Saratoga Race Course is a Thoroughbred horse racing track located on Union Avenue in Saratoga Springs, New York, Saratoga Springs, New York (state), New York, United States. Opened in 1863, it is often considered to be the oldest major sporting v ...

Saratoga Springs, New York Saratoga Springs is a Administrative divisions of New York#City, city in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 28,491 at the United States Census 2020, 2020 census. The name reflects the presence of mineral springs in the ...

. Open to

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 and older, it is contested at a distance of one and one-eighth miles on dirt. Since 1997, this race has been named for U.S. Racing Hall of Fame filly,

Personal Ensign Personal Ensign (April 27, 1984 – April 8, 2010) was a champion Thoroughbred racehorse who retired undefeated with 13 wins. At the time, this was the longest win streak for a horse at the elite level of American racing in 80 years. Her come ...

. Undefeated in racing, Personal Ensign was also a great

broodmare 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 ...

. Her granddaughter Storm Flag Flying won the race in 2004. Inaugurated at

Jamaica Race Course Jamaica Race Course, also called the Jamaica Racetrack, was an American thoroughbred horse racing facility operated by the Metropolitan Jockey Club in Jamaica, Queens, New York City. History The track opened on April 27, 1903, a day which featu ...

in 1948 as the Firenze Handicap, it was named for the U.S. Racing Hall of Fame filly,

Firenze Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

. From 1986 through 1996 it was run as the John A. Morris Handicap, named to honor

John Albert Morris John Albert Morris (July 29, 1836 – May 25, 1895) was an American businessman widely known as the "Lottery King" and a prominent figure in the sport of thoroughbred horse racing. A native of New Jersey, he benefited from a large inheritance and ...

, a prominent horseman who in 1889 built the

Morris Park Racecourse Morris Park Racecourse was an American thoroughbred horse racing facility from 1889 to 1904. It was located in a part of Westchester County, New York that was annexed into the Bronx in 1895 and later developed as the neighborhood of Morris Park. ...

The Bronx, New York The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County to its north; to its south and west, the New York City bo ...

. Since inception, the race has also been hosted by all three tracks operated by the

New York Racing Association The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) is the not-for-profit corporation that operates the three largest thoroughbred horse racing tracks in the state of New York (state), New York, United States: Aqueduct Racetrack in South Ozone Park, Q ...

: *

: 1948–1957 *

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 ...

: 1960–1974, 1976–1985 *

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 ...

: 1975 *

: 1958–1959, 1986–present The race has been contested at various distances: * miles: 1948–1950 * 1 mile: 1960–1961 * miles: 1975 * miles: 1976–1994, 2012–present * miles: 1995–2011 The Firenze Handicap was run 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'', ...

from 1972 to 1975 and run in two divisions in 1972 and 1974. The 1988 race was run for purse money only, no wagering, after being postponed for one day due to severe thunderstorms that forced cancellation of the remainder of the racing card at Saratoga Springs on Aug. 28, 1988.

Records

Speed record: * 2:02.07 – Shadow Cast (2005) (at the distance of miles) * 1:47.19 – Abel Tasman (2018) (at the current distance of miles) Most wins: * 2 – Lie Low (1974, 1975) * 2 – Politely (1967, 1968) * 2 – Beautiful Pleasure (1999, 2000) 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 ...

: * 8 –

Ángel Cordero Jr. Ángel Tomás Cordero Jr. (born November 8, 1942) is a Puerto Rican jockey. He is known for being one of the winningest Thoroughbred horse racing jockeys of the late 20th-century and the first Puerto Rican to be inducted into the United States' ...

(1968, 1972 (2), 1976, 1983, 1985, 1987, 1989) Most wins by a trainer: * 4 – C. R. McGaughey III (1990, 1995, 2004, 2010) * 4 –

MacKenzie Miller MacKenzie "Mack" Todd Miller (October 16, 1921 – December 10, 2010) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse trainer and owner/breeder. During his forty-six-year career, he conditioned seventy-two stakes winners, including four Eclipse Award cha ...

(1959, 1974, 1975, 1993) Most wins by an owner: * 3 –

Rokeby Stable Rokeby Stables was an American thoroughbred racehorse breeding farm in Upperville, Virginia, involved with both steeplechase and flat racing. The operation was established in the late 1940s by Paul Mellon (1907–1999), who won the Eclipse Award ...

(1956, 1969, 1993) * 3 –

Ogden Phipps Ogden Phipps (November 26, 1908 – April 21, 2002) was an American stockbroker, court tennis champion and Hall of Fame member, thoroughbred horse racing executive and owner/breeder, and an art collector and philanthropist. In 2001, he was induct ...

(1980, 1990, 1995) (other members of the

Phipps family The Phipps family of the United States is a prominent American family that descends from Henry Phipps Jr. (1839–1930), a businessman and philanthropist. His father was an English shoemaker who immigrated in the early part of the 19th century ...

also won in 1976, 2004 and 2010)

Winners

† The race was run in two divisions in 1972 and 1974.

References

{{reflist
The 2008 Personal Ensign Stakes
at ''Thoroughbred Times''
The Personal Ensign at the NYRA

Ten Things You Should Know About the Personal Ensign Stakes at Hello Race Fans
Grade 1 stakes races in the United States Middle distance horse races for fillies and mares Horse races in New York (state) Saratoga Race Course Jamaica Race Course Recurring sporting events established in 1948 Breeders' Cup Challenge series 1948 establishments in New York (state)