The Jerome Stakes is a stakes race for

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 ...

horses The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 milli ...

run each January 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 ...

. Open to three year olds, the race is run at one mile and carries a purse of $150,000. It is a Road to the Kentucky Derby qualifying race, with the winner receiving 10 points towards qualification for the

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby () is an American Graded stakes race, Grade I stakes Thoroughbred racing, race run at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The race is run by three-year-old Thoroughbreds at a distance of . Colt (horse), Colts and geldin ...

. The Jerome is the second oldest stakes race in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

behind the

Travers Stakes The Travers Stakes is an American Graded stakes race, Grade I Thoroughbred horse race held at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. It is nicknamed the "Midsummer Derby" and is the third-ranked race for American three-year-olds accor ...

. It is named after Leonard W. Jerome, the grandfather of

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (Winston Churchill in the Second World War, ...

and the founder of the old Jerome Park Racetrack in

The Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

. Notable horses that have won the Jerome include inaugural

winner

Aristides Aristides ( ; , ; 530–468 BC) was an ancient Athenian statesman. Nicknamed "the Just" (δίκαιος, ''díkaios''), he flourished at the beginning of Athens' Classical period and is remembered for his generalship in the Persian War. ...

in 1875, Fitz Herbert in 1909,

Bold Ruler Bold Ruler (April 6, 1954 – July 12, 1971) was an American Thoroughbred National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, Hall of Fame racehorse who was the 1957 American Horse of the Year, Horse of the Year. This following a three-year-old campaign t ...

in 1957, Kelso in 1960, Carry Back in 1961 and Fusaichi Pegasus in 2000. Up until 2009 the race was typically held in the fall at

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 ...

, after the major three-year-old classics. Following a hiatus in 2010, the Jerome was run for two years at the end of the Aqueduct Spring meet in April before moving to its current position in early January. The Jerome was first run at Jerome Park from 1866 to 1889, then at Morris Park Racecourse until 1905, at

from 1906 to 1959 and 1968 to 2009, and also at Aqueduct Racetrack in 1960, from 1962 to 1967 and from 2011 to the present. There was no race run from 1910 to 1913 and there were two divisions from 1866 to 1870. Since inception it has been contested at a variety of distances: * 2 miles: 1871–1877 * miles: 1878–1889 * miles: 1890–1891, 1903 * miles: 1892 * miles: 1893–1894, 1896–1909 * miles: 1895 * 1 mile, 70 yards: 2011-2017

Records

Speed record: (at current distance of one mile) * 1:33.20 – Noble Nashua (1981) Most wins by a trainer: * 5 – Sam Hildreth (1908, 1909, 1914, 1919, 1922) 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 ...

: * 6 –

Eddie Arcaro George Edward Arcaro (February 19, 1916 – November 14, 1997) was an American Thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame jockey who won more American classic races than any other jockey in history and is the only rider to have won the U.S. Triple ...

(1946, 1950, 1955, 1957, 1958, 1960) Most wins by an owner: * 4 – Harry Payne Whitney (1906, 1907, 1921, 1926) * 4 – Joseph E. Widener (1927, 1930, 1933, 1940)

Winners

* † In 1977, To The Quick finished first but was disqualified and placed second and Affiliate who finished second was disqualified and placed third.

References

{{reflist
The Jerome Stakes at the NYRA
Graded stakes races in the United States Flat horse races for three-year-olds Horse races in New York (state) Aqueduct Racetrack Recurring sporting events established in 1866 1866 establishments in New York (state)