The Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Stakes is a

Grade I In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

American

Weight for Age {{use dmy dates, date=October 2022 Weight for Age (WFA) is a term in thoroughbred horse racing which is one of the conditions for a race. History The principle of WFA was developed by Admiral Rous, a handicapper with the English Jockey Club. Rous ...

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 three years old and older over a distance of miles on the turf track scheduled annually in late September or early October at

Belmont Park Belmont Park is a major thoroughbred horse racing facility in the northeastern United States, located in Elmont, New York, just east of the New York City limits. It was opened on May 4, 1905. It is operated by the non-profit New York Raci ...

Elmont, New York Elmont is an unincorporated hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) located in northwestern Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, United States, along its border with the borough of Queens in New York City. The population was 35,265 at the 2 ...

. The event currently offers a purse of $500,000.

History

The inaugural running of the event was on 19 November 1977 as the Aqueduct Turf Classic Stakes and was won by

Johnny D. Johnny D. (foaled in 1974) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse. He was bred in Virginia by Miss Peggy Augustus and raced under the Dana Bray banner as his owner. He finished racing with a record of 7-2-6 in 17 starts with career earnings of ...

, ridden by 17-year-old

Steve Cauthen Steve Cauthen (born May 1, 1960) is a retired American jockey. In 1977 he became the first jockey to win over $6 million in a year working with agent Lenny Goodman, and in 1978 he became the youngest jockey to win the U. S ...

by lengths in a time of 2:33. The event was scheduled two weeks after the Washington D.C. International, an event that

won as well earning him US Champion Male Turf Horse honors for 1977. The following year the event was held at Belmont Park. In 1979 the event was classified Grade I and was returned to Aqueduct and was held there until 1983. In 1983 the name of the event was shortened to being called just the Turf Classic. The event drew the top Thoroughbreds from the U.S. and Europe when it was part of a million dollar bonus for any horse who won it plus the

Canadian International Stakes The Canadian International Stakes is a Grade I stakes race for thoroughbred racehorses three years of age and up on Turf. It is held annually in October at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The current purse is Since its creation i ...

Woodbine Racetrack Woodbine Racetrack is a race track for Thoroughbred horse racing in the Etobicoke area of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Owned by Woodbine Entertainment Group, Woodbine Racetrack manages and hosts Canada's most famous race, the King's Plate. The track ...

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most pop ...

and the Washington D.C. International at

Laurel Park Racecourse Laurel Park, formerly Laurel Race Course, is an American thoroughbred racetrack located just outside Laurel, Maryland which opened in 1911. The track is miles in circumference. Its name was changed to "Laurel Race Course" for several decades un ...

Laurel, Maryland Laurel is a city in Maryland, United States, located midway between Washington and Baltimore on the banks of the Patuxent River. While the city limits are entirely in northern Prince George's County, outlying developments extend into Anne Arun ...

. That year the champion French bred filly All Along was able to win the treble, winning the million dollar bonus and being crowned US Champion Female Turf Horse and US Horse of the Year. Other notable champions to win the event in the pre-

Breeders' Cup The Breeders' Cup World Championships is an annual series of Graded stakes race, Grade I Thoroughbred racing, Thoroughbred horse races, operated by Breeders' Cup Limited, a company formed in 1982. From its inception in 1984 through 2006, it was ...

era include the French bred mare, winner in 1978, Waya, who was crowned the US Champion Older Female Horse the following year. The Irish bred filly April Run won the event twice in 1981 and 1982. In 1982 she also won the Washington D.C. International and was voted as US Champion Female Turf Horse. John Henry remarkably won this event in 1984 as a nine year old and what would be his second last start. He was crowned the US Horse of the Year that year. Early in the

era the event immediately become one of the major preparatory races for the

Breeders' Cup Turf The Breeders' Cup Turf is a Weight for Age Thoroughbred horse race on turf for three-year-olds and up. It is held annually at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships. The race's curre ...

. The 1986 winner the three-year-old

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital city, capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is Cities of the Philippines#Independent cities, highly urbanize ...

and 1987 winner the Irish bred

Theatrical Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perfor ...

, both won the

and were voted US Champion Male Turf Horse. In 1994 Tikkanen also won the Turf Classic-

double enroute to US Champion Male Turf Horse. In 2004 the event was renamed is named in honor of

Joe Hirsch Joe Hirsch (February 27, 1928 – January 9, 2009) was an American horse racing columnist and the founding president of the National Turf Writers Association. Biography He earned a degree in journalism from New York University, then served w ...

, the award-winning racing

columnist A columnist is a person who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs. They take the form of a short ess ...

and founding president of the National Turf Writers Association. Joe Hirsch, aged 80, died on January 9, 2009. Dual winner

English Channel The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" ( Cotentinais) or (Jèrriais), ( Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kan ...

was a

winner in 2007 and also the sire of Channel Maker, a dual winner (2018, 2020) and second placed finisher in 2019 of this event. In 2022 the event was moved to

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

due to infield tunnel and redevelopment work at

. The 2022 winner was

's daughter War Like Goddess, with his offspring successful in the event for the third time.

Records

Time record: * 2:23.39 – Big Blue Kitten (2015) Margins: * lengths – Grand Couturier (GB) (2008) Most wins: * 2 – April Run (IRE) (1981, 1982) * 2 – Val's Prince (1997, 1999) * 2 –

(2006, 2007) * 2 – Channel Maker (2018, 2020) Most wins by an owner: * 4 –

Bertram Bertram may refer to: Places * Bertram, Western Australia, a suburb of Perth, Australia *Bertram, Iowa, United States, a city * Bertram, Texas, United States, a city * Bertram Building, a historic building in Austin, Texas * Bertram Glacier, Palmer ...

Diana M. Firestone Bertram Robert Firestone (August 18, 1931 – July 12, 2021) and Diana Johnson Firestone (born January 26, 1932) of Newstead Farm in Upperville, Virginia were major owner/breeders of Thoroughbred equestrian and flat racing horses. They were voted t ...

(1981, 1982, 1987, 2010) Most wins by a jockey: * 5 – John R. Velazquez (1995, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2012) Most wins by a trainer: * 5 – William I. Mott (1987, 2005, 2018, 2020, 2022)

Winners

''Legend:''

''Notes:''
§ Ran as an entry
ƒ Filly or Mare

References

{{reflist, 2 Open middle distance horse races Grade 1 turf stakes races in the United States Grade 1 stakes races in the United States Horse races in New York (state) Graded stakes races in the United States Belmont Park Recurring sporting events established in 1977 1977 establishments in New York (state)

History

Records

Winners

See also

References