The Forty Niner Stakes is a

Grade II 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, Hi ...

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 ...

for three-year-olds and older run over a distance of one mile (8

furlong A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and United States customary units equal to one-eighth of a mile, equivalent to any of 660 foot (unit), feet, 220 yards, 40 rod (unit), rods, 10 chain (unit), chains, or a ...

s) on the dirt held annually in late October 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 ...

Elmont, New York Elmont is an unincorporated Hamlet (New York), hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) located in northwestern Hempstead, New York, Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, Nassau County, New York, United States, along its border with the borough ...

. The event offers a purse of $250,000.

History

The event was originally named the Kelso Handicap in honor of Kelso,

Allaire du Pont Helena Allaire Crozer du Pont (May 4, 1913 – January 6, 2006) was an American sportswoman and a member of the prominent French-American du Pont family of chemical manufacturers who is most remembered as the owner of the Thoroughbred horse raci ...

's five-time winner of

American Horse of the Year The American Award for Horse of the Year, or simply Horse of the Year, one of the Eclipse Awards, is the highest honor given in American thoroughbred horse racing. Because Thoroughbred horse racing in the United States has no governing body to san ...

honors. Kelso won the

Jockey Club Gold Cup The Jockey Club Gold Cup, established in 1919, is a thoroughbred flat race, held at the Saratoga Race Course in the United States, that is open to horses of either gender three-years-old and up. It has traditionally been the main event of the fal ...

at Belmont Park five times (1960–1964) consecutively at the then distance of 2 miles on the dirt. Fittingly NYRA scheduled the inaugural running of the Kelso Handicap over two miles at Aqueduct on 23 October 1980. At the time the event was the only $100,000 two mile event on the dirt in the US. The former claimer Peat Moss won the inaugural event as a 24-1 longshot in a time of 3:24. Peat Moss would repeat his winning ways the following year carrying a high-weight of 126 pounds. The 1982 running would be the last time the event would be held at the marathon distance. In 1983 the event was not held. On 20 October 1984 the event was renewed as a miles turf race on an all stakes card at Belmont Park which included the

inheriting the classification status of Grade III from the Brighton Beach Handicap which became defunct with its last race on 24 August 1983. In 1988 the event was shortened to one mile. In 1997 the event was upgraded to Grade II. In 2009, it had been originally being scheduled for turf before being moved to the main track due to extremely heavy rain the day before and consequently was down graded to Grade III. In 2010 the event was moved to the main dirt track. Of the more notable winners of the event is Lure. Lure ran in the event three times winning in 1993 and finishing second twice in 1992 and 1994. In 1992 although finishing second as a three-year-old later that year he went on to win the

Breeders' Cup Mile The Breeders' Cup Mile is a conditions races, Grade 1 Weight for Age stakes race for thoroughbred racehorses three years old and up, run on a sod, grass course. It has been conducted annually as part of the Breeders' Cup, Breeders' Cup World C ...

. In 1993 after winning this event he followed up in his next start winning the

Santa Anita Park Santa Anita Park is a Thoroughbred racetrack in Arcadia, California, United States. It offers some of the prominent horse racing events in the United States during early fall, winter and in spring. The track is home to numerous prestigious race ...

. In 1994 Lure just failed to win the event, beaten by a nose carrying 128 pounds and giving 14 pounds to the winner Nijinsky's Gold in a thrilling stretch battle. The event in 2022 was moved to

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 ...

due to infield tunnel and redevelopment work at

. The event was moved to late October and the conditions of the changed from a handicap to a stakes allowance. In 2023 NYRA renamed the event to the Forty Niner Stakes after the late stallion Forty Niner, a winner of several NYRA Grade 1 stakes.

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 ...

's Forbidden Apple Stakes was in turn renamed to the

Kelso Stakes The Kelso Stakes, previously held as the Forbidden Apple Stakes, is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for horses aged four years old and older held over a distance of one mile (8 furlongs) on the turf held annually in mid-July at Sarat ...

Records

Speed record: *1 mile (dirt) 1:32.90 – Anchor Down (2016) *1 mile (turf) 1:32.07 – Ashkal Way (2006) * miles (turf) – 2:01.20 – Who's For Dinner (1984) *2 miles (dirt) – 3:20.80 Peat Moss (1981) Margins: *5 lengths – Tizway (2010) Most wins: * 2 – Peat Moss (1980, 1981) * 2 – I'm a Banker (1985, 1986) * 2 – Forbidden Apple (2000, 2001) Most wins by an owner: * 2 – Murray M. Garren (1980, 1981) * 2 –

Godolphin Racing Godolphin (Arabic: جودولفين) is the Maktoum family's private Thoroughbred horseracing stable and was named in honour of the Godolphin Arabian, who came from the desert to become one of the three founding stallions of the modern Thor ...

(1986, 1987) * 2 – Arthur I. Appleton (2000, 2001) * 2 –

Klaravich Stables Seth Andrew Klarman (born May 21, 1957) is an American billionaire investor, hedge fund manager, and author. He is a proponent of value investing. He is the chief executive and portfolio manager of the Baupost Group, a Boston-based private inve ...

(2018, 2020) 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 –

Javier Castellano Javier Castellano (born October 23, 1977) is a Venezuelan jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing. Castellano won the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey four times in a row from 2013 to 2016. In 2023 he won two legs of the American Tripl ...

(2007, 2008, 2012, 2016) Most wins by a trainer: * 4 – Todd A. Pletcher (2011, 2013, 2016, 2021)

Winners

''Legend:''

References

{{reflist, 2 Graded stakes races in the United States Horse races in New York (state) Open mile category horse races Grade 2 stakes races in the United States Horse races established in 1980 Belmont Park 1980 establishments in New York (state)

History

Records

Winners

See also

References