Oak Tree Derby
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The Twilight Derby 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 years olds over the distance of one-and-one-eighth miles on the
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'', ...
scheduled annually in late October at
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
Arcadia, California Arcadia is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, located about northeast of downtown Los Angeles in the San Gabriel Valley and at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains. It contains a series of adjacent parks consisting of t ...
. The event currently carries a purse of $200,000.


History

The event was inaugurated on 18 October 1969 as the Volante Handicap at the
Oak Tree Racing Association The Oak Tree Racing Association is an American nonprofit corporation that exists to conduct live thoroughbred horse racing in Southern California. Graded Stakes races at the Oak Tree meet Since Oak Tree Racing moved to Hollywood Park in 2010, so ...
meeting at Santa Anita Park and was won by the Mrs.
Howard B. Keck Howard Brighton Keck (September 20, 1913 – December 14, 1996) was an American businessman. He was also a Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse owner and breeder, and the owner of an auto racing team that twice won the Indianapolis 500. Early ...
's entry Tell who was ridden by US Hall of Fame jockey
Bill Shoemaker William Lee Shoemaker (August 19, 1931 – October 12, 2003) was an American jockey, considered one of the greatest. For 29 years he held the world record for the most professional jockey victories. Early life Referred to as "Bill", "Willie," ...
carrying the imposing weight of 130 pounds by of a length over Noholme Jr. in a time of 1:46. The event was named for Elias Jackson "Lucky" Baldwin's 1885
American Derby The American Derby is an American Thoroughbred horse race first run at Chicago's old Washington Park Race Track on the city's South Side and raced there until 1905 when the facility was closed following the state's ban on gambling, and horse ra ...
winner, Volante, who was ridden to victory by jockey
Isaac Burns Murphy Isaac Burns Murphy (January 6, 1861 – February 16, 1896) was an American Hall of Fame jockey, considered one of the greatest riders in American Thoroughbred horse racing history. He won three runnings of the Kentucky Derby and was the first joc ...
. Lucky Baldwin had built the original Santa Anita Racetrack Track in 1907 and Volante was buried at the track. When the grading of races began as a
Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association The Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA) is an American trade organization for Thoroughbred racehorse owners and breeders, which is based in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1961, TOBA's stated mission is to "improve the economics, i ...
project in 1973 the event was classified as Grade III, however, the event was not held that year due to a strike by pari-mutual clerks. In 1988 and 1989 the event was upgraded to Grade II before returning to Grade III. In 1996 the event was once again upgraded to Grade II. In 1997 the event was renamed to the Oak Tree Derby after the
Oak Tree Racing Association The Oak Tree Racing Association is an American nonprofit corporation that exists to conduct live thoroughbred horse racing in Southern California. Graded Stakes races at the Oak Tree meet Since Oak Tree Racing moved to Hollywood Park in 2010, so ...
. In 2012 with the
Oak Tree Racing Association The Oak Tree Racing Association is an American nonprofit corporation that exists to conduct live thoroughbred horse racing in Southern California. Graded Stakes races at the Oak Tree meet Since Oak Tree Racing moved to Hollywood Park in 2010, so ...
abandoning the Santa Anita Track the event was renamed to the Twilight Derby. The event has been held on the undercard of the Saturday
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 ...
card in 2008, 2009, 2016, 2019 and 2023.


Records

Time record: * 1:44.48 – The Usual Q.T. (2009) Margins: * lengths - Daytona (IRE) (2007) Most wins by an owner: * 2 –
Charles E. Whittingham Charles Edward Whittingham (April 13, 1913 – April 20, 1999) was an American Thoroughbred race horse trainer who is one of the most acclaimed trainers in U.S. racing history. Early career Born in Chula Vista, California, Whittingham began wor ...
(1977, 1979) 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 – Gary Stevens (1986, 1990, 1998, 1999, 2015, 2017) Most wins by a trainer: * 5 –
Charles E. Whittingham Charles Edward Whittingham (April 13, 1913 – April 20, 1999) was an American Thoroughbred race horse trainer who is one of the most acclaimed trainers in U.S. racing history. Early career Born in Chula Vista, California, Whittingham began wor ...
(1969, 1974, 1977, 1979, 1989)


Winners

''Legend:''

''Notes:''
§ Ran as an entry
‡ In 1973 the Volante Handicap was scheduled to be held on Saturday, 7 October 1973, opening day of the Oak Tree Racing Association's meeting at Santa Anita but was cancelled due to a three-day strike by the pari-mutuel clerks.


See also

List of American and Canadian Graded races The list of American and Canadian Graded races is a list of Thoroughbred horse races in the United States and Canada that meet the Graded stakes race, graded stakes standards maintained by the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Ow ...


References

{{reflist, 2 Horse races in California Santa Anita Park Graded stakes races in the United States Grade 2 stakes races in the United States Flat horse races for three-year-olds Turf races in the United States Horse races established in 1969 1969 establishments in California