The Princess Rooney Stakes is a
Grade III 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 fillies and
mare
A mare is an adult female horse or other equidae, 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 th ...
s aged three and older over a distance of seven
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 run annually at
Gulfstream Park
Gulfstream Park is a Thoroughbred racing, Thoroughbred horse race track, casino and outdoor entertainment and shopping destination in Hallandale Beach, Florida, Hallandale Beach, Florida, United States. It is among the most important venues for ...
in
Hallandale Beach, Florida
Hallandale Beach (formerly known simply as Hallandale) is a city in southern Broward County, Florida, United States. The city is named after Luther Halland, the son of a Swedish worker for Henry Flagler's Florida East Coast Railroad. It is al ...
.
History
The inaugural running of the event was on 10 August 1985 at
Calder Race Course
Calder Casino is a casino located in Miami Gardens, Florida. It includes slots, electronic table games, and bingo.
The casino opened in 2010 and features a gaming floor with 1,100 slot machines, including video poker, as well as electronic rou ...
as the Princess Rooney Handicap.
[
The event is named in honor for the U.S. Hall of Fame ]filly
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
...
Princess Rooney, who won her first four starts at the Calder racetrack.
The event was contested at a distance of seven furlongs until 1997.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 ...
and carried a $300,000 purse.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 ...
event from 2006 to 2014. The race was not run in 2014 due to changes in the racing schedule resulting from Gulfstream announcing their lease of the Calder Race Course property.
In 2015, the race was run at Gulfstream for the first time as the Princess Rooney Stakes, as the conditions were changed from handicap to allowance weights. The race had also been downgraded to Grade II status.COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
On December 31, 2019, China announced the discovery of a cluster of pneumonia cases in Wuhan. The first American case was reported on January 20, and United States Department of Health and Human Services, Health and Human Services Secreta ...
, Gulfstream Park did not schedule the event in their updated and shortened spring-summer meeting.Breeders' Cup Challenge
The Breeders' Cup Challenge is a series of Thoroughbred horse races in which the winner earns an automatic spot in a specified Breeders' Cup race. The challenge races change somewhat each year. The Challenge series began in 2007 with 24 "Win and Yo ...
"Win and You're In" series, with the winner receiving automatic entry to the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint
The Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint is a 7-furlong (1408 m) Weight for Age stakes race for thoroughbred fillies and mares three years old and up. As its name implies, it is a part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships, the ''de facto'' year- ...
.
Records
Speed record:
*7 furlongs: 1:21.68 - Curlin's Approval (2017)
*6 furlongs: 1:09.29 - Merry Meadow (2015)
Margins:
* lengths - Game Face (2009)
Most wins:
* 2 - Classy Tricks (1986, 1987)
* 2 - Magal (1991, 1992)
* 2 - Gold Mover (2002, 2003)
* 2 - Stormy Embrace (2018, 2019)
* 2 - Ce Ce (2021, 2022)
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 ...
:
* 3 - Jerry Bailey
Jerry D. Bailey (born August 29, 1957) is a retired American Hall of Fame jockey and current NBC Sports thoroughbred racing analyst. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest jockeys of all time.
Early years
Bailey was born in Dallas, Texas bu ...
(2002, 2003, 2005)
Most wins by a trainer:
* 5 - Martin D. Wolfson (1995, 1996, 2010, 2013, 2017)
Most wins by an owner:
* 2 - Harry Katz (1986, 1987)
* 2 - Dolares S. Tamargo (1991, 1992)
* 2 - Edward P. Evans (2002, 2003)
* 2 - Matalona Thoroughbreds (2018, 2019)
* 2 - Bo Hirsch (2021, 2022)
Winners
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
Sprint category horse races for fillies and mares
Graded stakes races in the United States
Grade 2 stakes races in the United States
Horse races in Florida
Horse races established in 1985
Gulfstream Park
1985 establishments in Florida