The Selima Stakes is an 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 ...

held annually 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, D.C., and Baltimore on the banks of the Patuxent River, in northern Prince George's County. Its population was 30,060 at the 2020 census. Founded as a mill town i ...

. Raced in late November, it is open to two-year-old

fillies 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, th ...

and is raced on

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'', ...

History

Inaugurated in 1926, it is named for Selima, who was imported to Maryland in 1750 and became a foundation

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 ...

by Benjamin Tasker Jr. at the Belair Stud Farm in

Prince George County Prince George County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 43,010. Its county seat is Prince George. Prince George County is located within the Greater Richmond Region of the U.S. sta ...

. Selima was the daughter of the

Godolphin Arabian The Godolphin Arabian (–1753), also known as the Godolphin Barb, was an Arabian horse The Arabian or Arab horse ( , DIN 31635, DMG ''al-ḥiṣān al-ʿarabī'') is a horse breed, breed of horse with historic roots on the Arabian Peninsul ...

, she was considered "queen of the turf", she also gained fame as one of the country's greatest broodmares in American history. Referring to the 1959 Selima Stakes, in his book '' Legacies of the Turf'', author Edward L. Bowen says that it was "then one of the most important autumn races for juvenile fillies."

Modern times

The race was run as a grade one race from 1973 through 1988. It was a grade two race in 1989 and a grade three race from 1990 through 1999. Since 2002 it has been contested over a distance of miles (8.5 furlongs). The race was cancelled in 2008 for economic reasons. It was announced by Laurel Park that the famed race would be restored in 2011 and run on October 15 at 6 furlongs.

Records

Speed record: * miles – 1:52.16 – Jostle (1999) * miles – 1:41.87 – J'Ray (2005) * 1 mile – 1:38.00 – Nellie Flag (1934) * furlongs – 1:30.20 – Stormy Blues (1994) Most wins by a trainer: * 6 –

Woody Stephens Woody Stephens (September 1, 1913 – August 22, 1998) was an American Thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame trainer. Biography Born Woodford Cefis Stephens in Stanton, Kentucky, he had a younger brother named William Ward Stephens who also b ...

(1973, 1976, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1983) * 4 –

Max Hirsch Maximilian Justice "Max" Hirsch (July 12, 1880 - April 3, 1969) was an American Hall of Fame Thoroughbred racehorse trainer. Born in Fredericksburg, Texas, and raised Roman Catholic, Hirsch became one of the most successful trainers in Thorough ...

(1935, 1946, 1959 & 1961) * 3 – Sunny Jim Fitzsimmons (1932, 1954 & 1962) 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 ...

: * 5 –

Edgar Prado Edgar S. Prado (born June 12, 1967) is a retired Peruvian jockey in thoroughbred horse racing. Prado's big break came in 1997 when he won 536 races, making him the fourth rider in history to win 500 races in one year. Much of that success was ga ...

(1991, 1993, 1996, 1997 & 1998) * 3 – Laffit Pincay Jr. (1970, 1973 & 1980) * 3 –

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 ...

(1934, 1935 & 1944) Most wins by an owner: * 4 –

King Ranch King Ranch is the largest ranch in the United States. At some it is larger than the area of the European country Luxembourg. It is mainly a cattle ranch, but also produced the racehorse Assault (horse), Assault, who won the United States Tri ...

(1935, 1946, 1959 & 1961) * 4 – Wheatley Stable (1932, 1954, 1962 & 1969) * 3 –

Calumet Farm Calumet Farm is a Thoroughbred breeding and training farm established in 1924 in Lexington, Kentucky, United States by William Monroe Wright, founding owner of the Calumet Baking Powder Company. Calumet is located in the heart of the Bluegrass ...

(1934, 1943 & 1947)

Winners of the Selima Stakes since 1926

References

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Bibliography