The Sham 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 horses aged three years old over the distance of one mile on the dirt scheduled annually in January 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 ...

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 $100,000.

History

The event was inaugurated on 9 February 2001 over a distance of miles and was won by the US Hall of Fame trained

Bob Baffert Robert A. Baffert (born January 13, 1953) is an American racehorse trainer. He has trained two Triple Crown winners: American Pharoah in 2015 and Justify in 2018. Baffert's horses have won the Kentucky Derby six times, tying the record with ...

's Wild and Wise who was entered as an entry with Special Times. He was ridden by the entry with Special Times. He was ridden by the US Hall of Fame jockey

Victor Espinoza Victor Espinoza (born May 23, 1972) is a Mexican jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing who won the Triple Crown in 2015 on American Pharoah. He began riding in his native Mexico and went on to compete at racetracks in California. He has ...

winning by half a length in a time of 1:50.51. The event is named in honor for the racehorse

Sham Sham may refer to: Arabic use * Al-Sham or Shām (شام), the Arabic term for the Greater Syria region, known in English as the Levant or the eastern Mediterranean, which includes the modern countries of Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan, Cyprus ...

, winner of the 1973

Santa Anita Derby The Santa Anita Derby is an American Grade 1 thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds run each April at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. It is currently run at a distance of miles on the dirt and carries a purse of . It is one of t ...

and remembered for his battles with

Secretariat Secretariat may refer to: * Secretariat (administrative office) * Secretariat (horse) Secretariat (March 30, 1970 – October 4, 1989), also known as Big Red, was a champion American thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse who was the ninth winn ...

in that year's U.S. Triple Crown Races. The event was upgraded to Grade III in 2006. In 2011 distance for the event was decreased to miles and once again the following year was decreased to 1 mile. Since 2011 the event has been held early in January. An official prep race for the

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby () is an American Graded stakes race, Grade I stakes Thoroughbred racing, race run at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The race is run by three-year-old Thoroughbreds at a distance of . Colt (horse), Colts and geldin ...

with qualification points.

Records

Speed record: * 1 mile – 1:34.56 - Out of Bounds (2012) * mile – 1:47.86 -

The Pamplemousse The Pamplemousse (foaled April 19, 2006 in Kentucky) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse and stallion. Known for his speed, he was a contender for the 2009 Kentucky Derby and Triple Crown but had to withdraw due to injury. His regular jockey wa ...

(2009) Margins: * lengths – Authentic (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 -

Alex Solis Alex O. Solis (born March 25, 1964) is a Panamanian jockey based in the United States. He lives in Glendora, California and rides predominantly in Southern California. He got his big break and his first gained national prominence when he won the 1 ...

(2003, 2004, 2009, 2010) * 4 -

Garrett Gomez Garrett Keith Gomez (January 1, 1972 – December 14, 2016) was an American Thoroughbred jockey who won two Eclipse Awards and thirteen Breeders' Cup races during his career. Racing career Early career Gomez learned to ride by watching his fath ...

(2007, 2008, 2011, 2012) * 4 -

(2001, 2005, 2006, 2017) * 4 - Mike E. Smith (2014, 2018, 2019, 2021) Most wins by a trainer: * 9 -

(2001, 2006, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023) Most wins by an owner: * 3 - Golconda Stable (2020, 2022, 2023) * 3 - Madaket Stables (2020, 2022, 2023) * 3 - SF Racing (2020, 2022, 2023) * 3 - Starlight Racing (2020, 2022, 2023)

Winners

''Legend:''

''Notes:''
§ Ran as an entry

References

{{reflist, 2 2001 establishments in California Horse races in California Santa Anita Park Flat horse races for three-year-olds Triple Crown Prep Races Graded stakes races in the United States Grade 3 stakes races in the United States Horse races established in 2001

History

Records

Winners

See also

References